Bishline Custom Banjo Reviews
Bishline Custom
submitted 8/8/2011
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Submitter |
dstall (see all reviews from this person) |
Where Purchased |
Rob's shop in Tulsa |
Year Purchased |
2011 |
Price Paid |
3300 ($US) |
Sound
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This banjo has a nice round sound and lots of volume. It sounds great and is quickly breaking in. |
Sound Rating |
10 |
Setup
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He set it up just as I requested. At some point I might want to raise the action a little, but for my level of playing it is just right for now. |
Setup Rating |
10 |
Appearance
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It is a beautiful banjo. He built it exactly as I described. It is an eye-catching burled walnut and the inlay...well, I think it is great! You can see it on his website under "custom" banjos. I call it the "Double Thunderbird." The name will be obvious to you when you see the banjo. It is the walnut banjo with the Thunderbird inlays on the 1 & 3 frets and the Marine Corps emblem at the base of the neck. |
Appearance Rating |
10 |
Reliability
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I am very impressed by the finish. It is thick, durable and incredibly uniform. I have refinished an piece of furniture or two, and I am amazed at how well he finished my banjo. |
Reliability Rating |
10 |
Customer Service
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Rob and his partners are very responsive. I live just few miles from their shop so I was able to stop by occasionally to see the progress of my banjo. I always felt welcome and Rob is always eager to please. |
Customer Service |
10 |
Components
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My inlay work and the finish are definitely standouts. Take a look on his website. |
Components Rating |
10 |
Overall Comments
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Beautiful banjo with a great sound made by a true gentleman. Thanks, Rob and Big Dave. |
Overall Rating |
10 |
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Bishline Custom
submitted 12/11/2010
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Submitter |
banjomule (see all reviews from this person) |
Where Purchased |
Bishline Banjos |
Year Purchased |
2010 |
Price Paid |
Don't Remember
historic exchange rates / currency converter
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Sound
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This banjo has amazing tone. It's very bright (almost archtop like) and sounds great all the way up the neck. It has great power on the 3rd and 4th strings and does not sound thin at all. Huge overall volume and will keep up with the Stellings i've owned. |
Sound Rating |
10 |
Setup
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I had told Rob to set it up like the Midnight Moon he plays on the video on his website. He gets great volume and tone out of the banjo with the action set fairly low so it's super easy to play. I plan to keep it exactly like it is. |
Setup Rating |
10 |
Appearance
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This banjo is exactly what I wanted and even more than I hoped for. I asked for highly flamed maple finished blonde. When Bishline emailed me photos of the finished resonator I almost fell over, more beautiful than I could've imagined! I also asked for an ebony fretboard with diamond shaped inlays like the Deering Deluxe or Stelling Whitestar and that was no problem to get done. The real special thing about this banjo is the headstock. I raise donkeys and mules and asked if they could do an inlay of my jack on the peghead. I sent Rob a couple pictures and they did an amazing job on the inlay! |
Appearance Rating |
10 |
Reliability
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I've been playing it daily for six months and it looks the exact same as the day it arrived. I'm confident it will last the test of time. It came in a Guardian fiberglass case which will help protect it when not being played. |
Reliability Rating |
10 |
Customer Service
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Customer service is very important to me and one of the major reasons I went with Bishline for this banjo was thier incredible service. The guys at Bishline were amazing. Emails were answered very promptly. Calls were always answered. They emailed pictures of thier progress on the banjo throughout the process. It was very cool to follow each step along the way. |
Customer Service |
10 |
Components
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Rob let me fully customize how I wanted this banjo bulit. I chose his block rim and his tone ring, based on clips I'd heard of him playing a midnight moon. I am very happy with the fit and finish on everything. |
Components Rating |
10 |
Overall Comments
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I waited 6 months after I got this banjo to write the review. I'm just as happy with it today as I was the day it arrived. It is exactly what I wanted in a banjo and it will surely be passed down when i'm gone. I would highly recommend talking with Rob if you're even thinking about having a custom banjo made. He is very easy to work with and will strive to build you the exact banjo you want. All at a price very favorable to other builders stock banjos. Thanks Rob! |
Overall Rating |
10 |
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Bishline Custom
submitted 5/26/2009
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Submitter |
want2pla (see all reviews from this person) |
Where Purchased |
Bishline Banjos in Tulsa |
Year Purchased |
2009 |
Price Paid |
< the big 3 used $$ ($US) |
Sound
