This is a great banjo. Hard to believe it doesn’t cost more.

There was a massive ding in the resonator binding from some kind of impact (likes like knocked very hard against a table). I’m not sure if this was damaged before or during shipping from the seller. Otherwise the instrument sounds fine

This banjo is aweome!! The sound is clean and crisp!! If you appreciate "Scruggs" style bluegrass, there cannot be a better one on the market!

Gorgeous banjo. I like it better than my RK35. Both are fine banjos, I just like the GT a little better, feels nicer to me, the smooth finish feels nicer and it has this creamy looking wood. Lifetime transferable Warrenty is also handy if you need to sell it. I have a Nechville phantom banjo that cost over $4,000 and while it is nicer, louder, and sound better its not a day and night difference. You'd be hard pressed to tell in a loud room with other instruments. Very happy with it.

When I was shopping for a banjo, I compared the Goldtone OB-150 with the OB-250 by having the owner of the shop (an accomplished musician and instructor) play both one after the other. I know the OB-250 is more expensive and one would expect it to have a slightly better tone. Not so in this case. The OB-150 was clearly the superior banjo. I bought it and played it for about two weeks, then decided to swap out the strings, as they were going dead. The GHS Sonny Osbourne Signature set were installed. As good as this banjo is, the new strings made it even better! My instructor was amazed at how good this banjo sounds! I am, too! I love the sound of this banjo! I may someday get a higher end banjo, but this banjo is a keeper. It is easy to play, very responsive, can be played softly or LOUD without losing its tone. Some banjoes get a bit muddy sounding when played up the neck, but this one has sparkling tone right up to the rim! I've been experimenting with different bridges, too, and I can recommend the GHS Sonny Osbourne Strings with a Snuffy Smith bridge, but neither are necessary as this banjo sounds fantastic right out of the box. I won't hesitate to bring this to jam sessions. Best banjo for the price! If you want a banjo that can take you from student to playing jam sessions or even on stage, this one can do it.

A very good banjo. Excellent, loud tone. But the real beauty is that it can be played softly-very well. Your fingers don't have to work hard. The tuners, the zero glide fret and the terminator tailpiece make tuning very smooth and stable. Nice combo. The terminator tailpiece makes changing strings easier. The frets and fretboard good, but the frets do have some snags at the ends. The fretboard is not quite as smooth and even as I'd like-but still very serviceable. The satin stain finish is aesthetically not my favorable. This happens with stained maple. Carefully cleaning with a high quality furniture cleaner, followed up with high quality polish, and topped off with something like renaissance microcrystalline wax improve finish appearance greatly. Good to do on any wooden instrument. If I had a few hundred dollars more, I would have gotten the upgrade 250 for the finish. Money is not wasted on fancy shell markers, but pearloid fingerboard markers. I don't see a problem there. It goes into the lower price. I have my gripes, but this is a very fine banjo with great sound, and really nice innovations in the tuning system. The updated 150 model has a radiused fretboard. Nice touch, and get it with that feature. I love the banjo, despite its small issues

More banjo for less money. YES, you read that right. It is true. It is why I OWN one and I play it too. This banjo is a REAL pro grade bluegrass banjo in every sense of the word. This is sometimes called a Masterclone banjo. WHY? Because the banjo this was designed and patterned after is a Gibson banjo. Not just any Gibson banjo. The one banjo that was used by the late, great Earl Scruggs to record the iconic bluegrass tune, Foggy Mountain Breakdown in 1949, the ORIGINAL version. The tone from that one banjo is the tone that almost any bluegrass banjo picker wants to have. There is a reason why pre war Gibson banjos are the most sought after banjos among bluegrass pickers. The one thing that stops most banjo players from ever getting a pre war Gibson is the huge price tag. This kind of banjo will run anywhere from $87,000.00 to $200,000.00 and that is NOT a joke. IF you are looking for a great bluegrass banjo with the pre war look and sound and a speed neck feel, this is your banjo. This banjo has some added new items. The Zero Glide nut is a plus on any banjo. This banjo has it from the factory. Then there is the Gold Tone Terminator tailpiece. This evenly distributes the pressure of the strings all across the bridge.this translates into more tone. This banjo has dual coordinator rods and a 3 ply maple rim and a sand cast bell brass tone ring and a real flange.Yes the pot is just like a REAL bluegrass banjo pot just like the pro bluegrassers play. The neck is even REAL deal bluegrass quality. The headstock has REAL inlays and the shape of the headstock is Gibson like. Look at some photos of Earl Scruggs with his banjo and you will notice the resemblance.This banjo is a copy of EARL's banjo.This banjo is a tone monster and looks like a pre war Gibson. IF you show up to a bluegrass festival and break this banjo out of your case for a jam session, provided you have the proper cradle strap (you WILL NEED ONE) then have spikes installed and a good capo for the other 4 strings, you will have some respect out of the chute. Many bluegrass jams and festivals have traditionalists. Those folks sometime take bluegrass serious.This banjo is serious business and it is affordable for the average player. You will look great and sound great with this banjo. Sounds great is more like ear candy. Trust me on this one, it is going to shock you.My recommendation for having spikes installed is to have them at frets 7, 8, 9,10 and 12. I prefer spikes over a shubb long bar 5th string capo.My preference, You will want to play in other keys besides G, So get spikes or a long bar installed. You will thank me later. You will love the price too. Normally a REAL bluegrass banjo is going to cost you over a grand to get and the prices go super high after that. that is just to get a banjo worth attempting to take to a jam or in the studio. Gold Tone nailed it with this one. Gold Tone has an impressive list of artists on their roster than know serious banjo and serious bluegrass and roots music. Gold Tone makes a great product and they do amazing setups too. The packaging is 2nd to none. It took me over 10 minutes to unwrap this baby. The banjo was even encased in bubble wrap inside the case. The case has a huge compartment and inside the case you will find adjustment tools. This is a first class banjo with everything you need. NOT a fake kids toy. NOT a wannabe banjo.