Jason Skinner - Posted - 01/03/2011:  19:12:00

I thought I would share my recent "acquisition" with you guys. It is Don Reno's other Stelling. Most folks are aware of his gold plated and heavily engraved Stelling but Don also had a standard nickle plated Golden Cross. According to Geoff Stelling this banjo was built for Don Reno to replace his gold plated Golden Cross #91-3 while it was being used in a lawsuit case against Sherwin-Williams. Apparently #91-3 had a problem with the finish that made it unplayable. Golden Cross #91-3 was later returned to Don with a new neck and resonator. Stelling kept the original neck and resonator then later refinished it and put it on a vintage gold plated and engraved pot. He later sold the banjo to a collector. Golden Cross #91-3 with the original pot and replacement neck and resonator belongs to Ron Tonga of Minnesota (renopker on BHO). This Golden Cross #327 was built Feb. 26, 1977 and delivered to Don Reno on Feb. 27, 1977. I was lucky enough to acquire it from a good friend over the Thanksgiving holiday. The banjo is completely original although I did change the old worn out tuners and made a pearl version of the original black plastic truss rod cover. The banjo sat in the case for nearly 25 years. After about three hours of cleaning and complete set up it ROARED back to life! It is absolutely the best banjo I have ever played! I can never thank my friend enough for me letting have such a treasure that belonged to my hero. Needless to say, I am very honored to own it.








You can see more pics of Golden Cross #327 at:
banjohangout.org/myhangout/pho...umid=5167

Here's some pics of Don playing this banjo:




Here's a video of Don Wayne playing #327 and Don Reno playing #91-3:

youtube.com/watch?v=FZo3d4uuHAE

Edited by - Jason Skinner on 01/03/2011 19:14:26

revellfa - Posted - 01/03/2011:  19:36:42

Congrats Jason, you must be crazy proud to own this one!

rbmalone2000 - Posted - 01/03/2011:  19:38:37

Congrats on the new 5......I'm sure that one will never leave your stable!!

Darcy - Posted - 01/03/2011:  19:52:27

I can't think of anyone more deserving to own that banjo. Congrats.

Jason Skinner - Posted - 01/03/2011:  20:02:48

Thanks a lot Darcy! I don't think I am worthy to own such a banjo but believe me, I am thrilled and honored to have it!

Edited by - Jason Skinner on 01/03/2011 20:07:51

Jason Skinner - Posted - 01/03/2011:  20:04:15

quote:

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Originally posted by revellfa

Congrats Jason, you must be crazy proud to own this one!

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Edited by - Jason Skinner on 01/03/2011 20:04:26

Jason Skinner - Posted - 01/03/2011:  20:09:36

quote:

---

Originally posted by rbmalone2000

Congrats on the new 5......I'm sure that one will never leave your stable!!

---

NickC - Posted - 01/04/2011:  01:44:35

Wow. Congratulations Jason. That looks like an Amazing banjo Jason. Will you post a video of you playing it?!

Gold Star GF-85 - Posted - 01/04/2011:  07:21:31

Congradulations, lucky you

banjomaster1980 - Posted - 01/04/2011:  08:48:26

hey Jason, that is a great looking banjo, question, did you get you hands on one of the heads with the hole in it? I once heard an old recording of him playing it with the that head on it and it sounded great, it seems to give the banjo a different element.

stelling man - Posted - 01/04/2011:  10:39:11

What an amazing find Jason, do It proud..

STELLING MAN

stanger - Posted - 01/04/2011:  10:56:27

Congratulations, Jason!
That lawsuit against Sherman-Williams was a true story. The finish Stelling bought from them was a catalyzed polyurethane that was bad somehow, and looked good at first, but after a few weeks it 'blushed'- turned a milky white in spots, just as it was described to you.

I saw one of those Stellings affected by the problem at a festival in 1977. The blushing didn't make the banjos unplayable, just very ugly. The largest problem was Stelling's lifetime guarantee- banjos came flooding back to the factory, and Stelling honored his guarantee by refinishing them for free, but it nearly bankrupted him. The finishing procedure accounts for about 60% of the costs of construction.

It was further compounded by Sherman-Williams insistance that their finish wasn't the problem. Stelling trusted their expertise, (of course- it's only the largest finish company in the world. At the time, they had TV ads mentioning that they made the paint for the space shuttle.). Goeff thought he was doing some procedure wrong, so for a long time, he continued to use the bad finish.
Eventually, he tried some other brand that had experts of their own, and the blushing stopped.

