Overall Comments

i had very high hopes when i bought this case because i had read a lot of very positive things from a pro who was testing the case for TML. i really was happy and excited to get one based solely on this person's experiences and reviews.

my assumption is that the case the pro was testing was not the same case i got. my case was not made well and caused some breathing problems for me, and the handle of my case actually fell apart and the case (including the banjo) dropped onto the floor. that was the final straw for me and after repeated tries to contact TML i contacted greg rich and he advised me to send the case back for a replacement (i was without a case for more than three weeks!). the replacement case was better but has a lot of issues as well.

Case #1- the latches on case #1 didn't work very well. they seemed very loose and ill-fitting. one of them would not stay latched consistently.
- the advertisements for the case said there was a hygrometer in the case and there wasn't one. i asked about this on a website and got a response, maybe it was from greg rich, i don't remember, but the response was that the ad was wrong.
- the glue holding the foam padding inside the case was not dry, so the padding would not stay stuck to the wall of the case. this was the situation for about half the round part of the case.
- when i opened the case for the first time, the smell inside it was so overwhelmingly overpowering that i had a bad reaction and developed a small breathing problem. my wife was in bed with a broken ankle at the time and i had to move her into a different room of the house because of the smell. this is not an exaggeration and i got a lot of flack over talking about this smell. it was bad, REALLY bad. i've been playing music for more than 30 years and bought several new cases. the new case smell is not what i am talking about here. this smell was toxic and severe.
- since the padding wouldn't stay stuck to the wall of the case i could see the place where the latches attached to the wall of the case and there was a nut missing from one of the latches which caused *that* one to not work properly.
- the handle is placed in a weird spot so that the case sort of swivels a little and has the head of the banjo a little bit angled towards the ground. that's not a big deal but that angle makes the case hit my leg when i carry it and that is very annoying.
- one day i picked up the case to take the banjo somewhere and the handle completely fell apart and the case fell onto the ground. that was the final straw.

the TML lifetime warranty says they will replace things and they are true to their word, the thing is though, you need to return the case to the place you bought it at your expense. i ended up sending it directly to tml (probably because i complained so much about it) and after 3 weeks i got a replacement case.

case #2- the replacement case had no odor inside it and the latches were much improved. the handle is still in a bad spot and the case hits my leg when i walk.

speaking of the handle, i hadn't had the new case a month before the handle on the new case broke. these handles are CHEAP AND CRAPPY and should not be trusted. apparently some are ok but some are not and i say from experience that when they break, the case falls on the floor- do you want to chance that?

the waterproof seal around the second case i have has broken, seems as if it became a little brittle maybe? and i have duct tape holding it on in the section that broke.

the latches that seemed better are not really better and one is broken almost completely- takes several fingers holding metal parts in certain positions to make it open or close.

i tried to contact TML several times and only got one response from them and that was only AFTER i'd called greg rich and talked to him. TML is completely non-communicative and non-helpful.

if the two cases i have had are any indication of the guardian standard fiberglass case, my advice is to skip it.

Overall Rating

5

Overall Comments

I contacted Jerry about building me a bridge for my Stealth. I didn't have any solid complaints about the bridge I had already, just vague dissatisfaction of how the banjo sounded in a big room or outside. I wanted more power and always felt the Stealth had more in there just itching to come out. I told Jerry what I wanted and gave him my measurement particulars ( I like a TALL bridge and the Stealth has odd string placement so it was a custom job for sure).

When I got the bridge I put it on and right out of the box the tone and volume and power of my Stealth was increased. I notice much better note separation, much better volume and a tone that was a very nice surprise-crisp maybe is a word I would use for it. My Stealth now projects and the single string work I like to do sounds much better and the sustain I get for slow things is very much improved now. I will definitely be calling Jerry again for my bridge needs.

Overall Rating

10

Sound

I was looking for a banjo that sounded different from my others and listened to a lot of them. When I heard the Phantom, I decided that one was the one for me. The tone is different, hard to describe- crisp, rich, woody, organic? I don't know a good word to use but it's wonderful. I play mostly classical and new age like music on this banjo and the tone for that is wonderful.

I have found that by cranking down the head I can quickly and easily change the tone to more of a bluegrass sound and i have done that and the banjo really cracks and carries.

