Banjos

Banjos for Sale at Armstrong Guitars

A banjo is one of the easiest ways to bring a lively, rhythmic sound to a folk, country or bluegrass session. This page lists every Tanglewood banjo we stock, with prices from £279 to £449. They all belong to the Union banjos range, so you get a consistent look and feel across the line.

The Tanglewood banjo range

The Tanglewood TWBU Banjo is priced at £279 and is a sensible way into this banjo instrument if you are new to it. The Tanglewood TUB4 Banjo costs £299 and sits just above it. Both come from the same series, so the main decision is the exact model and finish you prefer rather than a jump between very different designs.

How a banjo sounds

The round body and skin head produce a sharp, ringing attack. Notes die away quickly, which is why a banjo suits fast picking and rolling patterns. If you have heard a banjo hangout style of playing in a pub session, that crisp, bouncing tone is what this instrument gives you. Players often pair it with a mandolin and an acoustic guitar for a full folk sound.

Choosing your first banjo

• Decide on the style you want. A clawhammer banjo approach uses a downward strumming stroke, while picking styles use fingerpicks.
• Think about tuning. A tenor banjo is tuned differently from a standard five-string, so check the model page for string details.
• Set a budget. At £279 and £299 the two lowest-priced models cover most beginners.
• Consider extras. Spare strings and a tuner are worth adding, and you can find them in our guitar accessories section.

Banjo or mandolin?

If you cannot decide between the two, look at our mandolins, which start at £189 and offer a softer, sweeter tone. You can also see both instruments side by side on the banjos and mandolins page.

Every banjo here ships with free UK delivery, and our team can answer questions on set-up before you order.

Getting started

Learning a banjo is rewarding because simple rolling patterns sound good quickly. Many people also try a banjo uke, a smaller instrument that blends banjo tone with ukulele size, but the models on this page are full-size banjos. If you want a smaller strummed instrument, see our ukuleles. Whichever you pick, tune up before every session and replace strings when the tone goes dull.