Overall Comments

Model - Gibson RB75

Year - 1997

Work Done - Neckset - Replace Wood in Neck Heel, Level Fretboard, Replace Frets, Replace Co-Rods, Lube and Adjust Tuners, Turn Rim etc.

Neckset Rating - 10

Woodwork Rating - 10

Level Fretboard Rating - 10

Turn Rim - 10

Replace Frets Rating - 5

Replace Co-Rods - 5

Replace Tone Ring - 5

I was impressed with the wood work, neckset and fretboard, but I was very unimpressed with the durability of the fret wire itself. I told him that I wanted the strongest most durable fretwire that he could install since I play 4 to 5 hours per day. I was told that the standard wire would last 6 to 8 years with no problem, now after 10 months of playing the frets below the 5th string need replacing. Customer relations, and prompt service is less than desirable in my opinion.

I was quoted a total price for the repair, and when the job was finally finished it was twice the amount initially agreed on. I think this luthier means well, but the lack of promptness and ability to complete the work in a reasonable time, and unwillingness to install the quality fretwire that I asked for in the first place is now going to cost me more money for something that should have been done when the instrument was on his bench.

I can't give a 10 rating on the complete job because of this. I'd rate the woodwork high but I can't rate the whole experience the same way unfortunately.

Overall Rating

6

Overall Comments

Greetings to all my fellow 5-string enthusiasts and afficionados. I am intending to write a review on Chris Cioffi, of whom I have been acquainted since Nov. 1982. Some background : we met on one of my visits to Florida to visit with family, and I was rather astonished at the knowledge Chris had already amassed, even at the age of 15. I had been playing about 7 years, and thought I was knowledgeable about banjos, but talking to Chris, I realized he was really a banjophile, esp. on the pre-wars. Anyway, we became good friends and fellow pickers in the area, and I saw his rapid advancement on the 5-string, and his study of the banjo as well. After his re-location to Tennessee around 1990, we hadn't been too close in communication, but I knew he was still quite taken by the banjo. Some time later, we talked and shared some stories, I had been playing thumbstyle guitar as well as 5-string, and we kept in touch. Well about Sept. 2009, Chris called to announce his opening of a banjo shop, to mainly set-up, repair, and restore 5-string banjos. I was excited, knowing his attention to detail and respect for the Craftsmen of the old days. When talking about future banjos, I mentioned that I would someday like to have Style 3 banjo, mahogany, but I'd never be able to afford any of the pre-wars. Well, the subject of raised-head tone rings came up, and we decided to plan a banjo built around a pre-war Mastertone raised-head tone ring, with the standard dimensions and materials of the old 3s. Being a patient man, and already having 2 fine flatheads, I told Chris to take his time, no hurries, no worries. We did talk frequently as the "Wreath" was coming about. On Wed. Nov. 9 2011 the completed Wreath arrived, having been expertly packaged for shipping, and I was very excited to check it out. I knew of Chris' reputation as a luthier, and I knew he and I both liked the same tonal qualities of the ideal banjo sound, but when I picked up that banjo and played a few notes, I was blown away by the sound. Mind you, this instrument had only been assembled for a couple weeks, and had only had a couple hours play time, so I was not expecting a powerhouse right away...but it was. Crisp, clear tones, sweet spots from near the bridge right up to the fingerboard! I was shaking from the sound!!! And the inlay, binding, finish are flawless. I wanted to go with the subdued look, nothing too fancy, but the elegance is obvious when you see this banjo. Needless to say, it came out even more exqusite than I expected. (And I had really high expectations on this banjo!) And most satisfying, in addition to the sound, is the playability and feel of the instrument----I find myself doing the right and left-hand licks so effortlessly on this banjo---and I have owned several top-notch flatheads too--but this Wreath plays like a dream. Oh, and to squelch a myth about raised-heads and bass response-----not so. This banjo has full bass and great balanced tone all over the neck. So I guess it has to do with the set-up. This is my review of Chris---he did an outstanding job on this banjo, and if you would like to have one of the best work on your 5-string, you better get in line- my nest project for Chris will be frets on my 04 OME top-tension flathead ( and a super set-up too). Thanks Chris, you made a fine banjo for me. I'll post some photos when I am not spending my spare time playing this wonderful banjo ! Sincerely, Bill Hare 12/31/11.

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

I would like to HIGHLY recommend Chris Cioffi as a luthier. He recently did a lot of work on my 1980 (ish) Gibson RB250. OH MY GOODNESS! It has now GOT to be one of the best sounding RB250's of that era around. He had to replace the two-piece flange with a one-piece flange and in the process had to rebuild the heel. Absolutely beautiful work! I had him put stainless steel frets on it and replace other parts as well. I would suggest that anyone using Chris as a luthier go with his recommendations. He is so very knowledgeable and can tell you exactly what your banjo needs, but he will always leave the choice up to you. During the whole repair process, Chris made sure to keep me very well informed and always gave me every opportunity for any input.
I feel very grateful that my banjo ended up in his workshop. Not only is he a perfectionist but integrity is very important to him.
He's just the "king of luthiers!" And I also feel that, even though I have never met him in person, that I have a new friend.

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

I wanted to express my appreciation for some work Chris Cioffi did for me recently, and thought perhaps a review would be appropriate.

