Pyle makes two banjos you can actually buy, and this review is mostly about the cheaper one. The PBJ60 is a full-size five-string resonator banjo at around $160, and at that price it has the two parts that decide whether a cheap banjo can be rescued: a genuine Remo head and an adjustable truss rod. It also arrives with the bridge loose in the carton, the head at whatever tension the factory left it, and a fifth-string peg that is not the geared tuner Pyle’s own feature list promises. Buy it, budget for a setup, and it will play. Buy it expecting an instrument, and it will sit in a corner.
Pyle PBJ60
The cheapest full-size resonator banjo with parts worth adjusting. Everything wrong with it out of the carton is fixable in one visit to a shop; nothing wrong with it is built into the instrument. That combination is rarer at this money than the spec sheet suggests.
At a glance
| Banjo | Back | Fifth peg | Armrest | Adjusted before shipping | Price band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pyle PBJ60 | Resonator | Friction | No | No | ~$160 |
| Pyle PBJ140 | Resonator | Geared | Yes | No | ~$200 |
| Jameson 5-String | Removable resonator | Geared | Yes | No | ~$175 |
| AKLOT Open Back | Open back | Geared | No | No | ~$150 |
| Gold Tone AC-1 | Open back | Geared | No | Yes, in Florida | ~$315 |
The fifth peg is a friction peg
Pyle’s feature list for the PBJ60 says “Features Additional 5th Geared Tuner Side-Peg”, and calls it an upgrade over the common friction tuner. The banjo does not have one. In Pyle’s own photographs the fifth peg is a plain white button on a bare tapered shaft pushed into the side of the neck — no gear housing, no mounting plate, no screw holding it to the wood. That is a friction peg, and the difference matters, because a friction peg holds by wedge pressure alone and the fifth string is the one that drifts.
Pyle’s own maintenance manual settles it from the other direction. It gives two separate warnings about knocking the fifth peg — “after several bumps the fifth peg might suddenly fall out” — and tells you to glue it back in with wood glue if it keeps happening. A geared fifth tuner is screwed to the neck and cannot fall out of it. Owners report the same thing: one describes the peg arriving not anchored in the neck at all, springing back the moment the string came up to tension.
This is not a reason to skip the banjo, and it is the single most useful thing to know before buying one. A geared fifth peg is a stock part costing under twenty dollars, and fitting one is a few minutes’ work for a shop that already has the banjo on the bench for its setup. Go in knowing that and the fifth string stops being the thing that makes you think you cannot tune. Go in believing the feature list and you will spend a fortnight blaming your ears.
Pyle’s other banjo does have the geared peg
The PBJ140 is the same company’s dearer banjo at around $200, and it carries word for word the same feature line: “Features Additional 5th Geared Tuner Side-Peg”. On this one it is true. The photographs show a chrome gear housing bolted to the side of the neck behind the button, which is what a geared fifth tuner looks like and what the PBJ60 does not have. Same maker, same sentence, two different instruments — which is the clearest possible demonstration that the sentence is not evidence.
It is a genuinely different banjo rather than a PBJ60 with extras: 38.6 inches overall, 24 brackets, a sapele plywood resonator, an armrest, a Remo head, a truss rod, and a bundle with a gig bag, a strap, spare strings, three picks, a cloth and a wall hanger. Owners describe it arriving with the bridge already seated and the intonation right, which the PBJ60 does not do.
Two things to know before you take the upgrade. The fingerboard is high-density man-made wood — engineered board, in Pyle’s own words — where the cheaper PBJ60 has rosewood, so the dearer banjo has the worse fretboard. And the “tuner” in the bundle is a phone app, not a device: Pyle’s own list of what is in the box runs banjo, bag, strings, strap, hanger, cloth, picks and wrench, with no tuner among them, and the box art advertises an app with the Apple and Android logos beside it. Budget for a real clip-on either way — there are picks here.