I really like that the banjo is so easily adjustable and versatile.

Sound Rating

9

Appearance

It's gorgeous. Beautiful walnut burl, first rate finish, not a single thing to complain about. I love the look and everyone else does too.

Appearance Rating

10

Customer Service

I bought the banjo from Turtle HIll and contacted Dave via phone and internet. Dave is a first rate standup guy and I recommend him to everyone. Dave was approachable by email, answered in a timely manner, was factual and honest, and he even gave me a free capo and hand delivered my banjo to me due to a convenient situation. I spent an hour or so with him and enjoyed it very much and I look forward to buying from him again.

one time i wanted a new head and a higher bridge I contacted Tom Nechville and Al Price and they were very helpful and informative. Tom made me a custom height bridge and Al had a new head sent to me. Both did this without asking for money first and trusted my honesty and integrity and THAT is not something you see every day. I completely trust them and applaud them for it. I truly cannot imagine better customer service than what I got from both Turtle Hill and Nechville. Fantastic people and fantastic service!

Customer Service

10

Overall Comments

If this banjo was stolen I would call Dave at Turtle Hill and have him order me another just like it. I love the tone and playability.

I suggest if anyone is considering a Phantom to try and hear one in person, they are a little different sounding from other banjos. I for one count that as a big plus too. In my opinion, variety is the spice of life in terms of tone.

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

I took two banjos to John for adjusting and setting up. I found him to be professional, helpful, friendly and straight forward, and the work he did was helpful and exactly what my banjos needed.

John's shop is clean, interesting to look at, and easy to find. I sat with him while he worked and we chatted and I felt welcome and happy to be there. I felt that John listened to what I had to say and did for my banjos what *I* needed for him to do. My banjos might have been fine for someone else, but I needed a few specific things done and he did them and did them well. Should I ever need any of my instruments worked on again, I'm going to John.

John is in Mount Airy NC by the way.

Overall Rating

10

Sound

The sound was (at least to my ears) the sound of an archtop. I loved the archtop sound and when I played this banjo the first time I was in love with it. The sound was strong and loud and had a lot of power. Over the years my ears grew tired of the archtop sound though, so I replaced the bridge and head and now it sounds amazingly full and rich and "mature". It sounds different by far than my other banjo (Stealth) and I love it.

Sound Rating

9

Appearance

It's beautiful. The finish is the Stelling Cremora finish and the binding is black with a white stripe in it. The inlay is the standard snowflake inlay for the Whitestar and it's very understated and beautiful. The resonator on it is gorgeous, curly maple I guess it is.

As far as inlay goes, I'm an all or nothing kind of guy. I like either no inlay at all or over-the-top tree of life kind of stuff. The inlay on the Whitestar is about as close to no inlay as you could get and still have some, so I'm happy with it. Occasionally I kind of wish it had either more or less though but not very often, mostly I'm very happy with the snowflakes.

Appearance Rating

9

Customer Service

In 1991 I was looking to buy a Stelling. I called around and the Bluegrass Connection in West Virginia had one and they are relatively close to me so I decided to go to them for it. I ended up talking to them on the phone about it probably a half dozen times before I went there actually. Anyway, I went and played every banjo they had in the shop and quickly settled on the Stelling. I proudly walked to the counter with the Stelling in one hand and my shiny new credit card in the other.......the owner of the shop looked at me, I looked at him, he looked at me, I looked at him..... "um, we don't take credit cards" he said. I was crushed. He offered to do this and that for me, but I decided to get in the car and go home and wait until I could scrape together the cash, so that's what I did. Once I got the money, I called to make sure the banjo was still there and it was so I sent a cashiers check and a note asking if it was at all possible if he could get it to me by Wednesday because I had a job that night and I patiently waited. On Tuesday I came home from work and guess what- the shop owner had personally driven my banjo the two hours from his shop to my house! Why? Because he couldn't get a guarantee that it would arrive before Wednesday. I was stunned then and still now over that customer service.

