Hatfield Buck Creek
submitted 1/25/2005
|
Submitter |
harp |
Where Purchased |
Arthur Hatfield |
Year Purchased |
2004 |
Price Paid |
2200 ($US) |
Sound
|
Sounds great, I was pleasantly suprised at how loud it is. I still consider myself a beginning Scruggs style player and realize a better player could probably get a multitude of sounds from this thing. Before the Hatfield I had a Deering Calico. While a truly beautiful banjo it lacked the warm tone that I like to here, I was never able to achieve the right sound (string and bridge changes) for me with the Deering. The Hatfield has that warmth and richness without doing anything but playing it the way it came in. I simply asked Mr. Hatfield to build me one with "no twang" and he delivered. It does have the Huber ring. |
Sound Rating |
10 |
Setup
|
Setup was perfect. Low action the way I like it. I have not changed anything except the strings. I use D'Aquisto's in a rather odd gauge (.10 .12 .16 .23 .10), if anything this only increased the depth of the tone without muting the sound. |
Setup Rating |
10 |
Appearance
|
Standard Buck Creek model, it is truly a beautiful banjo. Not flashy or ornate like some of the other builders, but a quality you can sense as soon as you open the case. The inlay is a snowflake type pattern that is perfect. I had a reddish stain over the Mahogany and it turned out great, better than I expected. Mr. Hatfield sent a few color samples for me to choose from. Headstock inlay is distinctive and very well done. |
Appearance Rating |
10 |
Reliability
|
I have no reason to believe I would ever need (not want, I always want.) another banjo. It has a heft to it that gives me confidence in long term ownership without problems. |
Reliability Rating |
10 |
Customer Service
|
Exceptional, above board and does exactly what he says. Always available by phone or email with prompt replies. Very patient with my many questions. |
Customer Service |
10 |
Components
|
I do not see a weak element anywhere on this banjo. |
Components Rating |
10 |
Overall Comments
|
I would recommend this banjo without reserve. I love it and would love to have the walnut model someday. It is easy to fall for hype in any purchase, I don't care what the product is. Mr. Hatfield will tell you right away his banjo is not the fanciest but will challenge you to find a better playing or sounding banjo for the money. I have to agree with the man.
If it were stolen I would call Mr. Hatfield immediately and have him start another one. Obviously I could not do a side by side comparison with any other make. I have played Gibson, Stelling, and Deering banjo's and still ordered this one sight unseen based on 2 things; Mr. Hatfields reputation and the fact that there are so few of these around. I wanted something different and have no regrets. |
Overall Rating |
10 |
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