Vangoa 5 String Banjo 26 Inch, MINI Travel Banjo, Banjo Beginner Kit with Remo Head, Open Back & Closed Solid Back with begin

4.5 | 1,245 ratings

Price: 128.88

Last update: 01-04-2025

About this item

✔PORTABLE SIZE- 26-inch tenor banjo is perfect for music trips. It is light-weighted for taking out for parties, classes, etc. Mini banjo is easy to start which is quite suited for beginners and budget-friendly
✔GREAT SOUND- Superior mahogany body has a solid, warm tone. Quality Alice steel strings deliver a more punchy sound. 12 durable chrome-plated brackets ensure even head panel tension to fusion melodious percussion timbres by gently beating on the head
✔PERFECT ACTION- 3mm action at the 12th fret, is pretty comfortable to press down. Adjust the truss rod can better balance the tension caused by strings or climate change, set up perfect string height to meet different needs
✔DURABLE MATERIAL- Mahogany body with beautiful wood grain is hard and not liable to warp or corrode, making the banjo durable. Anti-corrosion chrome-plated pegs stand the test of time and 15:1 ratios gear keeps the strings in tune
✔ECONOMICAL KIT- It comes with everything you need to start, Carrying Bag, Tuner, Strap, Pick-up, Extra Strings, Picks, Allen Key and Bracket Wrench. Get beginner kits one-off at a cost-effective price. We offer an 18-month warranty & lifetime after-sales service. Buy it with confidence!

Product information

Item Weight

2.8 pounds

ASIN

B07JZF3S8T

Customer Reviews

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,193 ratings

4.5 out of 5 stars

Best Sellers Rank

#2,190 in Musical Instruments (See Top 100 in Musical Instruments)
#1 in Banjos (Musical Instruments)

Is Discontinued By Manufacturer

Date First Available

October 29, 2018

Back Material

Mahogany

Body Material

mahogany

Color Name

brown

Fretboard Material

walnut

Scale Length

26 inch

String Gauge

Medium

String Material

bronze

Top Material

remo

Neck Material Type

mahogany

Number of Strings

Size

26 Inch

Percussion Diameter

8.4 Inches

Proficiency Level

Beginner, Intermediates

Top reviews from the United States

Stephen D. Kahn

Nifty little travel banjo!

Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2021

I got this for an upcoming trip on which it would be impractical to take a full-sized banjo. I didn't have high expectations for the Vangoa but it really surprised me! I'm a clawhammer player and the strings are spaced far enough apart that playing it is not a different experience for the right hand, which is where the rubber meets the road for what is a practice instrument. The width of the strings at the bridge is 1 11/16", which is exactly the same as a regular banjo.

At the nut it unfortunately gets narrower than a regular banjo (13/16" versus 1"), but you can't have everything...certainly not at this price. It is still quite playable for the left hand. You may have to play some things you'd normally play with the left pinky with the ring finger instead; but since this is really just a keep-in-trim instrument it's not that big a deal.

The playing experience for the picking or clawhammering hand is about the same as a full-size when it's tuned to C or B.

The only beginner I would want to get this instrument is a very young child. A kid 10 and above, or an adult, should not be learning on this instrument, as the distance between the frets is way narrower than a full-size.

There's some other goodies included--gig bag, strap, contact pickup (!), plastic thumb and plastic finger picks, an extra set of strings--which one might get some use from even if they found the instrument useless.

In terms of use for other than a practice instrument, its voice and size make it a lot like a mandolin or a ukelele. Uke players would probably enjoy this banjo a lot. So it could certainly find its way into a player's arsenal as a novelty instrument.

For what it is, to me it's great value for the money.

sandra

Sounds great, looks great

Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2024

This banjo is great, but it’s a bit small for me as a newbe, I wish I had gotten the full size to learn on. Really good quality, the tuner works great, very nice strap, the thumb pick is great, the finger picks seem flimsy metal, but what do I know I’m a newbe.

Darin Watson

Seems like a good choice for a beginner

Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2023

Admittedly, I am still learning to play banjo; a more experienced player might know better. But this seems perfect for a beginner like me. First, the kit comes with everything you would need to get started (well, except lessons. But you're on the internet--go find some!). The banjo was carefully packed and arrived in pristine condition. I did have to tighten the bolts on the resonator and placing the bridge was a bit tricky (again, I'm new to this) but this was basically ready to play right out of the box. Six weeks or so later and I am thrilled I chose to learn banjo and bought this one for my first. It sounds great (even my friend who has played guitar for decades says so), looks great, and I love playing it! My one small complaint is that the two nuts/clips for the strap have both come loose at different times, meaning I had to completely remove the resonator and retighten them. I wish those bolts were a little longer. So now I have to obsessively check them to make sure they're still tight.

Roy Allen

Impressive for price

Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2024

Love the whole set except the quality of the finger picks guess it's what you get used too. Excellent throw and go to use camping around the fire and keep more expensive banjos safe at home.

Greg Doherty

Extremely satisfied customer

Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2020

So the first mini banjo i received was defective; one of the frets sat too low causing a buzzing when i pressed down on D. I took it to a music shop because i couldn't figure out what was wrong (I'm a self taught ukulele player, total newbie to the banjo). Music shop said I'd have to drop it off to fix, $65; half of what i paid. I was really bummed and almost dropped it off to get fixed except one of the reviewers on YouTube suggested i contact the seller because they were great. Great doesn't begin to describe them. They were phenomenal, super responsive, apologetic and asked me to give them another chance. It was on backorder so they thoughtfully gifted me a music stand for all the inconvenience. I received the replacement mini banjo yesterday and it's prefect. It tuned easily, frets were all level, strings sat 1/8" off of bottom frets as my research had suggested. The only thing i had to do was move the bridge about half an inch and i was ready to go. It was also packaged with extra care, included a manual booklet and they kindly surprised me by adding an arm rest on the head. It's the perfect beginner and travel instrument. I'll be starting lessons in a couple weeks and can't wait to do so. I highly recommend this company and their product. I'm sure it's not as perfect as the more expensive ones but it's definitely worth a lot more than the $120 i paid for the bundle (case, strap, tuner, cables to plug into speaker, tools to tighten head, extra set of strings and manual). This is a very happy customer!

Christy Wilcox

Beginner friendly

Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2024

I bought this for teen son at Christmas 2023. It is a smaller build, however, the perfect size for children and adults. It comes with everything to be successful in learning to use. I highly recommend and would buy again if needed.

Will-T

Value for money and a perfect size for a child's starter banjo

Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2020

I'm an advanced banjo player and have owned and played many banjos over the decades. I bought the Vangoa mini because my grandsons, age 8 and 5, have expressed a desire to play but aren't big enough to play my full-sized banjos. In other words, this is to be a starter banjo for these children, and as such it seems to me to be ideal. The banjo arrived fully set up; just needed to be tuned to be fully playable. On line there is information about setting the bridge and adjusting the tension rod, but none of that was necessary. This instrument was ready to play out of the box. Some reviews indicate that purchasers were beginners who bought this as an adult starter instrument. It is NOT recommended for that purpose: the spacing on the strings is not ideal for adult-size fingers, especially for a novice player. An advanced player might want this as a novelty instrument, but I see it as best for a child, and for this price, WOW! I couldn't ask for more. The tone, by the way, is high pitched, plunky, and perfectly acceptable. I'm delighted with this purchase. Highly recommended for the purposes described above.

Joseph

Banjo

Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2024

Great sound, easy to tune, love the sound

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