A few years back I picked up a brand new reissue Gold Star GF-100 pretty cheap. It was a nice looker, but I did not play it much because of some construction issues that needed addressing by someone with the appropriate tools and knowledge. I thought it might have some potential, and I had read some of the comments posted here, so I called Chris and spoke with him about it for quite a while.

I didn't expect a miracle, but I didn't have a fortune invested in the instrument and so I thought I wouldn't mind spending some money to get these problems resolved. I figured if nothing else it should play much better, but more than anything I was curious what could be done with what seemed to be some fairly decent parts whose original factory fit (in this particular case) left much to be desired. I don't live near Chris, so after a couple of more phone conversations I did my best to pack it up (per his excellent and very detailed packing instructions) and ship it to him.

A while later I got an update via email with the whole 411. Although it was not a pleasant surprise (more problems than I had realized) his analysis was extremely detailed and it was apparent that a considerable amount of time and effort had been invested in the evaluation. After several conversations via email and phone, we decided to go ahead and shoot the works. I got regular updates from Chris on the progress of the project and he continued to check with me to make sure we were headed in the direction I was intending.

So, after the major portion of the work was completed and I had responded to a few more emails asking my preferences on this and that, a bit of time to settle in, and some final tweaking, it was shipped back to me. In short, I was truly amazed with the final product - in fact it was several hours after I initially unboxed it before I could make myself put it down. I would only compare it to other banjos I have held and played, but I'd be hard pressed to tell the difference (by feel and sound) between this banjo and an '05 Lancaster I sold a couple of years ago (which I immediately regretted selling and continued to lament until I picked up my Cioffi'd Gold Star).

I guess I'm as skeptical as anyone about written descriptions of a banjo's sound qualities, but since this is a review I'll try to share just a few of the things that impressed me the most.

- The neck now plays comperable to the neck on my Staghorn, which I've always thought was the easiest playing neck I'd ever encountered.
- There is now a nice growl, subtle but growing consistently more prominent, where there was none before.
- I often mistakenly think I hear the phone ringing in the next room (although we only have cell phones now and they don't exactly "ring" - I've only ever experienced that with the Lancaster)

I've had the banjo back a few months now. I've been blessed to own some really nice banjos, of which I still have a few, and yet this is consistently the one I am picking up to play. Time will tell, but unless something changes I'm guessing that will continue to be the case.

One more exceptional point to note - during the entire process (from the time Chris began the evaluation until he returned the banjo, and then for several weeks afterwards while I continued to ask questions and report results) we were in regular communication about my expectations, his observations and suggestions, how things were progressing, and then eventually my observations on the results, Chris' advice on any tweaking I might want to do, and so forth. I think that in itself speaks volumes to the dedication that Chris has to getting it right, and making sure that the customer's expectations are met or exceeded (far exceeded in my case). Couple that with some pretty amazing results and I just don't see how you could go wrong sending your instrument to Chris Cioffi.

That was my attempt at a straight up review and I hope it proves helpful to someone.

On the lighter side, I suppose it would not suprise me to eventually discover:

- That Chris hired the magical elves away from the shoemaker
- He gained access to the alien technology in Area 51
- That one or more of the instruments he has worked on has become self-aware
- Or perhaps he swallowed the blue pill and learned how to manipulate the Matrix

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

Chris Cioffi has completely gone through and sensitively restored and set up my three prewar Gibson banjos over the last year and a half. In that time, I have become familiar with Chris’s work, the results he can coax out of a banjo, and had time to reflect on his results with my banjos as well as what it has been like to get to know him.

First, Chris has a deep respect of pre-war banjos and he goes to great lengths to do "non-invasive" things to restore their originality and maintain their value.

I first sent my 1929 Gibson TB-6 to Chris for A LOT of work. I've had the banjo since 1981 and it was in need of repair; basically, a total restoration.

He planed the fingerboard, did a fret job, new spikes, repaired the neck binding, fit the original raised head tone ring, new tuning pegs, restoration of original prewar Pearl buttons, on and on…..

He had to plug/re-drill the original rim. Over the years the holes had become oval in shape. He actually hand fit plugs to existing holes instead of just drilling them out. He also asked me to send him the original tenor neck so he could make sure it still fit well as it was intended to when he re-set the 5 string neck. He had to re-carve the neck to trim mass and position the neck on pot for best sound, feel, etc... He also had to relocate the flange cutout and flesh hoop relief, cut the heel shorter to prewar dimension and he had to rebuild/re-install the heelcap. And a very important thing to me, he was able to bring back the original gold plating when it looked so bad that we were both resigned to re-plating it. It turned out beautiful. He suggested I replace the original tailpiece and he re-plated it to try to make it all look right.

And best of all, he convinced me to put it back as an original raised head; I've always had a flathead conversion ring in it. I've never really appreciated a raised head banjo, but I really like this banjo now. It has punch, definition of notes, incredible tone. It sounds great and I will leave it an archtop. It's beautiful and plays like a dream.

This last September I took it with me to Winfield. It was the only banjo I took with me. I have always been a diehard flathead guy and was a little reluctant to show up at my usual camp with an archtop. The camp is usually full of great banjos, even some original prewar flatheads. Well, it couldn't have gone better. Everyone loved the sound of it. I haven't had that many compliments about the sound of a banjo since I've been playing. I even had the chance to hear Kurt Stephenson, who won 1st in the National Banjo Championship, Jake Workman, who won 2nd, and Jeremy Stephens, who won 3rd sit directly across from me and play many songs on it. That was some treat and it was before the contest. What are the odds? They all loved it.

