Banjo
Oscar Schmidt OB5
Price: 373 EUR – 373 EUR
Price history
Cheapest seen
Most expensive seen
Availability: 0/10 (Very rare)
One of the most widely available budget bluegrass resonator banjos: a cast aluminum tone ring and mahogany resonator at a price point that has made it a common first resonator banjo for years.
About the Oscar Schmidt OB5
The OB5 uses a 30-bracket cast aluminum tone ring rather than the rolled brass or bell bronze rings on step-up instruments - lighter and less expensive to produce, though generally regarded as giving less sustain and volume than the heavier cast bronze rings. It pairs with a nato neck, mahogany resonator, and a multi-inlay rosewood fingerboard across 22 frets, with a geared 5th-string tuner for accurate high-string tuning.
Finished in gloss with chrome hardware and topped with a genuine Remo head, the OB5 is positioned by Oscar Schmidt as one of the most affordable genuine resonator banjos available, versatile enough for bluegrass, folk and country styles rather than being tuned specifically for one genre's demanding tonal requirements.
Where to buy
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Reverb Oscar Schmidt OB5-A | 5-String Resonator Banjo. New with Full Warranty! 373 EUR Best price View details
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Source: https://reverb.com/item/87279089-oscar-schmidt-ob5-a-5-string-resonator-banjo-new-with-full-warranty
Sound character of the Oscar Schmidt OB5
The OB5's 30-bracket cast aluminum tone ring is lighter than a brass or bronze ring and tends to produce a brighter, more percussive, slightly more metallic ring with less sustain-driven warmth; the mahogany resonator tempers that somewhat. Being an electric model with a built-in pickup, it can also be sent direct to an amp for a more consistent, controlled live tone independent of acoustic projection.
Technical data for the Oscar Schmidt OB5
| Neck | Nato |
|---|---|
| Resonator | Mahogany |
| Fretboard | Rosewood |
| Tone ring | 30-bracket cast aluminum |
| Frets | 22 |
| Finish | Gloss |
Price history for the Oscar Schmidt OB5
Cheapest seen: 373 EUR · Most expensive seen: 373 EUR
Cheapest seen
Most expensive seen
The history of the Oscar Schmidt OB5
Oscar Schmidt, a budget-focused instrument brand under the U.S. Music Corp umbrella, built the OB5 specifically to give beginning bluegrass players an affordable route into resonator-banjo tone rather than starting on an open-back instrument.
