Vangoa 5 String Banjo 26 Inch, MINI Travel Banjo Beginner Kit with Remo Head, Open Back & Closed Solid Back with beginner Kit, Comfortable Carrying Bag

We have an update from the previous review. We received the banjo initially because it did not come with the beginner's kit. This made the banjo unplayable because it had no bridge or picks. The company reached out to us and offered a full refund. After a couple of days of back and forth messaging, they offered to ship us the missing items. We received the package within a week or so and everything is going great! I really appreciated the customer service reaching out to us after seeing our old review and issue!Just for others to know, this banjo is about the size of a ukulele. Be sure to tune it correctly (and frequently) to the notes you want. If playing like a regular banjo of DBGDG it does have more of a "twang" sound to it when playing on different frets which changes how it sounds overall. This is good for beginners with all the included components and extras.

Pleased with the entire kit, started playing within two hours after opening the box. Tuning the first time can be difficult if you have never played a guitar before, since I had a tuner that got me started.. then I used the tuner supplied which worked well. No instructions on how to install the pick-up, but looked online and found out you install it on the interior of the Remo head, just beneath the bridge. Sounds great and the pick-up worked really well so I can use it in the recording studio. Overall - five stars!

The banjo itself is very nice. It came with everything and the tune is beautiful. Nicely packed. You can tell care was taken.The issue I have is the carry bag that came with it. It was moldy, inside and out...and the banjo was inside, Thankfully the banjo was wrapped in plastic and not damaged by this. I sprayed the bag with lysol laundry sanitizer and washed it on delicate.I need to note the box was not damaged and didn't have any signs of moisture. So I'm not sure if the bags are stored separately and plucked before shipment?I do recommend this product but pay attention to this mold/ possible moisture issue.

I have to say, for $125 I wasn't expecting much. And out of the box it was very difficult to play. As I travel ALOT in my job as a touring guitar tech, I wanted a banjo that would fit in my suitcase, and figured it was worth a roll of the dice.Being a professional guitar tech, I was afforded the ability to make this little banjo (what I would call) usable.1st I had to shim the neck a bit to bring down the action. Then I put heavier gauge strings on it, so I could tune it to open G and still feel some resistance while picking. I built a set of strings that are 11, 28, 18, 14, 11. Also I had to cut down all of the nut slots significantly, (including the high G 5th string). The high G should rest ON the 5th fret. It was way too high. In fact all the nut slots were so high, that when you fretted any string on the first few frets, it would press the string so far sharp, the fretted notes were very sharp and out of tune.Due to it's size (and my fat fingers) it's still going to take some getting used to.As it sits now, it plays fairly well. For $125 I'd say, after a proper setup, it's well worth the price. And there's a ton of accessories included.I'm quite happy with my purchase.

This is a great little 5 string banjo ukulele. it has the sound of a ukulele which doesn't sound like a quality banjo, never the less is a very pleasant sounding instrument. For a small child wanting to learn to play the banjo, this might be the right size to start out with. If your an adult wanting to learn, it really is to small to try to learn on. For an experienced banjo player, this little instrument is a lot of fun to play.I had to move the bridge back about an inch to correct the intonation and tune it but very little else to start playing it. You won't need to take it to a professional to set it up. quick tip. measure the distance from the nut to the 12th fret and then move the bridge so there is the same distance between the 12 fret and the bridge. Then tune the strings and start playing.I bought it to take on a cruise, just to keep my fingers in condition without having to lug around 20 lbs of banjo and case. After the cruise, I have a grandchild or two that may want to learn to play.

This is a really good instrument for beginners. It’s solid quality and has a good weight so it feels like a more expensive banjo. The accents make it look really nice for the price. It won’t sound as good as a high-end banjo but it’s definitely good enough for someone who’s just starting out.

Priced right.Learning as I can.Items included ok.

Couldn’t wait to get a smaller banjo to hit the road with as a truck driver. My full size one was taking too much room. This banjo arrived in great shape, tuned up easily, but OMG!!!!!!! as long as I don’t fret any notes it sounds great in an open G strum. Once you start hitting frets, it sounds like absolute Hell. Its almost like the frets aren’t in the correct positions. Incredibly disappointed. I was really looking forward to playing this. Its worse because I’m only home occasionally, and being Prime takes 4-5 days for some reason, I can’t even replace it for another couple of weeks. The holes where the strings go in do not line up at the bridge. Its almost as if the piece is for a different instrument. Maybe a 6 string Guitar/Ukulele. The neck may be twisted, but I can’t be sure. Intonation is correct for the 5th G, 4th G, and 1st D, but the center strings are nearly a full step off, so adjusting the truss will not help. I’m totally gun shy now about ordering any stringed musical instrument from Amazon. I’m not a professional musician by any means, but the tuning is so off, that it’ll frustrate the heck out of a beginner that is trying to learn and can’t get songs to sound correctly, I can’t stress enough how disheartened and disappointed I am. Its a beautiful looking instrument, and I’m sad to have to return it.