Thanks to Chris' incredible work and setup, that banjo had suddenly become my favorite banjo. I am a true archtop convert. Not a bad result given my original intent was to have Chris spruce this banjo up so I could sell it since I had not really liked the sound of it much since I bought it in 1981.
I decided to name her "The Grand Old Lady". She is truly a classic from the Golden Age of banjos.

You can see pictures of this banjo at: http://www.banjohangout.org/myhangout/photos.asp?id=16740&albumid=496

And pictures of its restoration by Chris at: http://www.banjohangout.org/topic/152453/4

The next banjo I sent the 11 to Chris to "work his magic" on was my TB11. He came through again. I picked up my TB11 in January and it is not the same banjo I left with him; it sounds fantastic. He re-carved the neck for the same reasons he did for the TB-6 neck, and then had it refinished to a perfect match to the original blue resonator, leveled the fingerboard, complete fret job, plugged and re-drilled the holes in the pot since they had been filed out too large years ago, reset the neck to the pot like a prewar, adjusted the fit of the tone ring (Dannick no hole flathead), and performed a complete setup, etc.

The third banjo I sent to Chris is my main banjo, a 1934 TB3, that I had purchased from Jim Mills several years ago. It has a five string conversion neck and a Dannick Long Skirt 20-hole flathead ring. It is a great banjo.

Even so, I took it to Chris knowing he could make it better. I picked it up from Chris this past May. On my TB3, he leveled the fingerboard, did a fret job with stainless steel frets, re-fit and reset the neck for a .656 Huber bridge and set it up with a new Huber head. I can’t believe the difference; it is a completely different sounding banjo and is getting better all the time. I only thought it was good before. He brought out all the sound this banjo has to offer. I couldn’t be happier.

If anyone is considering repair work, I can't recommend Chris any higher. No one but Chris will ever touch my banjos from now on. If you haven't had the pleasure of getting to know Chris and working with him, you are missing out. After experiencing his work on 3 of my banjos, I am convinced that the only banjo he can't make better is one he has already worked on.

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

We had Chris completely rework our RB 250. Purchased 5-6 yrs. ago, we thought with time the wood and top had moved and settled into the natural form it was going to take. The banjo was disassembled, cleaned, neck reset, new stainless steel fret job, replaced and/or lubricated tuners, and had spikes installed for capoing. As with the other reviews, Chris does fine work, looks better than new. The Gibson hung on the music store wall for 2 years before we purchased it (2003 manuf.).
The sound is old timey, a sweet bell like tone, not at all harsh-definitely different to the ear and has good volume. The drum head and bridge are new and of high quality, and the stainless frets (a must have) all have to do with this much improved sound.
Your banjo should be decent quality to begin with as this work and shipping costs a few bucks, but if you like your instrument and want to keep it properly maintained you will not be disappointed. Age and condition not a problem for Chris and restoration would be the thought here. With us it wasn't easy to send our only banjo cross-country to someone we didn't know, but rest assured, Chris will keep you posted on the progress and get it back to you quickly.
We live in the north woods of PA and take a several hour drive to Martin Guitar once a year to have them work on our Martin guitars (only they touch them), as we are fussy and I can vouch that Chris will treat your banjo well - he is as fussy as we are. No one else will ever work on "the Gibson" - thank you Chris. Potluckpicker

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

I had been looking for a banjo-oriented luthier to do some work on one of my banjos, but had not found anyone near me that I felt comfortable with. A number of guitar repairmen probably could have done the basics adequately, but I wanted someone who knows banjos. I was first made aware of Chris from several threads on the Banjo Hangout forums. I did some more checking on him and read the comments from people who had used his services for their banjos. After I felt comfortable that Chris had the background and experience for what I wanted, I began corresponding with him. We exchanged several emails, and then had a couple of telephone conversations. I began to believe that he was the person I was looking for. Also, I found out that Chris does ONLY banjos right now. Perfect!

The banjo in question is one I have had for about 30 years. It had been played until the frets were worn out and significant divots were developing in the fret board. I initially wanted Chris to fix the fret board and do a fret job. After talking with him I learned that he will not limit his work to partial repairs. Also, he does a complete setup on all banjos that he works on. He advised me that he would inspect my banjo and then give me a proposal for the work and cost, based on what he found. Chris told me that he operated this way because the banjo would “have his name” on it when he sent it back. I respected that and began to feel even more comfortable about using his services. I agreed to send the banjo to him with the understanding that I could have it returned, for the cost of shipping, if I refused his proposal. Within a few days of receiving my banjo, Chris sent me a proposal.

My banjo needed a few more things to put it back into shape than I thought, and there were some optional items that Chris felt would enhance the sound and playability. Not only did it need the work I initially asked for, but a few other things needed doing:

The neck needed lowering on the rim, using larger lag screws and Gibson coordinator rods (the factory ones on my banjo were a little crooked and smaller than Chris felt they should be). Chris plugged the old lag bolt holes, drilled new ones and installed the larger lag bolts and coordinator rods. The neck was set for perfect mating with the rim.

While the neck was off, Chris filled the divots, planed the fret board, re-glued part of the headstock veneer that was separating, and installed stainless steel frets (really nice!). He also replaced the nut with a nice bone piece.

The tailpiece had been broken years ago and been brazed back together. It was holding, but Chris recommended a replacement, giving me a choice of two pieces of better quality.

