An
open back banjo is a
banjoThe banjo is a stringed instrument developed by enslaved Africans in the United States, adapted from several African instruments.The name banjo is commonly thought to be derived from the Kimbundu term mbanza...
with no resonator (sound projectile accessory).
Open-back banjos generally have a mellower tone, weigh less, and can be less expensive than resonator banjos. They usually have a different setup than a resonator banjo, often with a higher string action (string action refers to how high the strings are positioned above the fingerboard). Open-back players use
metalA metal is a chemical element that is a good conductor of both electricity and heat, forms cations and ionic bonds with non-metals. In chemistry, a metal is an element, compound, or alloy characterized by high electrical conductivity. In a metal, atoms readily lose electrons to form positive ions...
,
nylonNylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers known generically as polyamides and first produced on February 28, 1935 by Wallace Carothers at DuPont...
, or gut strings, depending on the style of music they're playing, how their instrument is set up, and the sound they want to get from their banjos.
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An
open back banjo is a
banjoThe banjo is a stringed instrument developed by enslaved Africans in the United States, adapted from several African instruments.The name banjo is commonly thought to be derived from the Kimbundu term mbanza...
with no resonator (sound projectile accessory).
Open-back banjos generally have a mellower tone, weigh less, and can be less expensive than resonator banjos. They usually have a different setup than a resonator banjo, often with a higher string action (string action refers to how high the strings are positioned above the fingerboard). Open-back players use
metalA metal is a chemical element that is a good conductor of both electricity and heat, forms cations and ionic bonds with non-metals. In chemistry, a metal is an element, compound, or alloy characterized by high electrical conductivity. In a metal, atoms readily lose electrons to form positive ions...
,
nylonNylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers known generically as polyamides and first produced on February 28, 1935 by Wallace Carothers at DuPont...
, or gut strings, depending on the style of music they're playing, how their instrument is set up, and the sound they want to get from their banjos. Several manufacturers have entry-level open-back banjos with the same sound chamber (or pot) and overall design and construction as a matching resonator model. However, more-expensive open-back banjos likely have a different configuration of metal and wood than a resonator banjo.