Tanglewood TB18DLX G banjo review
By Rob Sandall
| Posted in Music Technology
The Tanglewood TB18DLX G banjo has been picked up for review today thanks to a little inspiration from a fellow writer. The other day, Marc Noel Johnson wrote about the benefits of being a multi-instrumentalist. This struck a chord with me, so to speak, as I have lately been immersing myself in some pretty extreme country music – the kind of Brad Paisley widdle ho-downs that make your ears blow out steam in surprise. It’s got me more than a little jealous of those pickers who can play anything with a string on it.
I have tried my hand previously with a mandolin and a bazouki – the latter of which I was particularly enamoured with, but thus far I’d never laid my hands on a banjo. Before I posted up a review, then, I had to play a few and do some pretty hefty research.
So then: this model is a five-string banjo, which means as well as your four ‘main’ strings (which I decided to tune to a standard bluegrass tuning – DGBD) you also have your drone string (the shorter one with a tuner four frets down on the 22-fret neck, tuned to G). Speaking as a guitarist, this feels a little odd to say the least when you first start playing, but with some hastily found internet guidance I got myself some claws and started some light bluegrass licking.
The maple neck, fortunately, is well finished, solidly heavy (to a beginner, a banjo weighs more than you expect) and with smooth frets. The tuners are also accurate, and these two assets combined make a real difference when you’re learning.
That’s not to say that the appointments on the Tanglewood TB18DLX G are of a beginner standard, however – this is a serious instrument, packing a fantastic build quality. The mahogany resonator is finished in a bright gloss, full of lustre and reasonably thick without looking tacky. It’s a boomy wood full of low end clout which adds quite a dark thrust to the ‘box’ design of a five-string. That’s a Remo drumhead, too, which is a quality assurance in itself, held on with and vibrations bolstered by chrome and brass hoops and rings.
I was immediately surprised at the level of projection I achieved when I began playing. In a quick jam with a double bass and guitar, if you dig in with a banjo then you can cut through incredibly well (especially with some claws on). You get that ripe twang that we all associate with the instrument, but with this Tanglewood you also get a leading, clear bell of a note ringing through – that little ‘bow’ noise that we all think of is more a supportive part of the instrument’s character when you really listen, rather than its defining point.
The machined parts are to a high standard, from the tailpiece to the tuners, and although initial shenanigans with a moveable bridge will provide a small amount of anger if you’re anything like me (impatient), everything is so well put together that the only hindrance will be your own dexterity.
A friend who is a mean banjo player had a run on it, and tore out a huge virtuoso moment or two – the neck is fast enough to deal with the most experienced players, and the sound bears serious fruit when the volume is ramped up with confidence. I can see it being difficult to outgrow this instrument.
Maybe it’s time to put down the six-string for a while and push yourself to tackle something new. Maybe you just want something interesting on your next recording. Whatever the case, this is an instrument upon which you can learn happily, but just as easily take to amateur or even professional gigs. I am seriously enamoured with the TB18DLX G, and that’s largely thanks to the ease of playability that it provided me. If I take things further and take some time away from my beloved guitars, it’ll be with the Tanglewood TB18DLX G.
Tags: learn to play banjo, Tanglewood banjo, TB18DLX banjo
If you like your banjo music of a corn-chewin’, dungaree-flapping variety, try checking out the Skiff-Skats – a mid-eighties London based Skiffle outfit. Their web site has their own video version of “Cripple Creek”. It was a top 100 hit back in the day with some great banjo playing from Rob “Earnshaw Cods” Smith.
Mike Disney
I believe your website would be a valuable source of information to our visitors.
Carl Hackman
Well, I didn’t want to intrude…
The hidden site URL does appear when you click on my name in the post, but here it is in full anyway:
http://www.skiff-skats.co.uk
Yeeee-Hargh!
Mike Disney