Overall Comments

This is a classic Kershner style tailpiece that is historically accurate to pre-war examples, according to FQMS. It's manufactured by Prucha in the Czech Republic. This is the nickel plated model. FQMS also offers an unplated model.

The tailpiece is the solid quality you would expect from Prucha manufactured parts. The only thing I might have wished for was some installation tips: I had a little trouble figuring out how to get it spaced evenly between the two hooks. There are 2 hex bolts that abut the tone ring. One of my 2 T-wrenches fit these... I think it was the 1/4-inch. With some tweaking I eventually got it to sit straight.

I bought this one to replace the Rowe Paintsville with Tuner tailpiece I had on it. I really liked that one, but the string anchor just didn't fit the hole in the neck- too small.

I opted for the Kershner style because I started having annoying vibrations from the flap of the original Presto. I'd pad it and still have zings with some notes. It was definitely that because a different tailpiece solved the problem. Anyway, there are no parts like that to loosen and produce extraneous noise, and it's really easy to string up if you begin with the 3rd string, as I didn't. I have always strung 5,1,4,2,3. You can still do that with this tailpiece, but then you need some tool to grab the string end under the tailpiece or you'll scratch up the head... as I did, but not seriously. Next time I'll string 3, 2,4,5,1.

I'm getting less volume out of this tailpiece than I was getting with the Paintsville, but I'm still putting that down to not yet finding the right setup tweaks. I can't imagine that this tailpiece with my Hopkins Prewar tonering won't bark with the best of 'em.

Price-wise it's middle of the road at the current $59 US at FQMS. I think it will be just fine once I find the sweet spot with bridge, head tension, and neck adjustment.

Overall Rating

9

Overall Comments

This tailpiece lets you adjust the string angle between bridge and tailpiece separately for each string. You can tweak each string for the best sound. The model i got features a 16:1 guitar tuning machine integrated into the tailpiece for tuning the 5th string. You then replace your existing 5th tuner with a special gizmo that anchors the 5th string close to the neck, in effect giving you the playability of a tunneled 5th string on a regular neck. I expected to like that, but not THIS much. Makes me wonder why banjos still have that dumb 5th tuner in the way. Just because they always have, I guess. Between makers of tunneled 5ths and this tailpiece, 5th tuners can go the way of the Dodo as far as I'm concerned.

I installed the unit on my Bishline custom Heirloom. Installation was simple... special brackets attach to the bracket hooks with allen screws. The little thingamajig that replaces the 5th tuner (see the photos on the site) caused me a few moments' anxiety, as the diameter was smaller that the 5th peg I removed. I think this was due to the hole in the neck - it seemed a bit oversize, and the original tuner was seated with something like silicon sealant, which I had to clean out. That left the hole a bit large. I shimmed the gizmo in 2 places with a wooden toothpick. Easy, invisible, and it's doing fine.

I would have been satisfied with just the playability provided the sound didn't suffer. Well, not only did the sound not suffer, it's like something woke up. This was a great sounding banjo with the original Presto tailpiece. It's like the Paintsville took that, ran with it, and went one better. The difference in the sound - for the better - is quite surprising. I normally played with medium gauge strings on this instrument. When I installed the Paintsville, I used a set of lights that I didn't care about, in case I messed something up. The volume and pop and overall roundness and robustness surpass what I was getting with mediums. This is great, as I play in low tunings a lot, and lights definitely work better. I would not have thought a tailpiece could make this much difference for the better. I'm saving up to get one for my other banjo.

There are 2 things that could be downsides. The first is string change on the integrated 5th tuner. Maybe I'm not used to it yet, but I don't see how you would do a fast string change if you broke a 5th in a performance situation. I would take a back-up banjo, at least until I figure out if this can be done faster.

The other thing is tuning the 5th. If you tune by ear like I do mostly, you are used to pinching the 5th and first strings with your right hand and tuning the 5th with your left hand. No can do with this baby. What you can do is reach across your right hand with your left and operate the tuner that way. Takes some getting used to.

