Ah - I meant to write is the "attack" - the way you pluck the string with your fingers, different on the banjo.

I actually enjoy practicing quietly (e.g. without too much volume), so my 'cheap' yamaha nylon-string, which isn't the greatest for playing live acoustic without amplification, is excellent for practice.

It sounds like the banjo might actually be 'annonyingly' loud for me during practice - maybe without the resonator is the way to go.

Is it a simple matter of putting a resonator on and off manually ? or is it something that needs to be semi-permanently to permanently affixed ?

Thanks all for your great comments. I've learned so much and discovered so many great resources from all of you over the years.

Regards,
Joe V.