Overall Comments

This is a great Mute. I can play in the next room and the wife cant hear my jo at all. Get one!!!!

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

Top notch CNC program and cut of pearl and other. Check out photo's of Randall's artistry and work on my homepage. Simply put it is professional and precise. Above and beyond willingness to tweak until you are satisfied and kindness unheard of in today"s world.

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

If any members need a product made by Randall Wyatt by all means go for it. I have nothing but praise for his worksmanship,his help in other banjo matters. Are all BHO members this nice? Thanks ,Randall

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

Cons: It is expensive ($70)
Pros: The strobe readout is the antidote for all those cheaper tuners that drive me crazy. You know, the ones where the needle or the lights waver from sharp to flat. Very accurate tuner.

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

I wanted to let everyone know I am a new banjo player but I have played guitar for years. not prof. but for fun. I had been looking at banjos for a long time and decided to get a Recording King RK R20 to start with. Need less to say I am hooked! After learning to play for the past few months I noticed that my banjo sounded a little flat, so i decided to put on a new set of strings I figured that it might brighten it up again. After I installed the new strings I found that it helped but it sounded to me that my banjo sounded a little bassy. So aftering reading some reviews and getting some tips I decided to buy one of Don New's Dam spillway bridges. I got the Maple with Rosewood cap 5/8" with Crowe spacing . I installed the new bridge as soon as it came in. Man I can tell you this has brightened up the sound on my R20. It took the bassy sound down a couple of notches and brought up the high notes. I will also say it appears that the Crowe spacing on the new one has helped me with a problem I was having with my thumb pick catching 4th string. I know I don't have alot of experience playing but I know great sound when I hear it. I recommend this bridge to everyone. My little Recording King is not the most expensive on the block but I believe she sure sounds like it.
The buying experince with Don is great, if I get another banjo in the future I will definetly be getting another Dam Spillway (maybe the 3 pack) just to see what the others will do.

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

I recently tried Scorpion Bridges on my flathead 3 and flathead 12. I just want to say that Silvio is making the very best bridges available today.

The .656" on my style 3 made the banjo louder and dryer than another well known bridge that was very good. It also improved the separation of notes.

And the 5/8" bridge I put on my style 12 made a remarkable difference. If ever there was a perfect bridge for a specific banjo, this is it! Thanks, Silvio!!

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

Just received mikes banjo mute, and love it. Wife works nights and i have to practice, I can now close the door to the computer room and play away and bother no one. The only thing wrong with the mute is, i didnt invent it. Great--Great item--thanks

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

I just received my strap today and it's a professionally built, quality strap that is well worth the money. I looked at it for a while, but stalled because it had the BHO logo on it. I wanted just a plain strap. I decided to go ahead and order it. When I seen in it in person, it looks great and the logo actually kind of sets it off. Its a Med brown color with clean even stitching. It has a pad, which for me sets back some because I play with the neck at about a 30 degree angle instead of horizontal to the ground like most folks do. I'm glad I bought it from here. Thanks!!!!

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

I have used the gill and JT's Snark adapter and both do the job quite well. The JT has the advantage of being easier to install. It fits my old Orpheum and new recording King perfectly and it is a bargain. I rate this a 10.

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

The price tab on this little item isn't low, but by golly if you can come up with the dough this is, in my opinion, the most comfortable, easiest-to-install armrest available anywhere. . .

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

I have been playing since 1973 and have probably played every brand of pick and their various sizes and gauges that has been made and available during these past 40 years. I even made my own for a while.

Today I received a pair of OLD 97 picks from Judy Townsend, the maker. I had been seeing her ads here on the Hangout and on ebay so I decided to add her picks to my collection. Big surprise! When I put them on and made my simple personal adjustments I could not believe the comfort, sound and playability! I tried them out at very busy time of my day and it took a solid hour for me to get back to work. I played with them again for 2 hours this evening and if it was not for being called to supper I would have probably played most of the night!

The OLD 97s have a flat face and grab the string better, which means less dropped notes and mistakes & a fuller sound. That was very evident right away.

Melodics are much cleaner and far easier with the OLD 97s than with the normal picks that have a radiused face.

Looking forward to band practice this week-end. The other guys will no doubt comment about the new sound. Maybe it is not so much about the tone ring after all....... as it is about the picks.....hummmmmmmm? Earl would have loved these picks!

The OLD 97 picks are just what I have been needing. The workmanship is AAA+++++++ and the sound is unbelieveable. They are so comfortable that I forget I have them on. Now my cuticles will have a chance to heal.

All my other picks are going to the bone yard and are permanently retired. I will order another set tomorrow for back ups. My search is over.