Pyle PBJ140
Around $200 for the geared fifth peg, an armrest, 24 brackets and a bag of accessories. Worth the forty dollars over the PBJ60 if you want one box with everything in it, and not worth it if you would rather have the rosewood fingerboard and spend the difference on a setup.
What actually comes out of the carton
A printed cardboard box, the banjo, a maple bridge lying loose, and a truss rod tool. No case, no gig bag, no strap, no tuner. In Pyle’s own product photograph the strings run flat across the head from the tailpiece to the nut with no bridge under them, which is exactly how it turns up.
Fitting that bridge is the first job and there is a number for it. Pyle’s manual gives the scale length as 26 1/4 inches and tells you to stand the bridge 26 3/16 inches from the nut, perpendicular to the strings, then fine-tune the position by harmonics. That single measurement is the difference between a banjo that plays in tune up the neck and one that does not, and nothing marks it on the head for you.
After that comes the head tension, the action and the tailpiece height, none of which the factory sets. Owners who like this banjo describe the same sequence almost word for word — tighten the head, set the action, seat the bridge, and then it sounds good. Owners who describe it as unplayable describe none of it. A shop does the lot for $50 to $100, and on a $160 banjo that is the most productive money you will spend. The maintenance manual is unusually frank about this: Pyle’s own advice is to take the instrument to a repairman and watch, rather than start turning things yourself.
The supplied bridge is not the one to keep
It is a plain maple bridge, and which plain maple bridge varies — owners who have had two of these describe getting a decent maple-and-hardwood-capped one in the first and a noticeably cheaper one in the second. A proper five-eighths maple bridge with an ebony cap is $10 to $30 and changes the tone more than a set of strings does. Buy one with the banjo and hand both to whoever does the setup. Our string guide covers the other half of that first upgrade.
What Pyle publishes, and what they leave out
| Spec | What Pyle states | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Scale length | 26 1/4″ | Full standard five-string scale — not a short-scale or travel instrument |
| Total length | 37.9″ | Normal for a full-size banjo |
| Head | Remo, 11.4″ drum diameter | A real Remo, not an unbranded plastic sheet — the part hardest to fake |
| Frets | 22, rosewood fingerboard | Standard; the fifth string starts at the fifth fret |
| Truss rod | Adjustable, tool included | A bowed neck can be corrected rather than written off |
| Body | “Shabili wood” | A veneer trade name. Pyle’s own feature bullets say mahogany instead |
| Tone ring | Not listed | There isn’t one, which is why it will not carry over a jam |
| Weight | Not published | Resonator banjos of this build run about 6 to 8 lb |
| Country of origin | Not published | Pyle says nothing about where it is made |
Two of those deserve a sentence. Pyle’s technical specification calls the body shabili wood; their marketing bullets on the same product call it mahogany. Shabili is a veneer trade name rather than a species, so nobody can tell you with confidence what the shell actually is, and it matters less than it sounds — an owner who looked inside reports a plied wooden rim, which is the construction you want at this price and better than the aluminum pot the price might suggest. On a banjo with no tone ring, the head, the bridge and the head tension decide the tone far more than the shell wood does.
The weight is the other one. Pyle publishes no figure for the instrument, and the number circulating for this banjo is a package weight rather than a measurement of the banjo. It is a resonator instrument without a flange or an armrest, so expect something in the ordinary 6 to 8 lb range and about a pound less if you take the resonator off — a long way from the Gold Tone AC-1’s published 3.75 lb. There are figures across the whole range in how much a banjo weighs.
What it will and will not do musically
It is a resonator banjo, so it throws its sound forward and it is loud in a room. That makes it the right shape for bluegrass and three-finger picking, and the wrong shape for clawhammer, where an open back is quieter, lighter and sits better against the body. Pyle does not offer the resonator as a removable feature the way some banjos at this price do, so treat the back as fixed when you choose. The full argument is in open back versus resonator.
