Have owned one of these for a few years.

Things I like: Stays in tune better than any other banjo I've owned. Action is clean. Sound is of good quality and produces good volume. If it were stolen or seriously damaged, I wouldn't freak out because it isn't a super expensive banjo.

Things that are just Meh: inlay complexity and pattern. Resonator structure and hooks.

Things I don't like: Not made in USA.

Would I purchase this again? Yup, in a heartbeat.

Is this a good gig instrument? Yup - perfect.

Is this a good first instrument? Yup - SO SO MUCH better than anything in the "beginner" catagory. Action is clean, sound is clean. Stays tuned decently well.

I've never been disappointed with an Ibanez instrument before, but here we are.

The chrome finish has blisters in it, or there is slag on the metallic parts that wasn't ground off, so there are bumps everywhere on the rim. Whatever, it's for playing, not looking at, but that's still some horrible QA from Ibanez.

The high D string wasn't seated in the bridge it was just cutting into the wood which isn't great either but was an easy fix.

But here is the big problem, even though the action is quite high, when fretting above the 6th fret or so ALL the notes are choked, all the strings are being muted by touching the higher intonation frets. When you bend the strings or try to get vibrato out of them you can hear them scraping the across the frets, a lovely metal on metal scraping sound. For a stringed instrument with frets that's just not acceptable.

This banjo is beautiful. The inlay work in the fretboard and the subtle etching on the armrest is flawless. The headstock is old timey good. They paid a lot of attention to detail on this instrument. She is a bit heavy but the tone is so rich. She is a killer and a looker. Thanks to my sales rep and friend Tiberius!

I've had this instrument now for about two weeks. It is as beautiful as it was in the pictures. I'm a guitar player and wanted to try the banjo. I am remembering now the learning process I went through to learn the guitar. I have found this instrument to be a high quality product and it's proving to be a lot of fun to learn how to play it. Thank you, Sweetwater for helping me to bring this beautiful new instrument into my music room.

I have played Banjo longer than it sounds but I know quality when I play it and for $, you can't beat this. It has an amazing sound and it's a solid instrument. It's heavy too. I would have figured this to be in the range of $. If you are a beginner or an advanced player, buy this. It's worth every dime.
Make sure you get the Gator case, not the Epiphone case. The banjo won't fit.

This is an incredibly beautiful banjo! It's a gorgeously sounding, and very well built instrument. I love not only the rich sound from the resonator and wood tone ring… it's just instantly comfortable to have in your hands! A stunning instrument to own.

This is my first banjo, thought I'd learn to play it since I've been playing guitar for years. This instrument is a beauty! And it's fun to play, looking forward to improving my skills!

Love the banjo! Totally impressed with Sweetwater. Although when I ordered, I asked that it be signed for upon delivery but it was not!! I personally received it but the rude carrier just handed it to me & ran. I could have been anyone!
Definitely need to use a different carrier. Fed Ex is awful.
Completely satisfied with the banjo. Thank you Sweetwater!

Beautiful instrument and excellent customer service from Sweetwater. Received this Banjo in the mail via FedEx and the head stock was broke off. A little disappointed but not overly upset....Stuff happens you know.. I called Sweetwater's customer service and they immediately sent another one along with a return shipping label for the damaged one. I received the other one and I am truly happy with it and the hassle free Customer service.

As far as the Banjo, I love it. Cosmetically, it is absolutely beautiful. Play ability is superb after setting it up. Delivery from Sweetwater was excellent as usual.

On the negative side, FEDEX delivered to the wrong address and left the box out in the rain. Have had issues with FEDEX before. Suggest using UPS.

The Banjos comes with no manual or instructions. Tried to find on line and that is almost impossible. Had to revert to YouTube which worked. Ibanez left the nut off of the tail piece screw and stuck it between the tail piece and the head. Any pressure during shipment could have punctured the head.

Aside from that Sweetwater has come through again with great product at a good price and fast delivery.

This is a great Banjo, The guy that set it up at the music store was very impressed

From the moment I removed it from the box it was setup and basically ready to play! Sounds great and the customer service from Sweetwater is outstanding! I'd much rather buy from these guys then GC or any of those big box stores. Great Job Sweetwater, and Great job Clint for all the customer service you have provided over the years!