Banjo review
Deering Goodtime 2 review
The resonator banjo we point most serious players to once they are past their first month. USA-made, honestly set up at the factory, and it holds its value like nothing else in the under-$700 class.
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Sound & tone
The Goodtime 2 gets its voice from the maple rim rather than a separate metal tone ring, and that shapes everything you hear: bright, clear, and quick to respond, with the resonator throwing the sound forward so single-string runs and Scruggs rolls cut the way they should at a jam. It will not give you the heavy, plunky flathead thud of a $2,000 tone-ring banjo — but it sounds unmistakably like a good bluegrass banjo, and for most players that is exactly the point.
Playability & setup
This is where the Goodtime 2 earns its reputation. Deering sets these up in California before they ship, so the action arrives low and even and the bridge is seated in the right place — you can play it out of the box instead of paying a tech $50 to make it bearable first. The maple neck is slim without being cramped, the frets are dressed, and it stays in tune once the strings settle. For a beginner, that removes most of the friction that makes people quit.
Build & hardware
It is made in the USA at a time when almost nothing in this price bracket is, and it shows in the fit and finish: a clean three-ply maple rim, a slim resonator that pops off with four thumbscrews if you ever want the lighter open-back sound, and sealed geared tuners that hold pitch. Nothing here is flashy — the looks are plain and honest — but everything is done properly, which is why these banjos last decades and resell easily.
The Goodtime 2 responds beautifully to a set of fresh strings and, down the line, a different bridge if you want a touch more warmth. But there is no rush — the stock setup is good enough to learn on for a year or more before you change a thing.
Who it’s for — and who should skip it
Buy it if you want one banjo that takes you from your first roll to playing out, you value a USA-made instrument that holds its value, and you want bluegrass projection without spending four figures. Skip it if you are set on the heavy tone-ring bluegrass thud of a flathead Mastertone-style banjo, or if you specifically want the lighter, mellower voice of an open-back for clawhammer — in which case the open-back Deering Goodtime is the better call.
How it compares
Against the Recording King Dirty 30’s, the Goodtime 2 wins on build, resale, and setup consistency; the Recording King fights back on price and gives you an actual tone ring for more bark. Against the Gold Tone CC-100R, the two are close on playability, but the Deering’s USA build and resale edge it ahead for anyone thinking long-term. See the full field in our best banjo brands guide.