Part of the truth was Sherman-Williams had sold a big batch of the stuff in 55 gallon drums to Stelling. I don't know how much, but 1,000 gallons is only 18 drums. It was probably much more than that.

Then it took 10 years worth of lawsuits and wins to force Sherman-Williams to publicly admit the blame lay with them. Stelling also won some money, but just came out even after all was settled. It's a great testament to Stelling's quality, and his personal determination, that his company survived.
regards,
stanger

Jason Skinner - Posted - 01/04/2011:  12:02:38

quote:

---

Originally posted by banjomaster1980

hey Jason, that is a great looking banjo, question, did you get you hands on one of the heads with the hole in it? I once heard an old recording of him playing it with the that head on it and it sounded great, it seems to give the banjo a different element.

---

3fingers - Posted - 01/04/2011:  13:30:02

Congratulations Jason!!!!! I know how excited and proud you must be not only getting to play one of Dons banjos but actually own it

You deserve it, your a fine picker and youve done Dons style proud.Congratulations again Jason.

Craig

plunka5 - Posted - 01/04/2011:  15:16:56

Congrats Jason, please post video as soon as you are able, all of us would love to hear you picking that Stelling!

Tomcat - Posted - 01/04/2011:  16:10:58

Wow a pisce of history! Congrats!

dmiller - Posted - 01/04/2011:  23:13:14

Wow. What a great looking banjo!

The history behind it is even better!

(I love hearing stories like this!)

Steven M - Posted - 01/05/2011:  00:00:21

quote:

---

Originally posted by stanger

Congratulations, Jason!
That lawsuit against Sherman-Williams was a true story. The finish Stelling bought from them was a catalyzed polyurethane that was bad somehow, and looked good at first, but after a few weeks it 'blushed'- turned a milky white in spots, just as it was described to you.

I saw one of those Stellings affected by the problem at a festival in 1977. The blushing didn't make the banjos unplayable, just very ugly. The largest problem was Stelling's lifetime guarantee- banjos came flooding back to the factory, and Stelling honored his guarantee by refinishing them for free, but it nearly bankrupted him. The finishing procedure accounts for about 60% of the costs of construction.

It was further compounded by Sherman-Williams insistance that their finish wasn't the problem. Stelling trusted their expertise, (of course- it's only the largest finish company in the world. At the time, they had TV ads mentioning that they made the paint for the space shuttle.). Goeff thought he was doing some procedure wrong, so for a long time, he continued to use the bad finish.
Eventually, he tried some other brand that had experts of their own, and the blushing stopped.

Part of the truth was Sherman-Williams had sold a big batch of the stuff in 55 gallon drums to Stelling. I don't know how much, but 1,000 gallons is only 18 drums. It was probably much more than that.

Then it took 10 years worth of lawsuits and wins to force Sherman-Williams to publicly admit the blame lay with them. Stelling also won some money, but just came out even after all was settled. It's a great testament to Stelling's quality, and his personal determination, that his company survived.
regards,
stanger

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wayne-1 - Posted - 01/05/2011:  05:22:57

Actually the hole in the heads were made by a Steve Cox here in Va. Don't know what ever happened to him, maybe someone else out there may know?

budbennett - Posted - 01/05/2011:  05:41:05

Wow that is fantastic Jason! I am very happy for you. Will you be playing the stelling or the American made banjo when you have jobs and workshops?

rexhunt - Posted - 01/05/2011:  07:20:07

What great stories and what a great banjo. I've never played a Stelling that didn't sound super. One of these days I'll have to get one of my own.

Rex

banjomaster1980 - Posted - 01/05/2011:  08:34:38

I will look and see if I have any old pictures of Don Reno on some of the old records that I have, I will also check with my dad and see if he has any.
Did Cox own the patient on that head?

BR14 - Posted - 01/06/2011:  05:26:39

IMO those Cox heads were just a fad from the 1970s. If they really improved the sound, everyone would have one today. Their disappearance is testimony to their merit.

Congratulations to Jason on acquiring the banjo. I look forward to hearing him play it on youtube.

