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banjohut.com submitted 11/19/2009
Submitter	Zosobonzo44 (see all reviews from this person)
Overall Comments	I've rarely had an experience this good with a retailer. I bought a banjo from them a few months back, and recently one of the tuners broke. I called and explained I did not want to deal with sending it back, so they immediately sent me a new tuner, no questions asked.
Overall Rating	10

Dogwood Designs banjo strap Blackberry blossom strap submitted 11/19/2009
Submitter	Pablo9364 (see all reviews from this person)
Where Purchased	JH
Overall Comments	This is the real deal, quality strap.
Overall Rating	10

Chris Cioffi submitted 11/19/2009
Submitter	bowfinger (see all reviews from this person)
Overall Comments	(kinda like coffee) anyway! Chris did a magnificent job on my parts banjo. Installed frets perfectly. Did a neck reset/recut. filled and re-set the co-rods. Buffed out the new lacquer for me. Made sure every thing fit rightl, set it up and sent it back in record time. Chris used to work for Huber and knows what he is doing. He can really do a great job. I'm sold. Chris is the man to go to. He's in middle Tenn. if that matters to you.
Overall Rating	10

Dam Spillway bridge dam spillway bridge submitted 11/18/2009
Submitter	bangee boy (see all reviews from this person)
Where Purchased	stringbean45 BHO member
Overall Comments	Tried this Spillway bridge on my Earl Scruggs Gibson which had a Snuffy Smith bridge on it. I was very impressed with the overall tone it produced. Very clear and distinct notes at both high and low ends.This Dam Spillway was the model that was one piece ...no ebony or other wood across the top. It's staying on my Gibson! I'll be picking up a few more. The seller is a Five Star gentleman. Great to do business with.
Overall Rating	10

Mike's Mute Mike's Mute submitted 11/18/2009
Submitter	douric (see all reviews from this person)
Where Purchased	website/online
Overall Comments	Mike Stidd's banjo mute arrived yesterday. My wife is smiling and the dog is out from under the couch. Tried it on my Gibson-Alvarez resonator which ordinarily has the volume of a .50 cal machine gun and this morning my neighbor two houses down asked me if I'd given my banjo away. Simple to use. Muffles the sound but preserves enough tonal quality to keep my ear in touch with what my fingers are doing. Thanks, Mike!
Overall Rating	10

Deering Goodtime submitted 11/18/2009
Submitter	Rick McKeon (see all reviews from this person)
Where Purchased	Janet Davis Music Company
Year Purchased	2009
Price Paid	379 ($US)
Sound	Great sound and volume for an open-back banjo. I have another banjo with a heavy brass tone ring. It has great sound, but is very heavy. I am not dissapointed in the sound of the Goodtime.
Sound Rating	8
Setup	JDMC did a great job on the setup. I had them put a Bart Veerman bridge on it.
Setup Rating	10
Appearance	I love the look - bright and light.
Appearance Rating	8
Reliability	The dove-tail head joint scares me a little bit, but as long as it doesn't come off, I'm happy.
Reliability Rating	8
Customer Service	JDMC is great to deal with. They are always friendly and helpful.
Customer Service	10
Components	Good quality parts.
Components Rating	8
Overall Comments	Just got my Goodtime banjo yesterday, and I am lovin' it. Great sound and volume. I especially like the weight. At 4 lbs. I can pick it up with one hand without effort. It makes banjo playing fun.
Overall Rating	9

Rickard Dobson submitted 11/18/2009
Submitter	mandohead (see all reviews from this person)
Where Purchased	From builder
Year Purchased	2009
Price Paid	Don't Remember historic exchange rates / currency converter
Sound	Not really loud but had a nice mellow sound -- from what I could hear With the problems of set up I could not play it
Sound Rating	8
Setup	After some initial problems on my end, I got the intonation set- where it was marked on head. The 3rd and 2nd strings would not play true around the nut > sent back to builder
Setup Rating	6
Appearance	Nice dark brown tone wood with oxidized brass hardware that was very attractive. Couple minor finish problems- A pea sized discoloration on the fret board just under 5th fret 1st string, and on the neck a couple 3cm by 1/2 cm sections where the stain didn't seem to coat homogeniosly
Appearance Rating	9
Reliability	Hard to tell
Reliability Rating	not rated
Customer Service	Builder paid for return shipping - nice/appropriate His initial inspection of it "my initial opinion is that reducing the nut slot height will probably solve the problem that you described" He was receptive but defensive discussing banjo set-up challenges.
Customer Service	7
Components	Seem fine
Components Rating	9
Overall Comments	Builder told me that this was a prototype for a kit that would be selling for 900$ - I found out afterwards that it would be selling for 600$ > disappointing >> I cancelled the sale I initially was not going to review but subsequent discussions with the builder and others led me to feel a responsibility to post
Overall Rating	7

