Deering Crossfire
Last week after playing my electric banjo at church someone came up to me afterwards and said that he’d never seen an electric banjo before.
It’s true, they are not nearly as common as the regular acoustic banjo, but as banjo players play more and more outside of the bluegrass tradition which has nurtured its popularity, the advantages of an electric banjo become apparant.
If I’m playing in a musical group that is electrified and LOUD, such as keyboards, electric guitars, drums, a horn section, etc., I immediately reach for my electric banjo. I can plug it straight into the sound desk and hear myself back through the monitors and I’m good to go.
But if I tried to do the same thing with my acoustic banjo, whether using a microphone and even with a pick-up, they’re prone to feedback problems as the sound-man tries to crank up the signal. The microphone picks up all the other noise on stage and he just can’t get me to the same volume level as everyone else and I get that horrible feedback squeal.
But if I’m heading to a bluegrass jam, there’s NO WAY I’d take my electric banjo. Firstly you can’t plug it in anywhere, and if I tried to play it acoustically, it’s not loud enough on its own and sounds way too ‘tinny’ with the lack of a sound chamber.
Martin Co' Vega
If I’m after a truly BANJO banjo-tone, then nothing beats the sound of an acoustic banjo.
Banjo players love that sound and we’re prepared to pay top dollar to own a good acoustic banjo for playing bluegrass or other styles of acoustic music.
But if I know there’s going to be a drum-kit however, it’s a no-brainer, I reach for the electric.
So consider who you are most likely to play with and what your jamming or performance opportunities might be.
If you’re likely to play just on your own for the forseeable future, then get an acoustic banjo because they are just awesome and will cheer you up in no time.
Ideally, if you have lots of opportunities to play with different kinds of musicians, then get both!
Tags: Banjo models
