Tuners "Perfection" Pegs Planetary banjo pegs
submitted 11/1/2008
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Submitter |
RWPark |
Where Purchased |
Brian Burns (online) |
Overall Comments
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A set of these pegs on my Prust fretless has increased its tunability 100% and they look just like "fiddle-style" friction pegs. Fairly easy to install but I did have to modify the banjo a bit. The Prust has a pretty thick peghead (3/4 inch). The pegs would work with that thickness but I wanted a bit more of the ends exposed so I bandsawed about 1/4 inch off the thickness of the peghead.. A little oil finish and no ones the wiser. The hole for the 5th string peg was too large for the new peg so I plugged it with a dowel and redrilled it. Available peg sizes and instructions found here: http://www.lessonsinlutherie.com/PlanetaryPegs.html |
Overall Rating |
10 |
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Prust tackhead with square peghead
submitted 9/9/2007
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Submitter |
RWPark |
Where Purchased |
From Eric P. |
Year Purchased |
2007 |
Price Paid |
200.00 ($US) |
Sound
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Sounds like a fretless with a 13 inch calfskin head. Real nice and mellow. |
Sound Rating |
10 |
Setup
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The hole for the bass string friction peg needed to be reamed a bit so the peg matched the height of the others. A little peg compound helps the turnability of the pegs. Comes with 3 different height bridges to compensate for head sag due to humidity. UPDATE - bought a set of "perfection" style pegs that look like friction but are planetary. Huge improvement in tunability. |
Setup Rating |
7 |
Appearance
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Actually, this is a very pretty banjo. The neck on mine is almost tiger stripe maple. The semi-transparent calfskin head has mottled areas that look like clouds. The other review said it was a simple primitive banjo. I'd say simple but not primitive. It's quite well made. |
Appearance Rating |
9 |
Reliability
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A simple oil finish on the neck as befitting the style of banjo. The pot is white oak, stained to match. The tailpeice is walnut attached to the dowel stick(which protrudes through the back of the pot) ,with rawhide. The neck is thick down by the pot. Yeah, I think it's pretty sturdy. |
Reliability Rating |
9 |
Customer Service
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Top notch folks to deal with. I think if there were any problems Eric and Donna would try very hard to remedy the situation. |
Customer Service |
10 |
Components
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A Highly figured maple neck, calfskin head, the finest of upholstery tacks and three scroll-sawed bridges. It's all good.
Some might not like the friction pegs but once you use them a bit they aren't that bad. Although I'm not jumping around from tuning to tuning a lot. |
Components Rating |
9 |
Overall Comments
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This is a very playable banjo. My first excursion into fretless playing and I'm loving it. I mean, $200, come on, this has got to be the best bargain in the banjo world! |
Overall Rating |
9 |
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CloverLick Pineywoods Eklyte
submitted 4/25/2007
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Submitter |
RWPark |
Where Purchased |
Jeff's Website |
Year Purchased |
2007 |
Price Paid |
Don't Remember
historic exchange rates / currency converter
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Sound
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At first I thought the sound was a little thin, but I was comparing it to my other banjo which has about 10 lbs. more brass in it. The more I play it the better I like it. It's not real loud and sort of hovers between bright and plunky and very mellow. |
Sound Rating |
9 |
Setup
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Set up was great but I gotta mess with it. Put on a medium Moon bridge.
I like it better. |
Setup Rating |
9 |
Appearance
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Walnut neck, Walnut burl on the peghead. Man in the moon inlay (my choice) Brass hardware. Good lookin 'jo. Walnut has pores and if you turn the peghead in the light you can see some of them . It bothered me at first but now I think it adds character. |
Appearance Rating |
9 |
Reliability
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This is a solid, well made banjo. I don't anticipate any problems. |
Reliability Rating |
10 |
Customer Service
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Jeff was helpful and easy to deal with when I placed my initial order in Dec of '05. I had initially chosen an 11" rim but in Feb of 06 I changed the order to a 12 inch rim. When I received the banjo in Jan of 07 it came with an 11 inch rim. I should have sent it back, but after waiting a year for the banjo, I decided to live with it. Update 5-19-07- Jeff offered to put a 12 inch on this jo or refund half of what I paid for it or build another at half price. Outstanding. |
Customer Service |
10 |
Components
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Keith standard tuners (brass finish) Kramer's handmade brass hardware. Tony Pass rim. The neck/fretwork is excellent although the width (34mm) takes a bit of getting used to. I have small hands and at first, the width bothered me. The neck is nicely slim (about 3/4's of an inch thick) so really, the width is not a real problem...just different than I'm used to, and slides and pull-offs seem to come easier. |
Components Rating |
10 |
Overall Comments
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Yes, I'd recommend it.
If it was stolen, I'd collect the insurance and buy another one from Jeff. |
Overall Rating |
10 |
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A. E. Smith Shelburne II
submitted 7/30/2005
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Submitter |
RWPark |
Where Purchased |
Guitar's Friend Moscow ID |
Year Purchased |
1981 |
Price Paid |
800.00 ($US) |
Sound
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Very Bright, crisp and yet rich and full sound...internal resonator and 3 piece tone system. I love the sound of this banjo. |
Sound Rating |
10 |
Setup
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Well set up when I bought it some twenty years ago. I've tweaked it some over the years. |
Setup Rating |
10 |
Appearance
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Neck is quarter-sawn maple, fancy peghead inlay, ebony fingerboard, peghead, healcap. Contrasting veneers under fingerboard, peghead and healcap. A beautiful banjo. |
Appearance Rating |
10 |
Reliability
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Very reliable, solid banjo. Some crackling of the finish on the back. |
Reliability Rating |
10 |
Customer Service
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The banjo was made in the late '70's by Kate Spencer and Mark Sergies. Kate now owns Maple Leaf Music in Vermont. I recently exchanged some e-mails with her about the origin of this banjo. Very friendly and helpful. |
Customer Service |
10 |
Components
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The 3 part tone system. The Bacon style internal resonator. I've replaced the head with a Renaissance and the bridge with a Moon.
My only complaint would be some roughness on the ends of the frets. |
Components Rating |
9 |
Overall Comments
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I truly love this banjo. I've never found another that's quite like it. You never see much about them on the net so I thought I'd sing its praises.
If you ever get a chance to buy one...go for it. |
Overall Rating |
10 |
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