Gibson RB3 Don Reno submitted 11/18/2009
Submitter	tklassen (see all reviews from this person)
Where Purchased	Private
Year Purchased	2002
Price Paid	2500 (Canada) (bought USED) historic exchange rates / currency converter
Sound	Even volume across the strings, full sound. Play it acoustic or plugged in with a fisher rare earth pickup, pre-amp, and a Marshall acoustic amp. Classic banjo tone. This is not a loud banjo.
Sound Rating	10
Setup	I use a 5 star unfrosted head, moon bridge, and Price tail piece. The head is medium tight, just tight enough that there is no sag under the bridge. I use a drum wrench to make sure it is even tension at all hooks. The action is set to low about 3/16 above the 12th fret. The tail piece is level with the head about 1/8 off the head surface. Installed rr spikes at 7, 9, and 10 frets. I use light strings. Everything stays in place and does not require further adjusting.
Setup Rating	10
Appearance	Flying eagle inlay, RB3 head stock inlay, classic Gibson banjo.
Appearance Rating	10
Reliability	The banjo stays in tune, does not require constant re-tuning, when using a capo. Looks as good as when I first purchased.
Reliability Rating	10
Customer Service	Not applicable
Customer Service	not rated
Components	This banjo has waverly tuners and only replaced the presto tailpiece.
Components Rating	10
Overall Comments	It is a keeper, and have no desire for another banjo.
Overall Rating	10

Deering Goodtime submitted 11/18/2009
Submitter	tklassen (see all reviews from this person)
Where Purchased	Elderly Instruments
Year Purchased	2003
Price Paid	Don't Remember historic exchange rates / currency converter
Sound	It is not a bluegrass banjo, a muted sound, keeps peace in the household by not over powering all other sounds. Stays in tune, and is accurate up the neck.
Sound Rating	5
Setup	String height set to 3/16 above the 12th fret, head is tight enough that there is no sag under the bridge, the tailpiece is not adjustable. Installed RR spikes at 7, 9, 10, and 12 fret. It is a very playable banjo with little adjustment.
Setup Rating	10
Appearance	Simple, it is not eye candy, you get what you pay for. I love it.
Appearance Rating	5
Reliability	Nothing much to go wrong, little hardware, guitar tuners, have carried and taken this banjo all over North America, very light it came with a fabric gig bag. Stays in tune, easy to play and will not cause the neighbours to complain.
Reliability Rating	not rated
Customer Service	Not applicable, nothing has gone wrong that would require service in 6 years
Customer Service	not rated
Components	Nothing it is cool in itself.
Components Rating	not rated
Overall Comments	Light, simple, playable, always have it at the ready. It is my main banjo inside the home and for personal travel. For the money invested it is a great value. I have never used it at a gig, but think about it once and awhile.
Overall Rating	10

Oscar Schmidt OB-5 submitted 11/18/2009
Submitter	Brady (see all reviews from this person)
Where Purchased	Amazon
Year Purchased	2007
Price Paid	140 ($US)
Sound	This is my first banjo and it is great for the price. as a beginning banjo its great, eventually though my teacher let me play her $1000+ banjo and I realized that I should upgrade. I would still recomend it for any beginner pickers.
Sound Rating	5
Setup	when i got the banjo is was in a box and i had to take it to get it set up since i didn't what I was doing. you have to be careful though, a friend of mine ordered the same banjo from the same place and it had a big crack on the back and couldn't be used.
Setup Rating	5
Appearance	it's a good looking banjo, no gold inlays or anything like that, but it looks prety good.
Appearance Rating	8
Reliability	this is a tough little banjo. my case broke and I didn't had the money to buy a new one so I just carry it around w/out a case and it's held up just fine.
Reliability Rating	10
Customer Service	Amazon always has prety good customer sevice.
Customer Service	8
Components	prety much this is a cheap good beginners banjo, the prodeucs used aren't the best but it's great to learn on.
Components Rating	6
Overall Comments	this is a great banjo for people who want to see if they like picking before they spend a lot of money on a high-class banjo. for beginners it's great but you will hear the lack of sound quality when you get better and try out some nicer ones.
Overall Rating	7

