Overall Comments

This is the real deal, quality strap.

Overall Rating

10

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

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

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

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

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

Overall Comments

A SUPRURB device. Easy to use, can handle a lot of memory, easy to carry, durable.

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

A slick strap that cures any right hand , ring finger problems. Also has applications for Old Time players hand problems. It's inexpensive, comfortable and works well. An easy cure for run away ring finger. I really like it !!

Overall Rating

9

Overall Comments

Bought a couple of these when also purchasing a mountain dulcimer. The mid weight (white) ones are great, with a good grip around the thumb, durability and a clean picking action that means there is little "pick noise" at all. I like them so much that I have stocked up and now use them for pickin ' on all my instruments.

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

I received the mute last week and have had the chance to use it daily since. I am really impressed with the tone - even muted - and the workmanship is outstanding. I am no longer banned to the furtherest reaches of the house when practicing. It is easy to attach and there is minimal interference with the right hand (nothing to worry about). The delivery was quick and the service outstanding.

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

This is an App for iPhone. Despite the name it is not limited to guitars. It performs equally well with banjo, bass, mandolin, fiddle, uke, 12-string, etc,etc. There is a Tuner which is far more sensitive and smoother than a clip-on type.

It has a metronome with 13 sound effects and a full chord library (500,000 chords!) Chords sound realistically when screen is "strummed". Has left-handed feature to flip chords and scales around. Scales charts for each instrument in alt tunings. Has alternative tunings for each instrument. Very, very useful. Scored 4.5 / 5. Costs $12.99US. Only negative is it doesn't clip on and sense vibrations. (ie not too good in a noisy environment.)

Search iTunes App Store for "Guitar Toolkit"

Overall Rating

9

Overall Comments

took a while for it to arrive in the UK but worth the wait
it works just fine no rattles no buzz, doesnt fall off, well finished easy to fit
gives great sustain and creates a really nice tone
thinking of using the tone sometimes in performances by amplifying it
all in all a great piece of kit recommend it to anyone

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

I bought two of Tony Pass' Thinskirt rims, one for my bluegrass banjo (with JLS #12 tone ring), and the other a Thinskirt "Woodie" for my openback banjo. (The Woodie has the tone ring as an integral part of the rim, roughly similar to the original Deering Goodtime.) I cannot speak too highly of these rims. They made a remarkable improvement in tone and volume to both instruments.
When my openback instrument was set up with a Goldtone Whyte Laydye tone ring and 3/4" thick multi-ply rim (from a Gold Tone custom kit), it sounded kind of mediocre to my demanding ears. The rim & ring was replaced with Tony's rim. The volume increase was remarkable. A man in our house church heard the previous set-up, and with the new rim, he commented "Boy that thing is LOUD!" The tone quality increase is as remarkable as the volume is. This is - in my opinion - now the gold standard for open back banjo sound.
My bluegrass banjo was originally made from a Gold Tone OB250+ kit, which utilized a "professional" three-ply maple rim. As stated, after upgrading to the Thinskirt, I appreciate the superior quality of machining, tone, and volume that the Tony Pass gives me. Also of note is that, previously, my Fults BlueRidge Parallel tailpiece was kind of muddy sounding when my strings aged only a few weeks. With the Tony Pass rim, the Fults BlueRidge really comes into its own, and gives a quality, deep tone with good volume.
The rim apparently gives its bass tone enhancement out the back of the instrument, where the rim obviously is. I ended up removing the resonator off my bluegrass instrument to get all this glorious tone. If I perform publicly, I can reinstall it, to project the sound out.
Tony's Thinskirt rims are like comparing a Stradivarius violin to a commonly-available high quality violin. The Stradivarius is noted for power and tone, and very possibly utilized submerged wood, as Tony Pass does.
To obtain ideal tone, my set-up is:
Remo WeatherKing heads, tuned to 88 (Drumdial tuner) with the JLS #12 tone ring, and 89 on the Thinskirt Woodie. As a rule of thumb, JLS rings take a loose head, and Woodie rims take a tight head, for ideal sound.
Tailpieces: Openback: Fults 1934 Parallel; Bluegrass: Fults BlueRidge Parallel (custom order).
Strings make a huge difference in set-up; I use only Gibson Earl Scruggs strings. Currently I am using light gauge, although I will try out the medium gauge strings. Incidentally, my common practice with both banjo and guitar is to have my strings detuned one fret (the G string is tuned F sharp.) This practice gives me more sweetness and resonance to the sound of the instrument. Both banjos are loud, even though detuned in this way.
In closing, I recommend the Tony Pass Thinskirt very highly. For me, the difference was immediate. Tony says that many folks have a delayed effect ("bam effect") in which the boost in tone doesn't come until after playing for a period of time. For me, it was immediate.
I hope this helps in your selection of a rim. Tony Pass is the best.