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The sound is exactly what I was looking for. I wanted a warmer sound while maintaining the volume. I wanted to have one built with a mahogany rim and Rob suggested the Kulesh Big 10 tone ring to compliment the mahogany rim. He was right on with this combo! This banjo is so responsive--the deeper you dig into it the more it has to give. The sound is full and loud---NOT bright and tinny or thin. The 4th string pops and growls like no other I have played, and it brings a smile to my face every time I slide on it! When you go up the neck, the volume is still there. There is no shrillness to this sound, as there is with so many of the clone banjos. It is a joy to pick this banjo everyday, and I am lucky to own it. If you want one that no one else has, Rob is your guy. He really knows banjos. |
Sound Rating |
9 |
Setup
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I have not touched this banjo. As with all new banjos, I am watching the head tension. This was the first mahogany rim banjo that he has built, so I left it with him for a couple of weeks to pick around on and experiment with. The setup is exactly what I told him I wanted. This is one of the fastest picking banjos I have ever picked. I had the neck built with the short scale radiused fingerboard. Man is it awesome. |
Setup Rating |
9 |
Appearance
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This banjo was my personal design from the bottom up, so I am biased. But the quilted mahogany resonator grabs your attention and never lets go. I have never seen another like it. I also had him use black "J" hooks, gold tuners and thumbscrews, and all abablone inlays in the traditional flying eagle pattern. The abalone has some of the best irradescence I have seen. His finish is top notch, plays fast, and is laid over a tobacco stain color that he suggested (right on again!). No need for a speed neck, if you have trouble with finished necks. Be sure to check out the pics of it on my homepage. |
Appearance Rating |
10 |
Reliability
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Bishline banjos are known for their quality workmanship. No worries here. |
Reliability Rating |
9 |
Customer Service
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I was able to walk into the shop, meet Rob, pick with him for a while, and then order my banjo. When I picked it up, we picked for a while again and just hung out. Rob is a phenomenal picker. Andy is great with the business end and is very patient with all the changes that are inevitably made when having a complete custom built. He keeps you updated on the progress of your banjo and sends you pictures of your banjo in the various stages of production. |
Customer Service |
10 |
Components
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There are two elements that define my banjo--the quilted mahogany resonator and the all abalone inlays. The metal components are all top notch. Rob is very innovative and is working on some new ideas never before tried. Watch for some exciting developments out of the Bishline shop in the next few months. |
Components Rating |
9 |
Overall Comments
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I recommend Rob for your next...or first...or only custom build. His standard models are some of best bang for the buck in production banjos. I paid less for this custom banjo than what most of the Hubers, Stellings and Gibson's are listed for in the HO classifieds. That to me is amazing. I just can't believe the level of service and quality of banjo I got for less money than some people throw at used banjos. Simply amazing value for my dollar. If stolen, after the tears...I would look forward to the opportunity of going through the building process again with Rob and Andy. You really ought to give them a call.
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Overall Rating |
9 |
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Bishline Custom
submitted 5/1/2007
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Submitter |
banjobuck (see all reviews from this person) |
Where Purchased |
Direct from Rob |
Year Purchased |
2006 |
Price Paid |
4000 ($US) |
Sound
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Sounds like the banjo I used to dream about. Absolutely perfect in every way. You can get the crispest bluegrass sound by playing close to the bridge, travel a little bit down the head and you get the most mellow sounding banjo I've ever heard...perfect for classical banjo. |
Sound Rating |
10 |
Setup
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The banjo was all setup and absolutely perfect. Action was set up just the way I like it, have made no changes to anything, but Rob said he would for me anytime I needed it. |
Setup Rating |
10 |
Appearance
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The banjo is absolutely beautiful. Rob worked with me from the beginning to make it just as I wanted. Got a custom inlay and the most beautiful piece of maple wood I have ever seen, I get compliments on the stain job all the time. |
Appearance Rating |
10 |
Reliability
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This is a banjo that I will pass down to my kids. It will definitely last me my lifetime and I even sold my backup banjo because I know I will never need it. |
Reliability Rating |
10 |
Customer Service
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When I first got it the 5th string tuner fell off and I told Rob about it. I took it down there the next day and he made it a priority to fix it for free, and it wasn't even his fault or due to bad crafstmanship. He has the absolute best customer service bar none. And his work is top notch so you'll probably never even need it. |
Customer Service |
not rated |
Components
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The parts are top of the line, no need for upgrading. |
Components Rating |
not rated |
Overall Comments
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I would have paid more for this banjo than I did. If this banjo was ever stolen I would go to Rob to make me a new one after being depressed for awhile since there are no other like it. I absolutely love it! No other banjo I've looked at or heard can match my Bishline! |
Overall Rating |
10 |
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