On my personal scale of 1 to 100 Judy gets 1000! She is a great lady to work with. Everyone needs to try a set of her picks. They should be $50.00 a set............not $10.00!
I am one happy banjo player!
Pickalot

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

Just adding my approval of this great tool to the long list preceding me. Works great, nice solid piece, reasonably priced and fast shipping. A pleasure any way ya look at it.
I have had Mikes mute for 6 months now. I had to replace the plastic screws about a month ago ( one broke) with steel ones.

Overall Rating

9

Overall Comments

I have used both the orange & white thumbpicks since 2009.
I have more than I will ever need in my lifetime but may purchase more.
I have over 4000 hrs spread over 2 picks and they do not look like wearing out.
I have tried 30+ thumb picks over time, some $40+ ea
I do not need to try any more. These are awesome for me.

Pros
excellent grip
great comfort level
very low cost
great volume & tone quality
low wear factor
no pick distortion or fatigue

Cons
??????

Martz

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

I emailed Tim about making me a custom bridge. I know he mostly makes bridges for bluegrass/resonator instruments, but I'm a clawhammer player and the banjo Tim's bridge went on is an open back with an aluminum pot made from a Buick torque converter. I had built the banjo meaning to use a 3/4" bridge, but when I got it together the action was too low for my liking.

After discussing different tones, options and the type of banjo I'm playing, Tim made me a locust bridge with an ebony cap in 7/8" height. It worked out great. The action is a little high, just like I like, and the banjo sounds very nice. Tim couldn't have been better to deal with. I think I emailed him about making me a bridge on Monday night and he had it in the mail on Wednesday morning. It was on my banjo by Friday night.

The tone is percussive and has quick decay. Note seperation is very good, and there's a nice woodiness to the sound. The bass response is full and the high end sounds pretty good too. Pretty much exactly what I wanted for accompanying fiddle tunes.

In short, if you're looking for a bridge, I highly recommend getting one from Tim. The product is great and the customer service is even better, all at a reasonable price. Can't ask for more than that.

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

I just received my Snark tuner adapters from Jim and they work very well. I got one for my Gibson RB-4, one for my Hatfield Custom and will order more for my other Gibsons and for some friends.. If you order the tuner with the adapter, Jim sends one of the black Snark Super Tight, which look great on the banjo when performing since it isn't as obvious as the bright red or blue ones.
I prefer this arrangement because I have broken Snarks by having them knock around in the case pocket. Jim's adapter keeps the tuner in place the whole time. My strap still wraps around the the pot well enough to fit into the case. I suppose if you had a very thickly padded strap, you might have to locate the tuner close to the neck. All of my straps are the Shelton leather straps.
It is a simple, well-engineered, design - Thanks Jim.

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

This mute lowers the sound level a great deal without changing the tonal qualities, it may even lengthen the sustain. It is very well made with top quality materials.

I use a 1/2" bridge and the heads of the screws interfered with the feet of the bridge. I milled off about half the height of the heads and all was well. You can use a file or sand paper to do the same but since my mill was handy, I used it.

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

These hangers work great for providing you a safe place to store your banjo and yet leave it easily accessible to grab and play whenever the notion strikes you. They're well made and sturdy and won't give you any cause for concern about the safety of your banjo. I get more practice time in each day because I can just grab a banjo and start playing. They also store my banjos safely in the middle of practice sessions versus my old habit of leaning it temporarily against something.

Overall Rating

9

Overall Comments

Buying a banjo mute was absolutely necessary as I live in a small apartment. I saw the excellent reviews on Mike's mute and I ordered it just a week ago.

Today I have received it and it's sooo incredible!!! It lowers the volume a lot, and the tone is sweet. I'm completely satisfied!

Overall Rating

9

Overall Comments

I think these ought to be standard on all banjos. The ZG nut removes all quirks introduced by the vagaries of nut manufacture and the open strings now have the same tone as fretted strings. The banjo is easier to tune, stays in tune better and typically no retuning is required after installing or removing the capo.

Zero Glide does have a funny concept of what dimensionally close is when you order one custom made and several hours of sanding the bone nut to the right size will typically be required, with several days of healing for your fingertips where they were abraded holding the nut while sanding. The string spacing that I specified was right on the money however. It's a bit of a pain to fit but the end result is worth the effort.

Overall Rating

8

Overall Comments

Very nice adjustable armrest for open back banjos. I've purchased two so far. A nice product at a fair price. AVailable nickel plated or raw brass.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/wolfpackjamboree/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=25&_trksid=p3686

Overall Rating

9