Why Do Teachers Recommend Goodtime Banjos?

Anyone who has been following Deering in the last few years will know that we talk a lot about the importance of choosing an instrument that will help your learning experience, not hinder it.

One of the most common questions that we get asked from beginners to the banjo is "what is the best banjo for me to start with?"

The Goodtime has a 20+ year track record, with tens of thousands of budding banjo players starting their journey on the now familiar blonde maple icon. But what we really wanted to know was if the banjo teachers of the world would recommend them top their own students.

So we asked.

In a survey of over 300 banjo teachers, we asked the question "How likely are you to recommend Goodtime to your student as a first banjo?"

More than 85% of the banjo teachers surveyed agreed that they would very likely recommend the Goodtime banjo to that students. Many of them already did.

But what we really wanted to find out was why they would be likely to recommend a Goodtime banjo. From a list of six options we asked all of the respondents to tell us the reasons behind their decision to recommend for Goodtime banjo.

The main answer? Easy to Play.

And it is hardly surprising, since the Goodtime has been praised the world over since its inception for how easy it is to play. But why is ease of play so important?

Well, its all in the action. That is, the distance of the strings above the frets. This is so important for a newcomer to any stringed instrument. Too low (close to the frets) and the strings will buzz, or "choke out". Too high and you will have to really press hard with your fretting hand in order to make contact with the frets. Hand cramps ensue for an all round miserable learning experience. That is what we do not want for beginners!

Following close behind Ease of Play is:

1. Quality of Components - Nothing worse than a slipping tuner, or nuts that thread and cant be adjusted.
2. Tone - If your banjo sounds bad, are you really going to enjoy hearing it?
3. Made in the USA - We control the quality. We see every banjo before it leaves the factory.
4. Price - Sure, there are cheaper banjos on the market. But they are cheaper for a reason. The Goodtime is a little more of a stretch, but is easily justified by the 4 main points above.

And if you were thinking "Deering probably only asked teachers who already play their banjos", well we asked the same thing. 40% of the banjo teachers who responded do not play Deering as thier main instrument.

Take our Goodtime Ambassadors for example. Kristin Scott-Benson and Pete "Dr. Banjo" Wernick have huge believers in the Goodtime line for their students, and own them personally. However, both of them opt for older, pre-war style banjos as their main instruments.

We are exceptionally proud of the Goodtime banjo line and we put all of our emphasis in making it the best value, most affordable US made banjo on the market. An instrument that will truly help you on your banjo learning journey.