Jason Skinner - Posted - 01/08/2011:  09:27:07

quote:

---

Originally posted by budbennett

Wow that is fantastic Jason! I am very happy for you. Will you be playing the stelling or the American made banjo when you have jobs and workshops?

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Edited by - Jason Skinner on 01/08/2011 09:29:05

frankwing - Posted - 01/08/2011:  14:07:41

Way to go, Jason! Maybe if I can get up out of the recliner and get to the Bristol jam at a decent hour, I can get to hear you play it in person.
-Frank

budbennett - Posted - 01/18/2011:  06:28:34

Hey Bud. I will definitely be playing the Golden Cross in any new videos, workshops, or shows. I have also started a new band with guitarist and singer Mark Hudson from Danville VA. We have Jerry Steinberg on bass, Tim Martin on fiddle, and my son, Zayn, on mandolin. We'll be based out of Roanoke VA. Reno and Smiley's old stomping grounds! So we'll be playing around the sounding areas in the future. We are called "Hudson and Skinner". Come by and check out the banjo if you can make it to a show.
[/quote]

sounds great. i'd love to watch you play little rock getaway and bye bye blues again in person.

HarleyQ - Posted - 01/18/2011:  20:18:21

Good catch there Jason!! WAY better than that Whitestar we owned isn't it!!
Congrats buddy,
Hoyt

renopicker - Posted - 01/22/2011:  12:54:30

I just wanted to post a comment here that the banjo I have has the same purfling as the Don Reno banjo you have!

It is Constantines B36, if I am not mistaken...

Check this out: This is my tb-3 9552-2 I just liked the looks of it, plus I was looking for the Reno sound and wanted a Mahogany neck and resonator, and OPF, and could not afford a flathead... I purchased it from Gryphon in CA these photos are from Gryphon's web site.

Here is the photo of my tb-3... It was done in the 70's when the 5 neck was built, probably around the same time Stelling was using that purfling.

I am just blown away that his banjo had the same purfling as this one, I had absolutely no idea until I saw this posting! The funny thing about this banjo (my tb-3) is that it has Scruggs Style inlays! With Reno Stelling Purfling...

Good luck prying Nelling from the Reno family... LOL... they have lots of little "Don Reno's" running around you know... (Last I knew he had 3 boys) Anyways, as don Wayne would say: Keep on Pickin'

JM

Geoff was at the Reno Revival one year (95 I think) and he was leaving and all these banjos were lying on the ground in their cases. He says to us there, "Hey I am not going to run over anyone's banjo am I?" We shook our heads and said he was fine, then he says: "Oh well, just a bunch of old gibson's anyways..."

It was pretty funny...There were probably a few good banjos there, maybe even Nellie was there too! (I think that was why he said that, but there was also at least one or two Prewar Flatheads there as well)

I sure wish I would have bought one back then, for say 15K for a PB3 I think was about the going rate at that time!

Now a good tb-3 AT(more original than this one) goes for about that much.

Over and out, nice banjo and thanks for posting more info about Don Reno!

JM

(Photo 3 is the Don Reno banjo, the rest are gibson 9552-2 a tb-3 archtop with conversion neck)

In case anyone gets us confused, this is not Jason, my hangout name is Renopicker, but not the same as Jason's web site...

And now we both have banjos with the same exact purfling style! To make matters even more confusing...

Constantines B36! I'll bet Geoff could confirm this if you ask him... I kind of doubt if he remembers me, except from pictures...

Maybe the guy who made my banjo mod's worked for Stelling? Who knows...

Nice banjo, at any rate! (the stelling that is...)

Edited by - renopicker on 01/22/2011 18:45:10

Jason Skinner - Posted - 01/23/2011:  21:38:19

quote:

---

Originally posted by BR14

IMO those Cox heads were just a fad from the 1970s. If they really improved the sound, everyone would have one today. Their disappearance is testimony to their merit.

Congratulations to Jason on acquiring the banjo. I look forward to hearing him play it on youtube.

---

Edited by - Jason Skinner on 01/23/2011 21:38:56

NickC - Posted - 01/24/2011:  04:24:06

Banjo sounds great Jason. Band's pretty hot too!

renopicker - Posted - 01/25/2011:  13:28:17

Sorry if I got a little carried away with the purfling on the stelling (don reno)banjo, just noticed it was exactly the same as on my banjo, and I am a Don Reno enthusiast as well. From a different era I suppose!