The head was at least 30 years old and the frosting was worn away, making the banjo ugly. I had planned on replacing it myself, but agreed for Chris to do it while the banjo was apart, since he was doing a setup. He recommended a Huber head, but agreed to use one of my choosing if I had another preference.

While the banjo was apart, Chris cleaned and buffed all parts and checked the fit of the tone ring. He polished the pearl inlays too. Each of the tuners was cleaned and lubricated and the fifth string tuner was “clocked” and reset in the neck with a bit of epoxy, to keep it tight.

During the whole process, Chris corresponded with me, letting me know what progress he was making and how thing were shaping up.

After getting the banjo back together and strung up, Chris kept it for about ten days (one of his requirements, barring other circumstances), played it and watched how the banjo settled in. During that time, he experimented with bridges, tailpiece adjustment and head tension.

Now the good part: I got my banjo back, along with a detailed set of notes on the setup, what I could expect the banjo to do (physically and tone-wise) for a few weeks, and what I should monitor during that time. I really did not know what to expect when I played it for the first time. I had always like the sound and volume of the banjo and wondered if it was changed much. As I tuned it, I was delighted to hear a sound that I knew the banjo was capable of but had never been able to achieve. It rang loud and clear, with the kind of tone I had heard snatches of from time to time, but never completely captured.

Chris had informed me of what note the head was tensioned to- that he had found produced the best volume, tone and projection. After a few days of playing, the head had stretched a bit and I could hear the changes in sound. I brought it back up to tension and it has stabilized for now. I am completely happy with the work and the sound. I am particularly pleased with the fret work, and look forward to many years service from the stainless steel. In essence, I have a new banjo. It is beautiful.

Finally, working with Chris has been a real pleasure. I have been able to correspond with him throughout the whole process. He has been very clear about the work my banjo needed and what the cost would be. He never came across as condescending or impatient with my questions. Chris is also very personable and it isn’t long before you think you have known him for a longer time. It is not very often these days that transactions go much beyond the cold, heartless business aspects.

My banjo is a 1977 Ibanez Artist archtop. Some people may consider it to be a lesser banjo than some others. Chris does not. He is very knowledgeable on the vintage Japanese banjos and understands what makes them tick. Chris was very sensitive about some of the cost that I would incur, perhaps feeling that I would be hesitant to spend much on a banjo with its current market value. I told him that I understand that I have a banjo that may be worth less on the market than I will have invested in it, but that I look at it like this: I had a banjo that was at the point of being unplayable and damage to the fret board was developing. My choices were to have it fixed, or put in the closet. I have looked at what is out there in the market for the price I am paying, and I know that there are some entry-level new and used banjos in that price range. However, I do not believe they are a better quality instrument, nor will they be set up and tweaked like my Ibanez would be. Besides, it is an old friend (my baby, as I told Chris).

If you are looking around to see who might be qualified to do some work on a banjo you care about, I highly recommend Chris. You will get back a banjo that is as pretty as it can be, put together better than it came from the factory, and set up for optimum tone and playability. He will answer your emails and phone calls too!

Mike Hatfield

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

Magic fingers or whatelse make my banjo sound so good?

The most significant at the beginning: whatever you have to repair or adjust on your banjo, Chris Cioffi is the man!

Iam a banjoplayer from switzerland and had the great opportunity to get in contact with -I think- one of the greatest banjorepairman on this planet.

I play a 30 year old (young) banjo made from an unknown banjoluthier in Franfurt Germany.
Still I got this banjo I never found an equal or better banjo in sound. During the past I unfortunatly gave my banjo to some guitarrepairman to make some repair and adjustments. But now I know what it means to give it to a highly specialised banjoluthier and repairman. Out there - special in europe- are a lot of guitarrepairman who think they could understand the nature of the banjo but until I met Chris I realised, that they are all wrong!!

Im doing a lot of concerts, writing own stuff in different styles and be still in the process of recording now. So three weeks before I went to Chris I realised, that something is wrong with my banjo. After a few hours it was always going out of tune, the sound was realy getting dead and I got panic cause I had to do the recording session in april and may. My other highclassbanjo was no alternative cause I like the sound of this one most.

I had a lot of guitarbuilder and repairman but NO banjorepairman close to my home with a lot of experiance. So I decided to look for a repairman in the US.

Via Rob Smith who at this time was in hollidays and is doing all the banjoworks for Bela Fleck – I got the adress of Chris Cioffi.

Never knowing what will happen to my banjo I was on the one hand glad to have an adress of a repairman to do the job I wanted to be done but on the otherhand you never now what you will get when you know nothing about the luthier. You have to trust your intuition.

After 30 minutes talking to Chris, I realized, that here is a banjoplayer AND repairman who LOVES to repair banjos and knows what it needs to make the best out of it. He is a builder with a lot of passion AND he is very ambitious to himself. He dont want to do a job only to make money. He is trying to make the best. He want to do a great job and want to make feel the customer absolutly satisfied.
So he has great ambitions to himself and the way he works. That impressed me a lot.

I spent only two weeks in Nashville and Chris told me from the beginning, that there is a lot work on my instrument to do: adjust, make new frets, bridge, saddle, neckrepairwork and, and, and….

and that he wasnt shure to manage all this in this short period. I had no other joyce and had to trust my feeling of beeing in front of a very human, wellprepared craftman. I told him that everything will be ok what he can do for me in my situation. I trusted him.

