This gave birth to the 4-string Tenor and Plectrum banjo, which also required using a resonator for increased volume. “With the popularity of dance bands in the ‘Roaring Twenties’, more volume was needed, and the banjo started being played with a flat pick which required removing the 5th drone string. Pandemic got you in a rut Making the easy jump to the guitars cousin is guaranteed to jumpstart your creativity. It creates a fuller, rounder tone while keeping the instrument as loud as possible. At our author’s shop, open-back banjos like this OME Wizard have, surprisingly, been among the more popular alternate-instrument purchases among guitarists during the pandemic. Were on the hunt for good used gear Learn More Customer Service Customer Service Who We Are Hours & Directions.
A resonator's first purpose is to make the banjo as loud as possible, but it also helps to color the tone of the banjo. Effect Brand Ome Model/Size Series Type Open Back Condition New Filter Sort. A resonator is a wooden back added to the banjo that reflects the sound forward. A banjo constructed for playing bluegrass will always have a resonator. The construction of the banjo is often heavier with more massive parts that add to the volume and sustain.
In this context, this type of banjo needs to be louder and more present to compete with the mix of sounds it is playing with. The bluegrass banjo generally accompanies other instruments in a group, as well as carries much of the melody of the song. This allows the player to ‘stroke’ or ‘frail’ the banjo further up the neck, thus obtaining a mellower, old-time banjo sound. It's a fast, rhythmic style popularized and invented by the one and only Earl Scruggs. Most OME open-back banjos now have a fingerboard S-scoop to facilitate frailing and clawhammer playing styles. The stained curly maple neck has an ebony. This style of banjo playing is what most people think of when they hear the word banjo. An impressive openback banjo, this OME Wizard features a 2-ply stained maple Tone Rim with no metal tone ring. “I don’t think you’ll ever get enough picking.” - Earl Scruggs The 5-string Open Back OME Wizard features the OME 12 Tone Rim with additional rim brackets ( 26 on 12 models) to increase the response and depth of tone.