Overall Comments

Summary [Overall score 9/10]
If I could only have one book of string band/festival type tablature this would be it, but I’d like it to be materially a little more robust
Without access to a personal instructor my banjo lessons have to be self taught from the internet & books. This book and the associated music files has quickly become my mainstay for learning the core of a tune.
I would, without reservation, give this as a gift, it is that good.

Construction [score 8/10]
The book is A4 sized, portrait oriented, spiral bound with clear plastic covers. Spiral binding is a big plus as from experience it’s nice to be able to open a book and have it stay open so that viewing the Tab isn’t interrupted by the leaves folding shut just when it’s important to reference the text.
Unfortunately although of a decent weighted paper, the leaves don’t appear to be coated with any protective material. Initially from an ecological perspective this would appear a positive thing; however this book is such an asset and in my house never makes it to the bookshelf so a little more durability would be appreciated.

Presentation [score 10/10]
The print is very clear; it is possible to quickly read the tablature and know the noting position without having to double take between a 2 or 3 or was that a 5?
Most arrangements finish on the page they start on, though Ragtime Annie spills onto a second page, yet it doesn’t appear that any tablatures are printed on the reverse of the leaf that they started on. This indicates very thoughtful and considerate layout rather than minimising the number of pages so as to reduce production costs
The tablature symbols are easy to follow and the spacing within a measure does represent the meter when playing. The A & B sections are clearly marked and the repeat symbols & end variations are concisely presented. Though these features are basic requirements for good tablature, this point is sometimes missed by some better known publishers
The photographs are very carefully used to remove unwanted white space, but not at the expense of the arrangement. All the images are presented in black & white and the photographs exhibit a kind of homespun reproductive fuzziness which adds rather than detracts from the attractiveness.

Contents [score 9/10]
Most important caveat!!! This is not an instruction manual; if the reader cannot perform drop thumbing (aka double thumbing) the tablatures may prove to be frustrating.
The tablatures are the author’s transcriptions of (usually commercially) recorded tunes; this is a real bonus, as music authors can be tempted to throw in academic phrasing for the sake of teaching the pupil. Probably a personal choice but my preference is for the destination & not the journey; the latter should be as short & as comfortable as possible! Commercial acceptance of a tunes arrangement and performance does reflect upon the veracity of playing it in that manner. Each transcript title references both the original performer & also a discography reference.
In all there are approximately 200 tablature arrangements which are presented by the relevant tunings, i.e. A, G, Sawmill Dbl C etc. Each tune appears within the relevant tuning in alphabetical order. At first this can be a small annoyance as quite often the object of learning the tune is positioning not the musical key; however this is small beer as there’s an alphabetical tune list at the front anyway.
Throughout the book there are photographs and snippets of background information about past & present performers. A pleasantry in this is that Steve frequently includes web addresses and additional discography references.

So how to end this review? This is possibly the most expensive Banjo tune document that I've ever purchased, mainly due to shipping to the UK, but I do not regret the purchase.

Overall Rating

9

Sound

This is a customised Minstrel banjo with the additions of
# an additional fretboard overlaying the original fretless fingerboard, this raises the action over the head significantly and provides a deep scoop from the 18th fret position
# a silver bell/spun tone ring
The sound of this banjo is bright & crisp, exactly what I wanted, the bass is comparitively quiet. The tonality can be readily influenced and changed by different frailling positions; playing over the scoop gives a very full sound and inevitable clucking moving closer to the bridge brings out the sharper almost bluegrass tones without picks

Sound Rating

9

Appearance

To me this is a great looking banjo, there's no inlay nor decoration, not even binding down the neck.
I like the functional look, [my vehicle of choice is a landrover defender]
The finish is a dark satin stain that burnishes to a mirror gleam when you've been playing for a few hours.
It's very plain finish is compensated by the flamed maple effects in the neck & headstock, this though is a luck of the draw - not all necks have this
The headstock has a "Grafton" logo in an abalone type finish - I haven't tried picking this off [Yet] but it looks like a sticker

Appearance Rating

8

Customer Service

Andy Perkins has a wealth of banjo knowledge, at times he can seem a little orthodox, and tends to set up banjo's for finger picking rather than frailing. You'll have to be specific about details such as 5th string nut to be as high as the other 4 strings, small gauge fretwire etc . But if you know what you want he'll do it.
Delivery was good and communicated clearly, lead time was about 3 weeks due to the modifications, however this can vary depending on Andy's workload
The flaw with the plating on the tone ring skirt is a bone of contention as it wasn't reported upon receipt [ it appeared later] hmmm

Customer Service

7

Overall Comments

For the price this is very very good value for money. My dream banjo is a Check Lee Chautauqua with a wider & deeper neck. This customised Grafton minstrel banjo gives a 1 3/8" wide x 1" deep neck @ the nut with silver bell tone ring at about 25% of the price. Although these dimensions wouldn't suit every one for me its great.
No it isn't a heirloom banjo like a Lee would be, but the latter can wait until better times

Overall Rating

8