During our conversation I had the opportunity to play some of his still repaired highclassbanjos. And here is another thing that impresses me. He can make factory build banjos sound better than before. He was able to make a middleclass banjo sound a lot better than before . I own the same (but I dont use it) and when I compared it with the highclassbanjos he had in his repairroom I was so surprised cause it sounded so great and unbelievible, that I realised this could only made by his knowledge and passion to put the right spices together.


After a week I got his call and was ready to get my old – no, now new !! banjo. I could nt believe what I heard: It was so rich in tone, sound, the fingerboard was like a new one, I could play all notes till the last fret and they sounded right!! AND GREAT!

Today Im back in switzerland and three weeks are gone since I left a warmhearted Chris Cioffi in his craftmansshop and Im still happy about two things: one thing is, I have a great banjo that impresses me evryday and a lot of critical listeners. And the otherthing is, that I now know
if I ever will be in trouble again with any banjo I play I will give it to Chris.

At least: There is so much stupid advertisment in this world of what you should buy or dont…. If you want to have quality, go to chris, talk to him and Im sure you will meet a person who is interested in your needs, your banjo and will critical do the best for your content and the sound of your banjo.

I read all the other reviews about him and I can undersign:
they are right
Thank you Chris!!

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

Chris has done extensive work on three of my banjos.

All three of these banjos are now absolutely stunning instruments to play, hear, and see.

Chris is not just a "set-up" man. When he agrees to take a banjo in for repairs/restoration, his goal is not to tweak it and get it back to you. He treats every banjo as one that he would be proud to have you play on stage in a professional setting after completing his restoration. Each banjo is like an empty canvas, and he starts from the very beginning, working carefully with you throughout the process. Once he understands what it is that you as a player desire in your banjo, he goes to work.

All three of my banjos were completely taken apart, and all parts were cleaned to sparkling condition. He re-fretted each neck, reset the necks, turned and repaired the rims, installed the rings (one gold Sullivan arch top ring, a gold no-hole Dannick, and a gold Granada "mystery" ring), installed new nuts, repaired any defects in the fingerboards (perfectly), repaired the tuners, replaced tail pieces and other hardware as necessary, installed new bridges and heads, and made a speed neck for me on one of the banjos. Each time, I was stunned with the transformation upon opening the case for the first time. Everything gleamed, and the wood looked pristine. The banjos all have perfect intonation up and down the neck. The whole banjo vibrates in your hands while playing.

Two of my banjos are Gibsons, an RB5 archtop, and an RB250 "Bow tie". The third banjo that he reworked for me is a mid 1970's Aria Pro II. All three banjos are of professional, stage worthy quality now. Just the parts and labor in my Aria are worth about $1200.00, but I wouldn't take three times that for the banjo.

Chris is honest and cares about each and every banjo (and it's owner) that he takes in. When he finishes a banjo, you feel as if you have made a friend for life.

I have owned many high end banjos. I have never had a banjo in my hands that is as good as anything that I have had Chris rework for me. In addition, I have played several other banjos that he has reworked. They are all fantastic banjos.

Finally, here is my advice to anyone wanting to have their banjo repaired or brought up to it's maximum potential: Call Chris and tell him what you have, and where you would like to go with your banjo. LISTEN to his advice. If you are shopping for a banjo, get his advice on what to get for the money that you have to spend. Then, send your banjo to him, or better yet, take it to him and see his shop (you can literally eat off the floor, it is so clean). Everything is perfectly arranged in shelves, and his undivided attention is on the one banjo that he is working on at the time. Once he has played your banjo and evaluated it, LISTEN to him again, regarding what he recommends doing to the banjo. Trust Chris to do what he knows needs to done to your banjo, and you will be glad that you did.

I am presently keeping my eye out for a Stelling banjo (I will know it when it finds me!). When I make a trade for it, or purchase it outright, the banjo will go directly to Chris for a complete overhaul before it comes home with me. I am 100% confident that whatever needs to be done will get done above and beyond what I would expect, and when he is done working on it, the banjo will be better than new.

If you have any questions, or would like to visit off-line, please feel welcome to contact me!

Sam Vallery (Beardog)

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

This is is a repost from 10.26.2009
I have been playing mando and dobro in bluegrass bands for about 40 years. Recently I decided to start playing banjo. I started reading forums on BHO a few months ago and asked Chris to advise me on banjos, their pricing and Calton cases.

After looking at a few banjos online and based on Chris’ counsel I chose on ebay a 1996 Gibson RB4 that looked pretty grungy and played a lot but the price seemed right. He had advised me on others that were overpriced and I chose not to purchase them.

When I initially received it in a rather dilapidated original case I decided to purchase a Calton case and Chris pointed me at George Gruhn. Now I had a case in which I was comfortable shipping it to Chris in.
My first impression of the banjo was that it was played a lot and very dirty. The up the neck sounds were not consistent with what I thought a banjo of this quality should be. It looked OK. There were no major cosmetic issues. It was just very dirty. In further conversation on the phone and via email I decided to send it to him for set up.

After Chris got it and evaluated it we talked further and decided he would do the following; a complete fret job/level the fretboard ,new bon e nuts, a neckset involving moving the neck's position, clean up, speed neck, some minor lacquer touch up and repair around the truss rod cover screws, and general set up with all work geared towards maximum tone and playability.