What it will not do is hold its own next to a mandolin and a guitar in a jam, and the reason is structural rather than a matter of setup. There is no tone ring — no cast bell brass, no rolled brass hoop, nothing under the head but the wooden rim — and no flange, so the volume and the cut that let a bluegrass banjo be heard over a band are simply not in the instrument. Nothing you do to a $160 banjo puts them there. That ceiling is where bluegrass banjos start, and it is a different budget entirely.
Inside a room, learning rolls, playing along to records, taking it to a campfire, it is fine. One owner puts it better than a spec list can: it sounds like a loud, brassy student instrument, which is what it is, and you can take it outside without worrying about it.
Where the hardware gives out first
The small metal parts are the weak point rather than the banjo. Owners report strap-button screws pulling out of the wood within a day, and the fifth peg working loose. Neither is expensive to fix and both are worth pre-empting: have the strap button re-seated properly rather than hanging a strap on the factory screw, and have the fifth peg replaced at the same time as everything else. Get all of that done in one visit and the instrument is settled.
The warranty is a year, and it is yours alone
Pyle’s standard cover is a one-year limited warranty on defects in materials and workmanship, with no registration needed. It applies only to the original purchaser and is not transferable, you pay the freight to send the instrument in for evaluation, and it covers US addresses only. On a $160 banjo, boxing one up and shipping it across the country is a real fraction of the price, so in practice the warranty covers a fault you find in the first fortnight and very little after that.
It is worth knowing what the next rung up buys, because the difference is larger than the price gap. Gold Tone cover their AC models for five years and the cover transfers to whoever you sell the banjo to. That is a company standing behind an instrument, rather than a distributor honouring a defect claim.
Three banjos to weigh it against
Jameson 5-String
- Removable mahogany resonator
- Five-ply maple and mahogany shell, mahogany neck
- Remo Weatherking head, 24 brackets, chrome armrest
- 5/8″ maple and ebony bridge, adjustable tailpiece
- Adjustable truss rod, hinged tailpiece
- Geared fifth tuner — a real one
- ~$175
Fifteen dollars more than the PBJ60 and it has everything the PBJ60 leaves off: the armrest, the better bridge, a padded gig bag, the resonator that unbolts so you can try clawhammer without buying a second banjo, and the geared fifth peg the PBJ60 only claims. It still arrives unadjusted, so the setup money is the same either way — but nothing else has to be bought afterward, which is why it beats the Pyle on total cost despite the higher sticker.
It also has by far the longest record of anyone at this price — this is the banjo people have been buying to answer this question for more than a decade. On an instrument nobody inspects before it ships, a long history of average outcomes is the only evidence available that yours will be fine.
- Everything on the checklist, including a genuine geared fifth peg and a bag
- Resonator comes off in a few minutes
- Armrest and a proper capped bridge included
- The longest track record in the bracket
- Dearer than the Pyle, and still needs the same setup
- Two can arrive playing quite differently
AKLOT 5-String Open Back
- Open backed by design, not a resonator conversion
- Maple body and neck
- Remo head, 18 brackets
- Two-way truss rod
- Tuner, strap, picks, spare strings and gig bag included
- ~$150
Cheaper than the Pyle and a genuinely different instrument. An open back is lighter, more comfortable seated, and has the shorter, drier voice old-time and clawhammer playing want. Buying a resonator banjo and taking the back off is not the same thing, and on the Pyle it is not offered anyway.
The tuners are the first thing owners replace and the bundled clip-on tuner is worth what it costs, so see our tuner picks for something that will actually hold you to pitch. What it gets right is the maple pot, which is the part you cannot upgrade cheaply later.
