Oscar Schmidt Banjos are undoubtedly one of the best banjos in the music instruments industry. Their glossy looks, unique inlays, and superior tonality set them apart from other banjos. In this post, we will see a detailed review of Oscar Schmidt’s banjo. Before that, it would be better if you knew a little more about the interesting history behind the Oscar Schmidt company. See Oscar Schmidt Banjo Review below.
Oscar Schmidt banjo review
The Oscar Schmidt Company was initially founded in 1871. They have started producing guitar, banjos, and other similar high tension and low tension stringed instruments. Due to the rich quality of their products, they have become insanely popular among musicians and other people who would like to buy or collect top-tier instruments.
Their huge success led them to expand their business in European countries. They had a total of six manufacturing units throughout the world. Five units in Europe and one in Jersey City. Many blue musicians and country guitar and banjo pickers often buy instruments from Oscar Schmidt Company because of the superior tone and insane volume available at a much more reasonable price. The company has been making reliable and reputed banjos for more than 150+ years.
Oscar Schmidt Banjo Review: Description
- Brand: Oscar Schmidt
- Body Material: Mahogany
- Neck: Nato
- No of Frets: 22
Oscar Schmidt Banjo Review: Performance:
Oscar Schmidt banjo is made up of top-tier Mahogany wood, which is timber gotten from a tropical tree. The mahogany wood is reddish brown with unique wrinkles and becomes insanely glossy when a glossy coating is applied. Some parts of the Oscar Schmidt banjo are made up of a wood called Nato. The Nato wood is used as a substitution for Mahogany wood. It is also called the Eastern Mahogany.
Nato wood is much cheaper but has slightly poor resonance compared to Mahogany. So, Oscar Schmidt carefully used it in parts of the banjo that doesn’t have much resonance, like the neck part. By doing so, Oscar Schmidt can reduce the price of the instrument effectively without compromising the quality of the sound and tone.
Oscar Schmidt Banjo Review: Comparison:
As we know, Oscar Schmidt is known for producing top-quality instruments. Banjo is a high tension string instrument that needs careful construction and pot assembly to give it a precise sound. The Oscar Schmidt banjos are known for their distinctive sound and unique tonality, which reflects the hard work the Oscar Schmidt company has put into making this banjo. The banjo is a two-bracketed closed-back banjo. The closed-back Mahogany resonator can’t be removed. Some banjos offer closed-back customizations, but Oscar Schmidt focuses on producing unique-sounding instruments. Thus they have eliminated that feature.
Usage:
Oscar Schmidt banjos have been preferred by countless country pickers and bluegrass banjo players. Oscar Schmidt’s banjo is exceptionally popular among bluegrass players. Bluegrass players need a banjo that has quite distinctive and clear-sounding banjos. They don’t prefer muffled or unclear-sounding banjos because while playing banjo in bluegrass style, the played notes won’t be as clear.
The bluegrass requires playing notes frequently in a certain pattern called rolls. It requires a clear and distinctive sounding banjo. So, Oscar Schmidt’s banjo might be the right choice for this task. It can also be used for playing other banjo styles too.
What’s New?
Oscar Schmidt banjo is a five-string banjo that has chrome-plated tuners. The fifth string has geared mechanical tuner. Most bluegrass banjos don’t have geared tuners; instead, they have a friction-based tuner, which makes tuning the banjo a frustrating experience. The geared tuner is much easier to use, and it also retains the given tune, whereas there is a high chance of tuner slipping in friction-based tuners.
Why Should You Buy It?
The Oscar Schmidt Company has been producing stringed instruments for more than 150 years. It is a reputed company, and the banjo made by the brand exhibits outstanding performance. Oscar Schmidt banjo is preferred by hundreds of professional banjo players from all around the world. It is made up of premium quality Mahogany wood and other expensive items. However, they have managed to bring down the cost of this banjo so that anyone can use this instrument.
I own a music instruments shop. My go to instrument is a banjo. My business makes it easier for me to access the instruments from various brands and of various types. I will give my honest opinion here to help out others in choosing the right instrument for them.