I feel both these potential minuses are far outweighed by the wonderful playability gained, the amazing enhancement to the over all sound, and the fine individual control over the tension of each string. If you really want to keep your 5th peg, there's a model without the 5th tuner which would eliminate both the minuses (but you lose the plus of no more 5th peg on the neck).

The quality of the Paintsville tailpiece is excellent... plating and finishing are top notch. This is a really ingenious design, that's been very well realized. I think it looks cool too, though traditionalists might not care for it. My Bishline Heirloon is not traditional-looking to begin with, so that wasn't a concern. If you're not afraid to try something that's just a little off the beaten path, I highly recommend the Paintsville tailpiece.

Overall Rating

9

Overall Comments

The design of this strap is pure genius. It's one of those things you wonder why someone didn't invent it years ago. It's a cradle type strap that can be worn over the shoulder like any other traditional style strap, but switched in a jiffy to be a criss-cross strap that distributes the banjo's weight across both your shoulders. I love it in that mode.

Besides being utilitarian, the strap is good looking. The look is simple and minimalist, which I like. I didn't buy a beautiful banjo to have it be eclipsed by a fancy strap! I understand some custom stamping is available if you want it.

The strap is made from top-quality leather and the workmanship is superb. I talked to Mike Rowe and learned that he sources the leather work to a local Amish business with a couple of generations experience in harness making. You can tell. The strap is as durable as horse tack. As such you'll find it a little stiff right at first, but like any good leather product, it will get more supple with use, and with reasonable care should last a lifetime.

You'll find Mike is a great guy to deal with. He has some really innovative designs for a guitar strap and banjo tailpieces. His site is at www.rowemusicparts.com.

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

I installed this bridge on a 70s vintage StewMac "Eagle" kit with an integral cast aluminum pot and archtop tone ring. That should tell you a lot about it - tinny, kind of harsh, very bright. After owning the thing for 20 years I discovered it sounded much better when tuned down to E or E-flat, and that's where I've been playing it for last year or so. I was looking to see if I could improve that sound any more.

I described the general sound characteristics and how I'm playing it now to Mike Smith and pointed him to a recording. After that, I let him recommend what to put on it to improve it. He sent me one of his first McCormick spice factory wood bridges in the KatEyz style, with ebony top wood, at 2.3 grams.

I was immediately struck by the workmanship. I got the same impression I might get from a piece of fine, Amish hand-crafted cabinetry. But sound is what really matters. So I put on a fresh set of American Made Banjo cryo strings with the el cheapo Grover bridge I'd had on this Mutt for years, thinking it deserved no better. After breaking in the strings for a while, I replaced the old Gover with the new Kat Eyz. I was expecting some improvement, but I was not prepared such a transformation of the banjo.

It was like the whole instrument came alive for the first time. I felt that the eitire head was resonating now - never had that feeling before. I could feel the sound resonating thru the neck - also something new. Gone was the harshness and tinniness that had always been the hallmark of this banjo. I had told Mike I wanted a "woodier" sound. I can't say the sound now is "woody" - it's definitely a metal tone ring sound, but with the Kat Eyz bridge it's now much fuller, rounder, mellower, and more balanced across the tonal spectrum than it ever was before. I messed with the head tension a bit (less) and things only got better. Down in E, E-flat, this banjo is now just sweet, with a sound that's very much its own, and very good for a lot of my original tunes.

Just for curiosity, I tuned up to Bluegrass G. Wow - it's got volume and pop that it never had before. And no aluminium jangle - how can that be? It's not Ralph Stanley, but it's a decent Bluegrass archtop sound.

Maybe a pricier instrument would not be so radically improved with just a bridge change, I don't know. All I know is that suddenly I have to adjust to the idea that I've lost a beater banjo and now have 2 good sounding banjos. I could not imagine there was such potential in my old Mutt. This Kat Eyz bridge transformed it from a beater to a valued one of a kind instrument. Now I gotta find another beater!

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

This "over-both-shoulders" strap is great at distributing weight across your entire upper back and shoulders. If you have lower back problems and a heavy banjo, its definitely worth a look. Overall it's very comfortable. But there are some drawbacks to consider.