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

The mute is a spiffy looking brass and with an aluminum bar with two “feet” underneath and two brass thumbscrews on top. After two minutes turning it this way and that over the bridge (I’m not good at this kind of stuff) I figured it out and installed it. I’d read reviews of this mute but I wasn’t really prepared for the low, sweet sound the banjo has with it on. The mute doesn’t compromise the instrument at all, just gives a different sound that I like as much as the banjo unmuted. Now when I’m visiting my new grandson I can play the banjo without waking him and maybe even put him to sleep with its new quiet, dulcet tone. Highly recommended!

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

Absolutley fantastic. Rock solid and accurate. Quite easy to install. Set up is a little tricky but once you figure it out adjustments are easy.I did it without the tool kit supplied by the Manufacturer but it would be a good idea to order it. Besides, the deposit on it is refundable.Very discreet on the front of the peghead.I like them .LM.

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

This is one SUPERIOR banjo mute...Mike's service is exemplary and only 72 hours from order to delivery!!!

'Mike's mute' performs WAY better than anything I have used to date! A small, sueded-leather storage pouch (included) allows the mute to be secured to your banjo for ready-use, if so-desired.

I tried my new 'Mike's mute' on both my Gibson Retro 4 and Stelling Red Fox banjos and was eminently pleased with its ease of use and moreover...with its PERFORMANCE!

Having very recently obtained and used this product...IMO, it is its combination of attributes...supreme ease of installation and removal, COMBINED with its effectiveness in muting the banjo...which places 'Mike's Mute' in its own class as a superior...(and nearly indispensible), banjo accessory.

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

My search for the perfect bridge is over! Never have I owned a bridge that gives so much tone and clarity, and I've owned quite a few. I am constantly experimenting with different bridges, looking for the best tonal response, and this bridge gives great tone up and down the neck, both highs and lows. Would recommend this bridge anytime! Also, the customer service can't be beat! How often do you get to try before you buy? Thanks Dave! Will be doing more business with you in the future!

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

This is Ron's second model -- cut to fit an outline of the standard, all-metal arm rest you send him. I bought his first model about a year ago and highly recommend it. His #2 design is equally high-quality. It's L-shaped so that it fits both the top and the front (or side) of the arm rest. Mine is walnut and it's a beautiful piece of wood. It comes well-packed, with Ron's signature and the date of creation on the inside. The adhesive strips that Ron uses to attach the arm rest to your base are strong: it won't pop off or slip. Ron makes bridges, too, and I'm waiting for a chance to try the one he sent me. I recommend his products without reservation.

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

Awesome! I'm a banjo newbie living in a house where sound travels. That meant no practicing after my wife and son are asleep. One of my banjo teacher's other students turned me onto Mike's Mute so I bought one, site unseen (or, rather, unheard) and I'm glad I did.

The banjo is much quieter now, though not at all muffled. If anything there is even more sustain with the mute on. I don't understand the mechanics of how it works, but it does. I can now pick away at all hours of the night without bothering anybody. I've taken to leaving the mute on most of the time while practicing so I don't have to worry about the rest of my family hearing Cripple Creek over and over and over again.

Customer service has also been awesome. I lost one of the thumbscrews (I blame my son...) and Mike was quick to make sure I got a replacement.

Go buy Mike's Mute. Your family will thank you.

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

Best parts money that I have spent. It really helped tone on a very good banjo. I was very surprised at the increased clearity and volume from the tailpiece. It came with a Presto, I tried a Kershner. Both were fine. The Fults to my ear, has moved my Sullivan custom banjo with a historic rim into a whole different bracket as far as tone and volume. I have considered buying one for some time...I won't a banjo without one on it from now on.

Overall Rating

10