Gold Tone WL-250 White Ladye Openback Banjo (Five String, Vintage Brown)

So excited to start playing! Right out of the box it sounds beautiful. Everything is solid and there are no blemishes. It came 3 days late, but it was worth it.

The instrument is beautiful and has great volume for an open back. It arrived nicely setup and ready to play, and Amazon's price was $250.00 cheaper than its competitors.I was under the impression that Gold Tone parts were made in Korea and that their instruments were assembled in Florida but my instrument had a "Made in China" sticker on the back of the neck. This isn't a big deal to me. Regardless of where an instrument is made it either plays well or it doesn't, but I did my research before purchasing from Gold Tone and thought I knew exactly what I was getting. Evidently I missed something. Again the instrument looks and sounds beautiful and I would highly recommend it.

This is a great sounding banjo, well worth the price.

I bought mine in 2003 when the parts were still made in Korea and the banjos were assembled in Titusville Florida. Nowadays they say they are built in China. I put a skin head on mine which I think suits this banjo. I play clawhammer and old time finger picking and a little ragtime like classic banjo. To me this is a good banjo, and at the time I bought it when there were not as many other Asian competitors or even the Kevin Enoch Tradesman (I bought one from Kevin about 2007), this was a nice banjo for the price (then around 700 bucks). Like any banjo it is all in the setup. I went to a workshop in 2004 where Bob Carlin was playing one and it sounded like gold.I tend to think the strings Gold Tone recommends for thsi banjo are too heavy, at least for my tastes. I have used the Gibson Earl Scruggs light mediums for most of the time I have had it and more recently the John Pease strings of the same calibre. The last couple years I have used this banjo as my A/D banjo tuned up 2 steps with slightly lighter strings, and there has been no trouble.This is a HEAVY banjo for the size, but such is the fate of most tone-ring banjos. and moreover, it is light compared to my 1925 Tubaphone conversion banjo. I have acquired about 5 banjos since I bought the WL-250. Each one has been more expensive or valuable, including an 1890s fairbanks, the tradesman, and the tubaphone, and a custom made banjo i bought from a friend. However, I still come back to the WL-250. It has a bite and a jangle and a ring to it that I prefer. It does not sound a "electric" and tinny as actual Fairbanks and Vega Whyte Ladies I have played and sounds miore banjoy to me. It has a more reasonable neck than the baseball bat type neck on the Eastman Whyte Ladies which I think are good banjos, but not y taste.The WL 25t is a good entry level banjo for someone who wants to play seriously. It may not have snob appeal, but I have used it on paid gigs, to give classes at banjo camps, and in at least one recording session.

You can spend more, you can spend less, but the WL250 can easily be your one banjo if you're looking for a rock solid, gorgeous sounding open back. I'm constantly amazed at how nice this instrument is and it has basically cured me from searching for "that sound". I still lust after other banjos but it usually rests on cosmetics, as I can't say I've every heard anything that sounded much if any better. My only quibble is that I don't like the "cloud" fret inlays - plain dots would be preferable to me, but I look past that.

Bought one of these through a dealer and LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! I've been playing banjo now for 2 years and this banjo sounds better than any openback banjo I've played within $500 of it's price. The only reason I do not give this banjo a 5 star rating is for QC issue at the Florida factory. My banjo came to me perfect, but 2 friends of mine that got banjos from them had some cosmetic issues with them. I would recommend this banjo to anyone with one caveat - Order it through a dealer so you will get customer satisfaction. Your dealer will make it right for you if you happen to get one with cosmetic issues. Or better yet, buy one from a shop where you can look at and play the banjo before purchasing. Excellent banjo for the $$, I will be playing mine for years to come.

I didn't buy mine at Amazon. I paid more and got from music store which assured me the instrument was set up correctly. Its a heavy sucker but boy you can not beat it for the price. Amazing sound and play-ability. I heard it live at a large outdoor venue and couldn't believe it was a Gold Tone. The sound was comparable to a much higher price banjo. Very happy with it.