Zoom Hard Disk Recorder Zoom H2
submitted 11/12/2009
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Submitter |
revellfa |
Where Purchased |
Best Buy |
Overall Comments
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A SUPRURB device. Easy to use, can handle a lot of memory, easy to carry, durable. |
Overall Rating |
10 |
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Vega SR II Earl Scruggs Model
submitted 11/12/2009
|
Submitter |
revellfa |
Where Purchased |
eBay |
Year Purchased |
2006 |
Price Paid |
1500 ($US) |
Sound
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It has a very loud, tubaphone sound. Lots of volume, cuts through a mic and records extremely well. A very, very quick decay. Awesome and unique sound. More of a Deering sound than a Gibson sound. |
Sound Rating |
8 |
Setup
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I was trying to get a pre-war sound out of this banjo so I experimented a lot with it over the few years that I owned it. I made the action a bit lower, added a banjomate tone enhancer and used an Emerson Sweet Power II bridge. I used a thick-frosted five-star head which I kept pretty tight. With this setup I was able to get the most out of this banjo. I have some soundclips on my homepage. |
Setup Rating |
10 |
Appearance
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This was a beautiful banjo. Flamed maple, ebony peghead with Gold MOP on the headstock. "Earl Scruggs Model" in red on the truss rod cover. MOP trapezoid (kind of like a cross between traditional Vega crown and Mastertone Bow-Tie) inlay. |
Appearance Rating |
9 |
Reliability
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The finish is famous for wearing on the Vega's of this era (1969) but this one held up pretty well. It was a sturdy banjo. |
Reliability Rating |
9 |
Customer Service
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no longer in business as this was one of the last Vega's made in Boston before selling out to Martin. |
Customer Service |
not rated |
Components
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Kind of bare minimum. Multi-ply (9) rim, three-piece neck, four-piece flange. The tuners were pretty good, as well as the tone ring which was entirely unique. Vega used the Auto-Sonic (or some would say modified Tubaphone) tone ring on these banjos and they are HIGHLY underrated! That is the reason that this banjo gets a 7 and not a 6 in this area. |
Components Rating |
7 |
Overall Comments
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This banjo was very adaptable, it was equally happy with bluegrass or with clawhammer and also was not bad for melodic/chromatic picking. Not a bad banjo, but I don't regret selling it as I am more of a traditional, hard-driving banjo player. |
Overall Rating |
7 |
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Vega Vega by the Galaxy Corporation No Ser. #
submitted 11/7/2009
|
Submitter |
revellfa |
Where Purchased |
eBay |
Year Purchased |
2004 |
Price Paid |
600 ($US) (bought USED) |
Sound
|
Really had a Masterclone sound. Very nice bass. Very loud and full sound. It could hold its own in a jam. You could however tell that it WAS NOT a Mastertone on the last few frets which is totally understandable. |
Sound Rating |
7 |
Setup
|
Setup was excellent--better than any banjo that I have owned. It looked as though there was a shim near the heel. The action was perfect--close to the fretboard with about an 11/16th bridge on er'. I wouldn't change a thing about the setup on this banjo. |
Setup Rating |
10 |
Appearance
|
Beautiful. I think it was mahogany, but I don't remember. There was an eagle inlayed in MOP on the resonator as I recall. Rosewood fingerboard, Ebony peghead overlay. Tube and Plate Flange. It had Martin-VIP style MOP inlay and an ample amount of that good ole' Asian lacquer. |
Appearance Rating |
8 |
Reliability
|
It looked like a good sturdy banjo. Dual coordinator rods, tone ring (tubaphone style I think.) It was a very tough and solid banjo. |
Reliability Rating |
9 |
Customer Service
|
Galaxy Corporation has been out of business for some time and the Vega name now belongs to the Deering Company. |
Customer Service |
not rated |
Components
|
The neck was nice, but a bit thick. The flange could probably have been replaced. I think the tailpiece was a Waverly. All very high-quality parts.
This was a heavy, well-made, Masterclone banjo. |
Components Rating |
8 |
Overall Comments
|
For the price it was probably a better overall deal than a Gold-Star from the same time period, so it gets a 9.
I regret selling this banjo, but not every day of my life. (I sold it to take a trip to the Middle-East.) I would jump on the chance to buy another. |
Overall Rating |
9 |
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Banjomate Tone enhancer standard
submitted 12/1/2007
|
Submitter |
revellfa |
Where Purchased |
Janet Davis Music Company |
Year Purchased |
2007 |
Price Paid |
$20
historic exchange rates / currency converter
|
Sound
|
It makes the banjo sound great. I noticed an instant increase in volume and tone. |
Sound Rating |
10 |
Setup
|
Easy as pie. It is interesting how you can experiment by turning it to get different tones. |
Setup Rating |
10 |
Appearance
|
n/a unless you have a clear head--even if you do it still wouldn't look that bad since it is made out of a thin sheet of brass. I'm not too crazy about sticking the adhesive to the inside of my resonator, but I guess there is no other way to do it. |
Appearance Rating |
10 |
Reliability
|
I can't see how anything could go wrong with it. |
Reliability Rating |
10 |
Customer Service
|
JDM is always great. |
Customer Service |
10 |
Components
|
just two little pieces to stick together--no problems. |
Components Rating |
10 |
Overall Comments
|
I heard that the old timers used to put a pie plate inside the resonator of their banjo to perk it up a bit. When I saw the Banjomate Tone enhancer I thought it would have the same effect, so I figured that I would try one out. You can't go wrong with the price. It gives the banjo a lot of bang for not a lot of buck. Excellent add-on to a banjo of any quality for that extra zing! |
Overall Rating |
10 |
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