Comments on: What would you give someone who just got a banjo?

Question: What would you give someone who just got a banjo?

ORthey — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 09:07:30 -0800

Friend just got a banjo and I want to get her a banjo-related gift. Li'l help?

A co-worker, who is leaving the office and the state soon, was just given a banjo as a surprise going away gift. She LOVES it and is learning some chords from a very simple book with accompanying CD, and spending all her time learning. She's a complete beginner. She loves bluegrass and other banjo-including music.

I'd like to get her a gift, and I'd like it to be banjo-related, but I just don't have any bright ideas. Fun accessories? A great book? Something else?

By: ORthey

ORthey — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 09:08:10 -0800

Oh, and it should be $40 or less. And I'm not going to pay for a lesson, she's arranged all that already.

By: cosmicbandito

cosmicbandito — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 09:14:18 -0800

Get her some John Hartford CDs. Best damn banjo picker I ever did hear.

By: billtron

billtron — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 09:23:10 -0800

banjo fingerpicks!

(these are about as expensive as they come, though. You can also get them for pennies.

By: iconomy

iconomy — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 09:27:36 -0800

An I pick, therefore I grin t-shirt.

A Deliverance DVD.

A Felix the Cat t-shirt, or banjo gourds.

Grateful Dead Banjo t-shirt.

Does she have a stand for it?

By: Greg Nog

Greg Nog — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 09:28:50 -0800

Does she already have a strap for it? My banjo didn't come with one, and they're surprisingly hard to find at a lot of music stores. If she doesn't have one, you could get it for her, and then she can play standing up!

By: billtron

billtron — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 09:40:41 -0800

got banjo?

"Look out, he's got a banjo!"

By: greasy_skillet

greasy_skillet — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 09:46:30 -0800

A banjo mute.

This may not sound very fun and a little rude, but it'd be very useul if she's got roommates/family/sensitive neighbors. Banjos are VERY loud for an acoustic instrument and outside a mute, there's little one can do to adjust the volume.

By: poppo

poppo — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 09:54:08 -0800

Also if the banjo doesn't already have them, you may go to a hobby store and buy these tiny little nails to use as a capo for the high string.

See here for what I'm talking about.

By: ORthey

ORthey — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 09:56:06 -0800

These are great ideas. Maybe I'll get a little goody-bag of fun accessories.

By: kc0dxh

kc0dxh — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 10:06:44 -0800

High quality hand lotion? Oh, and a copy of Deliverance.

By: Thorzdad

Thorzdad — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 10:36:26 -0800

The least heard phrase in the english language?
"That's the banjo player's Porsche."

By: phil

phil — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 10:53:26 -0800

cant go wrong with a subscription to the banjo newsletter

By: umbú

umbú — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 12:18:14 -0800

Pete Seeger's "How to play the 5-string banjo" is a great book for beginners.

A set of replacement strings would come in handy as well.

By: ewagoner

ewagoner — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 12:50:30 -0800

Unfortunately thay're sold out at the moment, but the first accessory I got for my banjo was a Strobopick.

By: horsewithnoname

horsewithnoname — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 12:57:00 -0800

A tuner would be a practical gift. I've got an Intellitouch PT-1 which has worked fine for me.

By: ObscureReferenceMan

ObscureReferenceMan — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 13:13:51 -0800

How about a case? That was the second thing I got after my uke.

By: sonofslim

sonofslim — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 14:30:49 -0800

2nd the good case -- nothing sucks like hauling around your banjo in one of those paper-thin generic cases. (any mefite who wants to be my best friend forever can also buy me a case for my banjo!)

By: Phred182

Phred182 — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 14:39:39 -0800

Chaw, and some Steve Martin albums.