What I got back after three weeks with Chris I was blown away. It looked like a brand new banjo and the sound far exceeds my expectations. His work is truly masterful, thorough and shows he is a complete nut job perfectionist.

His advice on packing it for shipment was very thorough and based on his experience of shipping many banjos when he worked with Steve Huber. I followed his advice on shipping it to him and got it back so well packed I think it could have been dropped out of an airplane and would have survived the hit.

At any rate I highly recommend Chris for any work on your banjo and I am happy to discuss it anytime.

Ps The banjo has been in my hands since Oct 2009 and it is phenomenal. Settled in, it is even better than the first blush. Thanks Chris!

Robin Smith

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

I sent my RB4 To Chris a couple months back. I wasn't unhappy with the tone, but it needed new frets and a proffesional setup. Chris talked to me several months before and was interested in how I played and how I wanted my banjo to sound.

I met him at his shop and played several banjos that he had worked over and it wasn't until hearing and playing those and mine back to back that I realized how bad off mine was. He still wanted to know how I played and wanted to listen to me play . I finally figured out that he wanted my banjo to sound how I wanted it too rather than how he wanted it too.

I went with stainless steel frets because of how much I play. That was the best decision ever. Chris done a neck set, stainless steel frets, leveled the neck and filled in some holes in the neck. He added a bone nut and bone fifth string nut. He also did a speed neck too. I couldn't ever go back to regular neck again.

He hand fitted the rim to the tone ring and installed Huber coordinator rods, head and bridge. He also installed a Kirschner tailpiece. He talked me into going with light strings and after two months I'm really liking them.

Chris called during the process to ask questions about how I would like some things and shipped it back to me in record time. He has called periodically since to check up on things and make sure I'm happy.

I couldn't believe my ears when I got it back and played it. It plays and sounds so much better that I ever could have imagined. He had polishe all of the parts until I wasn't sure it was my banjo. It shines brighter than a new one. Chris done a wonderful job and was prompt in returning it undamaged.

No problems whatsoever. And for how much work went into my banjo, the price was more than fair.

I had the pleasure to meet Chris and his wife at SPBGMA this year and he showed up at our room with a pizza and played a little bit.

It was a pleasure meeting Chris and doing business with him. As an owner of a small business myself, I know how important it is too do the job right as well as making sure the customer is happy. Chris went above and beyond making sure all of my needs were met.

I even got my banjo back with a bag of different bridges to experiment with. I know that if I ever need any work on any of my current of future banjos, that Chris is the man for the job.

I would definately recommend anyone who is going to have some work done on their banjo to give Chris a call and let him work his magic on your banjo. You won't be disappointed.

Ben Cardin (benjo75)

There are songs on my homepage that were recorded before and after sending it to Chris. Feel free to listen for yourself and hear the difference. The songs that are after are labeled as so.

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

Chris recently did a transformation on my 2007 RB250. I bought the banjo used and while it sounded ok, it had a small rattle and just didn't seem right. I sent it to Chris for a setup based on comments on BHO and my telephone calls with him. After he inspected it and he took it apart, I agreed with his recommendations and had him do a neck reset, redoing the neck to achieve the proper relief and range of adjustment of the truss rod (a big job), a complete refret (got rid of that cheesy plastic look binding material on the ends of the frets), a new Huber ring properly fitted to the rim to replace the ill-fitted "mystery" ring, a new nut and pip, drop-filling a small nick, and a general cleaning and set up. This banjo looked almost new when I sent it to him and now it not only looks better but it sounds like it should and plays easily. Not only was the workmanship meticulous, what I really liked about Chris was the communication, complete with photos. Can't recommend him highly enough.

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

Accolades abound for Chris Cioffi. He knows music and he knows banjos. You needn't talk to him long before you become very aware of it. As a matter of fact, he's well versed on many subjects.......pick one.


Chris has worked on a couple of banjos for me, including a Huber Roanoke and a Washburn Sonny Smith Artist Model, with two more that are in the works; an Ibanez Artist and a collector's piece 1930's Gibson RB-1.



After a very informative discussion with Chris about the basics of "setup", we decided on an identical bridge height for them all and I left the rest up to Chris. Two have been returned, one by one in timely fashion, with great action and much ease of playability. Not a buzz could be heard.



I had a particular problem with one, because of big fingers, shortage of talent and whatever else, of rolling the first string off the bottom of the neck. After a brief discussion of the problem, he designed a nut that used the neck to better advantage and took care of my concerns. The banjo plays beautifully.



Check Chris out if you need a good luthier. You won't be disappointed.





A very satisfied customer,

Sam Spicer



PS: To allay any concerns, he does an excellent job of packing and shipping.

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

I would like to offer a recommendation to anyone needing some banjo work to look into the work of Chris Cioffi.

My banjo needed some new frets, had some isolated string buzzes and just plain poor quality tone at certain frets, and in general did not meet my expectations for that elusive banjo “sound”.

I chose Chris because after some initial conversations he impressed me as a person who was driven to perfection on set-up and getting the result as best as he knew how, as opposed to just doing the repair work and sending me a bill.

Chris always discussed the options with me before proceeding and we talked about what would be involved regarding time, costs, and expected results. The decisions on how to proceed were left up to me.

I elected to have my radius fingerboard planed, and stainless steel frets installed. We talked about a new neck, but Chris felt he could make the original neck work. I also elected to have a new rim and Huber tone ring installed as a best option to improve the sound quality. Chris fine-tuned the set up until he felt the results measured up to his standards, and then he shipped it back.