- A real open back for less than the Pyle
- Maple pot — the part that cannot be retrofitted
- Light and comfortable to hold
- Arrives with a bag and the accessories you would otherwise buy
- Tuners are the first upgrade
- Too quiet for a bluegrass jam
Gold Tone AC-1
- 11″ composite rim, open back
- 26-3/16″ scale, 22 frets, rosewood fingerboard
- 1-3/16″ Zero Glide nut
- Remo LC frosted head, 16 brackets
- Maple bridge with an ebony cap, two-way truss rod
- 3.75 lb, gig bag included
- Twelve-point setup in Titusville, Florida before it ships
- ~$315
Twice the money, and what it buys is the thing this whole page is about: somebody adjusts it before it is boxed. It arrives with the bridge in place, the head at tension and the action set, which is the largest single difference between a cheap banjo and a good one, and it comes from a company that draws its own instruments rather than commissioning them.
It is an open back with a composite rim, so it is not louder than the Pyle and it is not a bluegrass banjo either. What it is, is finished. Five-year transferable cover, a Zero Glide nut, and 3.75 lb on your knee. If you already know you are going to stick with this, start here and skip the setup bill.
- Arrives adjusted and playing — nothing else here does
- Lightest banjo on this page by a wide margin
- Zero Glide nut, so the open strings are in tune
- Five-year warranty that transfers with the instrument
- Twice the price of the Pyle
- Composite rim rather than wood
- Open back only — no resonator model offered
Frequently asked questions
Is the Pyle PBJ60 a good beginner banjo?
Yes, once it has been set up, and no before that. Everything a beginner needs is present — a full 26 1/4 inch scale, 22 frets, a Remo head and a truss rod — and everything that defeats beginners is unset: action, head tension, bridge placement. Treat the price as $160 plus $50 to $100 and it is a straightforward recommendation. Treat it as $160 and it is a gamble on your own patience. More on the learning curve in how hard the banjo is to learn.
Does the Pyle really have a geared fifth tuner?
Not the PBJ60. Pyle’s feature list says it does and the instrument has a friction peg — a plain button on a tapered shaft, visible in Pyle’s own photographs, and described as a friction peg by owners who have one in their hands. The replacement part costs under twenty dollars and goes in while the banjo is being set up, so it is a small problem with a cheap fix — but it is not a feature you are getting for your money. Pyle’s dearer PBJ140 does have a real one.
Can you play clawhammer on it?
You can play clawhammer on anything with five strings, but this is not the banjo for it. A resonator makes the instrument heavier, brighter and longer-sustaining, and clawhammer wants the opposite of all three. If old-time is what drew you in, spend less and get an open back — our clawhammer picks and open back guide cover that side properly.
Is it worth upgrading rather than replacing?
Up to a point. A setup, a geared fifth peg, a decent bridge and a fresh set of strings come to well under a hundred dollars on top and turn it into a properly usable instrument. Beyond that you run into the pot: no tone ring and no flange, and neither is worth retrofitting to a $160 banjo. When that ceiling starts to annoy you, the answer is a different instrument, and under $300 is where the next rung sits.
How does it compare to the Jameson?
The Jameson is fifteen dollars dearer and better appointed on every point where they differ: armrest, capped bridge, removable resonator, and a fifth peg that really is geared. The Pyle’s case is that none of those decide whether you learn to play, and the money saved goes toward the setup that does. Both are covered alongside the rest of the bracket in the best banjos under $200.
So should you buy it?
If you are finding out whether the banjo is going to stick, yes. The Pyle PBJ60 at around $160, plus $50 to $100 of setup and a geared fifth peg, gets you a full-size resonator banjo that plays properly for a little over two hundred dollars, and you lose very little if you stop. Nothing in that sentence is a compromise you will regret; it is simply the honest price of the instrument.
If you would rather have the better-dressed banjo for the same trouble, take the Jameson. If old-time is already what you want, the AKLOT open back is the right shape and costs less. And if you already know this is going to last, the Gold Tone AC-1 arrives adjusted and skips the whole argument. Where to go from here: beginner banjos, types of banjos, and what a banjo really costs.