Using the supplied nylon bracket clips, I could not adjust the strap to a comfortable playing position. I had to use the supplied cradle which was a little too wide for my tension hooks. Got it thru, but I still don't think the position is optimal for my 5-foot 11-inch frame. I have everything cinched as far as it will go and the banjo still hangs a bit too low to suit me. A taller person might like it better. Or somebody that prefers a more Chuck Berry playing position.

I worry about the nylon/plastic clips that attach the main strap web to the cradle, which remains on the banjo. They seem a bit flimsy. They might be fine, but but I try not to trust the full weight of my admittedly heavy Bishline to them.

You don't just slip this puppy on and off. As someone who gigs on multiple instruments, this ain't the strap for quick on-stage switches.

Bottom line: 8 weeks after a lower back operation, I was fine using this strap, and no problems nearly a year later.

Overall Rating

7

Sound

I would describe the sound as rich, balanced, and responsive. The dynamics are excellent, soft to loud, and the response curve is very natural. It's easy to feel just how hard you need to pick to get the response you want. Very even sound response up and down and across the fingerboard, and it will really bark if you punch it. I got a tonering upgrade from the standrard Kulesh to a Hopkins Prewar model (see Customer Service) and this contributes to the great sound, though I'm sure I'd have been quite satisfied with the standard Kleush.

I am not much of a traditional player (cut my teeth on "newgrass") and the sound is great for what I do. But I think traditional Bluegrass players would be quite happy with it too.

Sound Rating

10

Appearance

Traditionalists may not like the appearance of this banjo. Not being one myself, I loved it at first sight. It was exactly what I'd had in mind but had not found anywhere else - simple, almost minimalist, but with just a touch of elegance. Toward the peghead there are just small MoP dots. Then there is a lovely MoP inlay pattern over the top several frets. The pearl is some of the nicest I've ever seen, with lots of pastel hues in direct light. The neck is wider in the high end than most banjos, which some might find unsettling, but which as a long-time bass player suits me just fine.

Rob offers a choice of woods. I went the the walnut. The burl on the resonator is simply stunning! The resonator and neck are bound in maple - so much nicer than the usual plastics. Though not strictly traditional looking, this is a beautiful work of art that I would have expected to cost much more.

Appearance Rating

10

Customer Service

Rob and Frank at Bishline Banjos were both great to work with. Banjo has a lifetime warranty and I'm confident Rob will stand behind it all the way. There were some slght problems out of box, partly the result of shipping (that box had taken some hits), and partly due to changes absolutely to be expected in a brand new wooden instrument coming from dry Oklahoma to a very humid Cleveland Ohio. Rob talked me thru some neck adjustments over the phone that did the job. He's a believer in educating people on basic adjustments, which on a banjo are really pretty simple if you're even halfway handy with simple hand tools. I personally appreciated this, as I'm taking the instrument to Russia where anything that gets done to this instrument will have to be done by me. It's good to know that advice and help are just a phone call or email away.

But the real kicker in this area was the tone ring upgrade. As it turned out, Rob was out of the standard Kulesh ring and he had been backordered on his resupply. A lot of places would have just said sorry, you gotta wait. Rob knew I was on a tight schedule to go back overseas, and rather than miss that, he put on the more expensive Hopkins Prewar ring at no extra charge. Now don't go expecting that every time! But I think it illustrates just how committed Rob is to meeting commitments to his customers.

Customer Service

10

Overall Comments

This banjo compares favorably with banjos costing hundreds if not thousands more. I think the simplicity of the inlay contributes to that. As I said, the price of the standard Heirloom was so reasonable that I was able to afford my dream customizations, which were also very reasonably priced.

My situation necessitated buying this instrument sight unseen, which I have never done with any stringed instrument before and which I normally would avoid. Were anything ever to happen to this one (heaven forefend!) I would have no hesitation about ordering another.

In short, it sounds great, it plays like a dream, it's in tune all over the neck, it's my idea of gorgeous, and the price was right. What else can I say?

Overall Rating

10