Overall Comments

Wow! It was a wonderful experience! It exceeded my expectations, and they were pretty high to begin with. Here are a few random comments:

1) Location: Olivet College is a beautiful little college. Huge old oak trees provide shade and a feeling of going back in time. There are very few giant old oaks left in Michigan; most were cut down for lumber a hundred years ago or more. Olivet was founded in the 1840's, and I'm sure many of the oaks on campus are as old or older than the college. The surroundings are green and peaceful, and a perfect setting for the camp.

2) Accommodations: Dorm rooms - what can I say? My room was clean; there was a semi-private bath, and the dorm I was in had air conditioning. Towels and bed linens were provided. The mattresses seemed designed to withstand a nuclear holocaust, which affected comfort somewhat. . . but I slept OK. The decor was early concrete block in a lovely shade of oatmeal. And nothing looks emptier than an empty dorm room. But I only went there to sleep and shower anyway.

3) Food: This ain't your Daddy's mess hall. The food was very good; there were a variety of choices at each meal, and everything was fresh and nicely-prepared. I'm sure I gained a pound or two, as I am not accustomed to three full meals a day! Banjo playing is hungry work!

Now, on to the important stuff: banjos!
4) Classes: The schedule was intensive. There wasn't much down time, and I felt totally immersed in the world o' banjo music. The instructors were top-notch; many of the best-known names in OT and bluegrass were there. I attended the old-time sessions and was privileged to take classes with Ken Perlman, Mac Benford, Bob Carlin, Adam Hurt, and Cathy Fink. Wow! They are not only great musicians and talented teachers, they are very nice, good-humored people, always ready with help and advice. The classes were categorized by level of playing experience. I stuck mostly with the lower intermediate classes, but I did attend an upper level course on Kyle Creed's Round Peak style, taught by Adam Hurt. I had some trouble keeping up with most of the others, but I actually got more out of the class than I expected to, and I think I can learn the tunes with a little practice at home. I brought a valuable lesson home with me from every class. I simply cannot express enough thanks for how much I learned.

5) Concerts: The faculty concerts were held Friday and Saturday night. There was a mix of Old Time and Bluegrass performers each night. The concerts alone were worth the price of the camp. Every performer was superb, but the most memorable moment for me was when Cathy Fink, Marcy Maxter, and Adam Hurt played banjo wearing finger puppets. You had to be there...

6) Jam sessions: the camp had more jams than Smucker's and Welch's combined. There were scheduled jams, open jams, little jams, big jams, lobby jams, park jams, doorway jams. Everything but dorm room jams - thanks to all for honoring the quiet rules!

7) Elderly Instruments on-site store: Stan Werbin and his able crew brought a variety of fine wares, including a mouth-watering array of about 50 banjos, all just sitting on their stands, waiting to be played. I loved trying out all the banjos, but the best part was realizing that I like my own banjo best of all! I did buy a banjo strap, clip-on tuner, a couple of bridges, two sets of strings, and one of Ken Perlman's books. And a T-shirt.

****NOTE TO CAMP PLANNERS: the 2009 camp T-shirt has a cartoon of a tornado and says "Pickin' up a storm!" This is biased toward bluegrass players!! Plus the color was odd. I would not be caught dead in it, frankly.

Overall, it was a challenging, exciting, intense, fun, rewarding time. I hope to attend next year. Well, I have to, or else I won't get to hear Cathy Fink's story about the kangaroo.

Overall Rating

10

Sound

This is my first really good banjo. I'm a new player, so I can't fully express the possibilities of this banjo. Nonetheless, I decided to review the banjo now because there is very little information online about the Otis Taylor. For some reason, it is not described on Ome's web site. I hope they will remedy that soon.

It is an open-back, and hence suits clawhammer, my preferred style. I like playing a variety of tunes, including traditional old-time and Irish. I'd like to lean some "mountain" tunes, and explore different tunings. I think this banjo will be able to do all that and more.

Sound Rating

10

Appearance

This banjo is gorgeous. There are photos on Elderly's site but they do not do it justice at all. The color is much darker and richer than the photos suggest. The banjo has a maple neck and 12' pot with a satin finish which is smooth as can be. The banjo is not ornate, but does have beautiful diamond shaped inlays on the peghead and ebony fingerboard. The inlay work is meticulous. I cannot see any evidence of a join; it looks like the inlay grew from the wood! Unless you need a lot of bling, you wouldn't be disappointed with this banjo's looks - it is pure (but restrained) eye candy - kind of like a dark chocolate truffle.

Appearance Rating

10

Customer Service

The best. Period. Tanya at Ome could not have been more helpful and friendly. I am a customer for life.

Customer Service

10

Overall Comments

This banjo represents outstanding value for the price. If it were stolen I would cry. Then I would replace it, but I'd cry some more, because the price has increased substantially from 2008 to 2009. It is still a great value. I love this banjo. My favorite thing about it is that it makes my playing sound good! It is so easy to play. I also love the scooped fingerboard. My other banjo does not have one, but I still play it over the neck because I prefer the sound there, but it is harder to do than with the frailing scoop. Playing over the neck just seems natural to me.

I hope this review has convinced you to order an Otis Taylor. They are on back order right now at Elderly, and I don't know if Denver Folklore Society and the other dealers are getting any more. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions. I will try to get some photos uploaded in the near future.

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

Feb 20 - I was fortunate enough to be online shortly after Doug Campbell [bluegrassjunkie] posted an invitation for 5 people to evaluate the BanjoMate Thinline Armrest. I had just been thinking about an armrest for my Pennington open-back banjo, so I emailed Doug right away to sign on!

Feb 24 - Received a package at the PO from Little Mountain Music. Wow, that was fast! It contained the armrest, nicely packaged in a clear plastic soft case. The armrest is made of Corian. I requested ivory-colored; they are also available in ebony and tortoise. The BanjoMate is well-machined, with nice smooth edges. The armrest is mounted with two mounting pins that attach to two of the hooks on the banjo for an easy and secure installation. The pins dovetail with a machined groove on the underside of the armrest.

The instructions are simple and illustrated with very clear B & W photos. Much better than the crude sketches you sometimes get with assembly instructions. The armrest was simple to install! The instructions were accurate. The components fit together just right, and the mounting pins look fine with the existing hooks on the banjo. The ivory color is perfect. The armrest looks classy yet unobtrusive. My hardware is chrome, but gold-colored hardware is available for those of you with those gaudy gold banjers!

Playability - The armrest is comfortable. All the edges are rounded and I don't notice it digging into my arm while playing. The support is good; it's low-profile, but I can tell it makes a difference. Now I need another one for my Ome. Not sure yet what color I want to order, though.

March 6 - This is an excellent product that does exactly what it's designed to do. If you decide to get one, I know you will be pleased with the quality of manufacture and simplicity of assembly. The Corian material seems like a good choice - if it can stand up to daily use on a kitchen counter top, it should last forever on a banjo!

Support BH members and small, independent music suppliers! If you've been considering an armrest for your open-back, you will be pleased with the BanjoMate Thinline Armrest! Visit www.littlemountainmusic.com to order and view their other products.

Mary Gribbin

Overall Rating

10