I have seen the other 2 in person, Nellie and the other stelling, and Don Wayne has a stelling he let me borrow one year as flying with a banjo was being clamped down by the airlines. (I don't think it was this banjo)

I went to all the Reno Revival's up to 1999, and then pretty much toned things down quite a bit. I appreciate your posting about this banjo as I never was aware of this until your post. I guess the fact that the purfling on mine is similar (to the don reno banjo)matters more to me than the banjo world!

All the best, and enjoy your new Stelling, (Don Reno) banjo.

JM

Jason Skinner - Posted - 01/25/2011:  16:16:28

John, the binding is really nothing to get excited about. I believe that was the standard binding on all the Golden Crosses at that time. My banjo is just a standard Golden Cross. There's nothing custom about it. Evidently Stelling switched to a different binding shortly after this one was made and used the new style binding on the replacement neck and resonator for #91-3. Below are some pics of #91-3 with the replacement neck and resonator from Don's "Final Chapter" record. Notice the new style binding. The other pictures are the banjo with the original neck and resonator. It has the old style binding.

Baltimonkey - Posted - 01/26/2011:  13:15:55

Jason -- you have put-in the time, and worked really hard. Enjoy your reward. Congratulations!

renopicker - Posted - 01/26/2011:  13:23:26

Thanks for posting the additional info about the binding, (Some call it purfling) and I have that poster as well!

Ron has that other banjo that Don Reno gave to Chris Walters, not sure about the binding on it now. I probably have some video from the Reno Revival of that banjo and Chris playing it. Ron has a lot of video of those revivals, he spent a lot of hours video taping. I pretty much have the same videos just not as good of camera angles.

I have a picture around here somewhere of the banjo with Chris and Don Wayne and myself from the 97 Reno Revival I think. ( The banjo Ron has now)

Thanks for posting about the binding issue, as I thought it was a big deal when I first saw this!

All the best and I liked the you tube vids of your band, I watched 2 of them anyways...

When I have more time I will see if I can find a picture from the Reno Revival with the gold plated banjo.

John Mahoney, WA state... (See article in Sept 1996 Banjo Newsletter about the Reno Revival...)

At one time I was talking to Don Nitchie about writing another article for the banjo newsletter about local banjo players in Wa state, but I lost interest or got busy with other things. A few guys said I should write a book about the Don Reno style, but as anyone who knows my writing knows, maybe I am not the best person to write a book!

LOL...

I am glad that you are doing that for all the Don Reno fans out there, and we sure had a lot of fun at those Reno Revivals... Don Wayne and his buddies liked to play practical jokes and were always looking for a good laugh about something... usually at someone else's expense!

One time they stole my banjo out of my hotel room, but I saw it (in the case)sitting in their truck and said "Hey that looks like my banjo"... so they never got to see me panic when it was gone from the hotel room! I ruined all thier fun!

Take care and thanks for posting about this binding, I appreciate it!

JM

renopicker - Posted - 01/26/2011:  14:16:54

Here is the photo: Don Reno's other 2 banjos are in this photo!


1997 Reno Revival at the VFW hall in TN somewhere, Hendersonville I think! (I am from WA state!)

Steve Huber, Charlie Cushman, all the Reno Brothers, Benny Martin(fiddle), lots of people were there that year...

Those are his other 2 banjos, Nellie (on the left) Me and a 1933 TB-1, and Chris Walter with Don Reno's other Stelling!

I sure look younger, so does Don Wayne I bet... he is 4 years to the day younger than I am and I was born in 59... do the math... we have the same birthday too...

Notice how my Tb-1 is the Flying Eagle style just like Don Reno... I was into that back then, I HAD to have the Flying Eagle Inlays!!!

Let me know if there is ever another Revival I will try my best to attend!!!
(Don Wayne has to be there of course, maybe his new band! (Hayseed Dixie) LOL)

I will be one of the older guys now...
JM

Jason Skinner - Posted - 01/26/2011:  15:43:19

quote:

---

Originally posted by Baltimonkey

Jason -- you have put-in the time, and worked really hard. Enjoy your reward. Congratulations!

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Mike Greylak - Posted - 04/07/2011:  10:18:57

A friend of mine has an origonal  Cox, head, I think it's #8   -- He had it on his Staghorn for a while, I think he got it from Don, he said he might sell it.