What a wonderful surprise. I was and still am, months later, immensely satisfied with the results. The neck plays very well, the buzzes are gone, and the tonal quality is consistent and pleasant up and down the neck. I am very pleased with the stainless steel frets, they sound great and are well worth the extra effort.

If you already have a banjo that feels good in your hands, and is comfortable to play, my very strong recommendation is to let Chris have a chance to see if set-up improvements can make you happy before you run out and try to buy just another banjo.

And if your present banjo is just a clunker you have outgrown, check with Chris before you buy for his recommendations and advice.

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

I would not recommend sending a banjo to Chris Cioffi if you would rather tinker with it than play it because when you get it back there won't be any need to tinker with it.

I am on the growing list of Chris's happy customers. I shipped him my Gibson ESS and a couple of weeks later drove over and picked up a much better banjo. I enjoyed visiting with Chris in his shop and seeing how he does his magic.

I bought my Gibson when I barely knew which end of the banjo to hold but thought with the brand name it would have to be good. Well as I learned more about banjos I was not happy with the way it played and sounded so I decided to see if it couldn't be improved. It would be an understatement to call what he did a setup because he did a fret job, new nut, neck set lowering the neck on the pot, and turned the rim to get a proper fit with the tone ring along with buffing out all the parts to look like new and installing a new head, bridge, and strings.

One advantage Chris has is he is a good player as well as a technician. He set the banjo up with light strings and I just couldn't play it with the light strings but he could make it sound great so I knew it was me and not the banjo. He encouraged me to work with the light strings for awhile and see if I could make them work. He said if I could develope the light touch required it would take my playing to the next level. Well I have been doing that and am pleased with the progress.

I had a professional banjo player play it after Chris worked on it and he thought it was the best sounding Gibson Scruggs Standard he had ever played.

If you need banjo work done this is the guy:

Chris Cioffi
Springfield, TN
615-382-1376

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

Chris and I discussed some things I wanted done to my banjo and came to agreement on the things I knew I wanted and he said he would take a look at everything once he received it from the brown truck.

This big thing that prompted he & I talking was the fit on my Yates v33 ring. This Cox rim was cut for the Burlile that was originally in this pot and the new Yates ring had a larger ID, which made for a very sloppy fit. The easy, but naturally more expensive thing to do is simply get a new rim, but I hate doing stuff like this if something can be saved and the outcome be as good. Chris built the rim up by laminating some maple and then turned this down to fit the new ring, he also turned the rim so that the flange had a better fit.

He did a neck reset for me which got rid of the 11/16” bridge that was necessary at the time to keep buzzing away, with that, he recut the resonator notch and put in new felt. I like a lower bridge than an 11/16” as, to me; I think they sound better overall with more texture and bottom end. I also got Chris to make a new bone nut & pip for this neck.

To finish things up he did a complete setup including a new head and picked a bridge that brought out what he thought was the best sound with this combination.

I got the banjo back this morning and am extremely pleased with the results. I would believe that the ring & flange fitment would have the most impact on the sound but it is more likely everything involved. This banjo has an awesome 3rd & 4th string and still sounds brilliant in the highs.

If you have any doubts or are hesitant in sending a banjo to Chris for work please feel free to stop by and pick on mine and witness what he can accomplish as the end result.

Chris will definitely make a good impact on our little community!

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

I would have done this a long time ago if I had known it was available.

Chris has done several banjos for me over the last couple of years. His work has always been magnificent, and he has never failed to go above and beyond the issue that brings the banjo to the shop.

EVERY INSTRUMENT HE HAS WORKED ON FOR ME HAS COME BACK IN BETTER THAN NEW CONDITION--EVERY TIME.

He just completed a job on an old RB-100 that I souped up a few years back with a Huber tone ring, new hoop, and several other things. It has been played a lot and needed some love so Chris worked it over.

The fret job and neck work he did are exceptional. The 100 is not the easiest instrument to do a good looking fret job on, with it's unbound fingerboard, but once again Chris handed it back over to me in better than new condition. Neck, frets, action, and especially the basic fit up is all superb.

AND THE SOUND IS JUST PERFECT!

I could NOT be more pleased.

I have several instruments, and Chris took a ragged-out Vega Scruggs model of mine (Boston) and when I came back to get it I could not believe it was the same instrument. It played magnificently (MUCH better than ever before) and looked better than it played. It has only gotten better with time. Once again, the difference in the action and especially the sound are incredible.

If you can talk him into it, he is the best rim stick guy in the business. He has done work on an old Fairbanks for me, plus a pre-fire White Layde. I wish he had more time for this type of work, but the bluegrass folks keep him busy.

I do not recommend people for jobs easily, but I have absolutely no hesitation in giving my highest marks to Chris Cioffi. HE IS THE BEST!!

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

I visited Steve Huber's shop in June 2003, when Chris was working at Huber Banjos, and spent a lot of time with Chris, picking, talking banjos, and learning from him as he went about his tasks in the shop. Chris is a real pro and an expert on construction, setup, and maintenance of banjos. Plus he is very enthusiastic and likes to share his knowledge and experience. Oh, and he is one hell of a picker too.

Chris and Steve pulled apart and then reassembled my prewar Gibson, and I learned a lot from that experience. Near the close of my visit, I decided to order a Lexington from Steve, and Chris was the luthier who ended up assembling it. He did a great job, and he is one of perhaps three craftspeople (including Steve Huber, of course) who I trust with my banjos.