Fast forward to 2007- I wanted the banjo to be refretted so called Geoff Stelling and he said he'd do it, so I drove it to him and dropped it off. He did the work and called when it was done and I drove back down to pick it up. His shop was very cool. His workers are all extremely friendly and did fantastic work on my Whitestar. I asked for a refret but got a refret and a lot more- the guys in the shop noticed some dings and scratches and they fixed them! Geoff noticed a few problems and he fixed them. When I picked it up, all of the shop guys came to meet me and we stood around and talked about my banjo and they had some advice and words of wisdom about it. I am completely amazed at the level of customer service from Stelling.

Customer Service

10

Overall Comments

You will not go wrong buying a Stelling. If you get a Stelling and have a problem, Geoff is right there to answer your questions. Every time I've written he replies the same day. When I call, he or Sherry are there to answer the phone. They are amazingly great to work with.

Overall Rating

10

Sound

The sound of this Stealth is deep, full and rich. My other banjo is a Stelling and that has the classic Stelling tone and punch, so the Stealth by comparison is probably even more deep and full. I wanted the Stealth because I wanted something to use for solo banjo and I felt like it had the deep richness I was looking for- I was NOT disappointed!

I had heard from some people that the Stealth has a hollow sound but I don't find that to be true, I find it full and rich. I also find that this one has more bass response than any banjo I have ever played. the 4th string is very present on it, but more than anything, the 3rd string really sounds different than I have ever experienced. sometimes just for fun I'll play the third string by itself- slides, single string scales, random fretting of it just to hear the tone of that string- It's very interesting and pleasureable.

Sound Rating

10

Appearance

I love the appearance of this banjo. The Stealth look is very streamlined and "cool". I will probably buy a black frosted head and put that on at some point but for now it's the standard white head. I asked Scott to make me an ebony armrest so it would match the neck and that thing is beautiful. A bit of grain is visible and it's smooth and very nice to touch. I love the feel of wood on my arm instead of metal.

I ordered a mahogany one and when I talked to Scott about him making this, I mentioned that I really like to see woodgrain. I knew that getting a mahogany banjo wouldn't really give me much in the way of grain as compared to maple or walnut, but I wanted some grain to see. I think he must have chosen wood with that in mind because there's a lot of grain for me because the grain on this banjo. The heel and my side of the resonator are very grainy and I love that.

The Stealth look isn't for everyone, but it sure is for me!

Appearance Rating

10

Customer Service

Scott and I communicated via email the whole time he was making the banjo. When I first contacted him about making me a Stealth he gave me his phone number (it's on the website too) and said I could call or email him anytime. I asked him a lot of questions about finish and wood and heads and fingerboards and every time he answered me promptly and politely. Several times I told him what I was thinking and asked his opinion on some things- most of the time his opinion differed from mine and I LIKE that. He was clearly reading my notes and giving me his opinion and not just agreeing with what I said.

In this day and age, I find it comforting to know I can contact someone I don't know and ask them to make me something, then send them a big pile of money (you pay half when you ask him to make the banjo and the second half before he sends it to you) and trust that they will do what they say they will. I trusted him and was in no way disappointed in the final result.

Customer Service

10

Overall Comments

If this banjo was stolen I would call Scott and order another one ASAP. The tone and playability of the Stealth is unlike any other banjo I have ever played (I've been playing for about 30 years). The radiused neck, the string spacing both on the bridge and on the neck are a dream to work with. The look is very cool and different and I have to admit, I love that.

One thing i really like also is that there is no inlay on the neck. For a little while I was nervous about that but after a day or two I didn't think about it again. Having no inlays isn't nearly as confusing as I thought it would be- I don't miss them at all.

I was lucky enough to play a Stealth for a few hours before I contacted Scott- not everyone can do that but I think if you possibly can do it, you should play one first because they really are different from other banjos. More than anything else, I think the spacing and string height at the bridge should probably be experienced before you lay cash on the line. For me the first time I touched one, I loved the spacing and height but I imagine some might not like it. So IF you play one first and can deal with that, I recommend 100% a Stealth. If you can't play one first, maybe you should talk to someone who has one for a good while because like I said, it's different from other banjos.

In my opinion, because of the neck radius and string spacing and height at the bridge, this is the best banjo I have ever played. I don't imagine I'll ever get rid of this but I might but another, maybe a walnut one next time so I can overload on the woodgrain.

Overall Rating

10