mike_cabinet - Posted - 07/19/2009:  09:49:13

So I'm watching the incredible Ben Eldridge knock 'em dead at the Snowbird Mountain Music Festival in Utah and couldn't tell what kind of banjo he was playing.
Back stage I spent some time talking with him and asked about his choice of weapons. He told me he thought it was a Silvertone (Sears) made in Japan and given to him some 30 or so years ago. He converted it to a 6 string and never played it much so he stuffed it under the bed and forgot about it for 20 years.
When he pulled it out he gave it to Snuffy Smith along with the original neck for a once over.
So it just takes a great set up guy and a killer banjo player to make any banjo sound great.
I wonder what they could do with my old "Made in China" with the aluminum pot.

"you might as well give your son a ticket to hell as give him a five-string banjo!" (mountain minister) Earl Scruggs and the 5-string banjo.
Check out Mike''s Mute at www.mikesbanjomute.com

mastertone250 - Posted - 07/19/2009:  10:53:48

I very doubt it was a silvertone

"Surround Yourself With Good Muscians". -J.D Crowe
“Nobody is a legend, we all put our pants on one leg at a time.” - Sonny Osborne

The Old Timer - Posted - 07/19/2009:  11:14:47

RE: the Sonny Osborne quote line about "we all put our pants on one leg at a time". That didn't go for Monroe. There is a GREAT story about him overhearing someone (Joe Stuart?) in the band muttering that about him, and when morning came Monroe had his pants all rigged so they were suspended in air and he jumped into them BOTH legs at once, from the top of the chest of drawers. In sight of the person who had muttered Monroe was only human after all.

I HOPE this story is true!

The Old Timer, still learning!

Forrest - Posted - 07/19/2009:  18:21:34

The last time I saw the Seldom Scene, Ben was playing a Huber...

"Run, Forrest, Run!"

rb4player - Posted - 07/19/2009:  19:07:37

I thought he played a Huber on the road, PW styles 4 and 6 at home.

Jim