Gold Tone Bluegrass Special BG-250F submitted 11/18/2009
Submitter	thomass (see all reviews from this person)
Where Purchased	Banjoteacher.com
Year Purchased	2009
Price Paid	739 ($US)
Sound	Really sounds great. I'm a beginner, this should last me a long time
Sound Rating	9
Setup	Had some over tones. I took it to the local music store and they fixed it up....no problem.
Setup Rating	7
Appearance	Very nice...better than I expected. Looks more expensive than it was.
Appearance Rating	8
Reliability	Looks very sturdy and has a real "expensive" appearance
Reliability Rating	9
Customer Service	Great warranty...very nice people.
Customer Service	9
Components	No complaints.
Components Rating	9
Overall Comments	I'm very satisfied.....a real value for the money. A lot better than the guy playing it !! :-))
Overall Rating	9

Romero 09206 submitted 11/17/2009
Submitter	James McConnan (see all reviews from this person)
Where Purchased	Romero work shop
Year Purchased	2009
Price Paid	3050 ($US)
Sound	It does everything I want it to do and more.
Sound Rating	10
Setup	It was perfect as built.
Setup Rating	10
Appearance	It's the most beautiful thing I own. The instrument was custom made, the inlay is astonishing.
Appearance Rating	10
Reliability	Everything about the banjo would suggest that it would last for ever. I have another Romero banjo. #08145
Reliability Rating	10
Customer Service	Jason and Pharis were helpful all along the way. When I picked up the new banjo Jason made some minor adjustments to #08145
Customer Service	10
Components	http://www.romerobanjos.com/09206/09206.html a picture tells a thousand words
Components Rating	10
Overall Comments	I hope everyone gets to own a banjo of their dreams. I do.
Overall Rating	10

Cornhusker straps Hand made straps submitted 11/17/2009
Submitter	jamie_t123 (see all reviews from this person)
Where Purchased	direct from cornhusker
Overall Comments	A really well made strap made by some really nice folks. The quality is great and the price is fair. Hard to ask for much else...
Overall Rating	9

Don Bryant submitted 11/17/2009
Submitter	ebowalker (see all reviews from this person)
Overall Comments	Don recently did some very delicate work on the neck of my '67 Baldwin Style D. The workmanship was superb. Beyond the repair work, he also re-setup the banjo and it is sounding better right now than it ever has. For my Baldwin D, he: 1) repaired and replaced some binding; 2) re-set the neck to get rid of a buzz; 3) threw in a Snuffy Smith bridge. The binding repair was the touchiest problem. But he matched the exact color and design of the original. Besides being extraordinarily competent, he is a genuinely nice person. I highly recommend Don. Be sure and take him a couple of sacks of fresh-picked turnip greens when you stop by. You'll make a friend for life. Ebo Walker, Ararat, NC
Overall Rating	10

Kateyz bridge McCormick "Spice" submitted 11/16/2009
Submitter	doug.knecht (see all reviews from this person)
Where Purchased	Mike Smith
Overall Comments	This bridge is made of old flooring in the torn down original business for McCormick Spices, and the wood is from the early 1900's. Beautiful wood, excellent wood for bridges. Mike, as he always does, used the gram weight to gauge what kind of tone I needed to move toward. It really pops on the 1st and 2nd string, and the 3rd sounds very very prewar-ish. I'm very happy with this bridge. This model is the original Kat Eyz design.
Overall Rating	10

Rover RB-35 submitted 11/14/2009
Submitter	Brian Taylor (see all reviews from this person)
Where Purchased	Hex Hollow Music
Year Purchased	2008
Price Paid	Don't Remember historic exchange rates / currency converter
Sound	Loud and bright sound. An excellent beginner's banjo.
Sound Rating	5
Setup
Setup Rating	5
Appearance	Bare minimum on the extra's but they almost went out of their way to make a butt-ugly headstock. Can't fix that as any work exceeds the cost of the banjo.
Appearance Rating	5
Reliability	I play almost daily, and the finish on the head came off fairly quickly. Everything else still seems OK
Reliability Rating	5
Customer Service	Never had to deal with them. I figured my instructor at the time would help me out, as he sells them and he recommended it.
Customer Service	not rated
Components	Lose the head stock and install something more traditional, without maxing out the price..
Components Rating	5
Overall Comments	You can't beat it for a beginner instrument. I suppose as a backup it would work too.
Overall Rating	5