I recommend Chris enthusiastically for any work that needs to be done on a banjo.

Michael Corcoran

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

I am very pleased to offer this review of the superb and much-needed work done on my banjo by Chris Cioffi. This was the only time that my banjo had undergone such a thorough and complete inspection and service since it was manufactured. My parents bought me this banjo new in 1955.

After reading comments posted on Chris Cioffi’s thread (http://www.banjohangout.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=152453&whichpage=1) by BHO members who had their banjo worked on by Chris, and my follow up conversations with Chris (partly noted in the paragraph immediately below), I was convinced that he was the luthier for me.

I had a few introductory and fact-finding phone conversations with Chris to learn more about his banjo-repair philosophy and approach. It became quite clear to me that he takes special interest and pride in each banjo that he works on. Although I highlighted the kind of things that I’d like for him to address, I told him that he had my carte blanche approval to do whatever was needed to get the “best” out of my banjo. He appreciated that but added that if he found other things that needed attention, he would call me to discuss them and get my ok before doing the work.

Later, after getting pointers from Chris on how to package my banjo for shipping, I purchased a shipping box, packaged the ole 1955 Gibson, RB 250 Archtop (Bowtie) banjo and went to the USPS to send it to him. A few days later, after receiving my banjo, he sent me an email letting me know that it had arrived safely. From that time on, Chris kept me informed as to what he was doing with my banjo via email and phone.

Recently, after completing his disassembly, reassembly, set up and much-needed work on my banjo, Chris shipped the banjo back to me. When I opened the case and removed the banjo, I recognized right away that it looked new—but still really 55 years old!). The fingerboard was clean and free of ruts and pearl inlay was polished; and all metal parts, neck and resonator were buffed. There is a new bone nut; a new 5-string nut; new capo spikes at the 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th frets; 22 newly installed stainless steel frets; a new Huber head; and a new Huber bridge (.657 [21/32] ). Three tuning buttons were added to match closely the ones that came with the already installed Keith D Tuners.

Also, Chris plugged and reinstalled lag bolts to mount the neck in proper position on the pot. Neck set was needed to fix a crooked neck. He custom-fit new resonator L brackets to existing screw holes with original screws. He did other things that I simply don’t recall at this moment.

If I viewed the work that Chris did on my banjo, one by one and collectively, it would reflect absolutely superior workmanship! His attention to detail, combined with his desire to bring out the sound and tone quality “hidden” inside my banjo, exceeded my expectations—which was high already.

Now I am eager to pick up and play my “new” banjo for a few hours or more each day. When I play notes both up and down the neck they ring true and loud. The quality of my playing (for my skill level) is noticeably apparent to me.

If it hadn’t been for conversations with Chris, I might have given up playing my banjo and sending it to one of my sons as a keepsake. He suggested, however that I hold off considering that until after I get the banjo back from him. I’m glad that I had waited. The banjo looks and sounds great!

I’m sure there are many fine luthiers who are members of the BHO or elsewhere. Yet, IMHO, I believe there are but a few luthiers who are of the caliber of Chris Cioffi. Aside from his knowledge and craftsmanship, Chris was very approachable, cordial and interested in what I wanted in my banjo.

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

Nothing can be more frustrating than not having your banjo sound right. After scouring the forum looking for solutions to problems I was having with my RK-80 and after trying all the "do-it-yourself" adjustments I learned over the years, I realized I was out of my league and needed expert help.

After searching the forum again for banjo repairmen I found a rising star in the BHO chronicles - Chris Cioffi. "Rising Star" is a bit of a misnomer as he has been a luthier for 20 to 30 years working with the best banjo builders and luthiers in the business. It was only recently he announced in the forum his full time banjo restoration services in the BHO. (You can read his bio in the members section.) After a preliminary email to him, I knew I was talking to someone with extensive knowledge and experience. This was confirmed after our first phone call. Besides his friendly open manner he exhibited a wealth of knowledge and ideas on banjo sound.

Anyway, what he did to my RK-80 is nothing short of remarkable. My only instructions were to lower the action, fix intonation problems up the neck, and make my banjo sound the best it can be. What I got back was a banjo sound with incredible "pop". Every note pops with energy, from the very lowest note on the fingerboard to the highest. A truly unique hard-to-get sound that reminded me of the banjos of some great players I admire, like Craig Smith, Tom Adams, and Earl Scruggs "and his banjo too". And all that from a stock Recording King RK-80 (except for the tailpiece I had replaced earlier.)

What he did. He refit the neck and made the tone ring fit better on the rim. He explained options as he went along, what was needed, and even emailed pictures as he went along with the repair process. That was a nice touch, both informative and thoughtful. He also did a lot of little things along the way to make the banjo outstanding. He smoothed out the fret ends, fixed some railroad spike problems, installed bone nuts and improved the overall playability of the instrument. All told, he exceeded my expectations and I think, even his own with the unexpected sound that came from reassembled banjo. Thanks Chris.

I never want to change a thing on my banjo, which is a relief in itself, and highly recommend Chris for anyone needing a banjo set-up beyond the basics. He loves his work and it shows. He not only is my luthier for life but welcomes any questions or concerns I may have in the future. He genuinely is in business to help and make friends along the way. Great going.

Overall Rating

10

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