Mike's Mute Mike's Mute submitted 11/12/2009
Submitter	EddieZ (see all reviews from this person)
Where Purchased	http://www.mikesbanjomute.com/
Overall Comments	Works great. I'd order another one! Only concern, wish a little time had been spent removing burs and metal flakes from around drilled and tapped holes.
Overall Rating	9

Zoom Hard Disk Recorder Zoom H2 submitted 11/12/2009
Submitter	revellfa (see all reviews from this person)
Where Purchased	Best Buy
Overall Comments	A SUPRURB device. Easy to use, can handle a lot of memory, easy to carry, durable.
Overall Rating	10

Vega SR II Earl Scruggs Model submitted 11/12/2009
Submitter	revellfa (see all reviews from this person)
Where Purchased	eBay
Year Purchased	2006
Price Paid	1500 ($US)
Sound	It has a very loud, tubaphone sound. Lots of volume, cuts through a mic and records extremely well. A very, very quick decay. Awesome and unique sound. More of a Deering sound than a Gibson sound.
Sound Rating	8
Setup	I was trying to get a pre-war sound out of this banjo so I experimented a lot with it over the few years that I owned it. I made the action a bit lower, added a banjomate tone enhancer and used an Emerson Sweet Power II bridge. I used a thick-frosted five-star head which I kept pretty tight. With this setup I was able to get the most out of this banjo. I have some soundclips on my homepage.
Setup Rating	10
Appearance	This was a beautiful banjo. Flamed maple, ebony peghead with Gold MOP on the headstock. "Earl Scruggs Model" in red on the truss rod cover. MOP trapezoid (kind of like a cross between traditional Vega crown and Mastertone Bow-Tie) inlay.
Appearance Rating	9
Reliability	The finish is famous for wearing on the Vega's of this era (1969) but this one held up pretty well. It was a sturdy banjo.
Reliability Rating	9
Customer Service	no longer in business as this was one of the last Vega's made in Boston before selling out to Martin.
Customer Service	not rated
Components	Kind of bare minimum. Multi-ply (9) rim, three-piece neck, four-piece flange. The tuners were pretty good, as well as the tone ring which was entirely unique. Vega used the Auto-Sonic (or some would say modified Tubaphone) tone ring on these banjos and they are HIGHLY underrated! That is the reason that this banjo gets a 7 and not a 6 in this area.
Components Rating	7
Overall Comments	This banjo was very adaptable, it was equally happy with bluegrass or with clawhammer and also was not bad for melodic/chromatic picking. Not a bad banjo, but I don't regret selling it as I am more of a traditional, hard-driving banjo player.
Overall Rating	7

Gold Tone Ot-800 long neck submitted 11/11/2009
Submitter	john bange (see all reviews from this person)
Where Purchased	The Folk Shop
Year Purchased	2009
Price Paid	900 ($US)
Sound	suits a poor old folksinger as perfect as possible...set up just right, very rich and loud...lotta sustain
Sound Rating	10
Setup	set up fine as recieved...I made some changes that I needed to do myself...dealer was very helpful and the banjo is very, very easy to set up to any playing style
Setup Rating	10
Appearance	very pretty with a high gloss finish...I don't know!(panda wood?)...the inlays were really done nice
Appearance Rating	10
Reliability	seems like it is well made...never had any problems with Gold Tone products though having read some of the other reviews, I will keep an eye on the tuners and knobs...very good so far. will I use it at a gig without back up? I had 2 Vegas so I bought 2 of these...I like back up
Reliability Rating	9
Customer Service	read my review of The Folk Shop...Easily one of the best sales experiences I have had...just great people Gold Tones warranty reputation is excellent
Customer Service	10
Components	I don't see any weak parts. I would point out the excellent tailpiece...you know the case is not an American Vintage but it is fine for now.
Components Rating	9
Overall Comments	for folk music, vocal back up and playing around the campfire, I do not see how you could beat these banjos...if your looking for a long neck, you gotta try the OT-800
Overall Rating	10

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