Gold Tone Orange Blossom longneck OB-250LN Review
Gold Tone Orange Blossom longneck OB-250LN
submitted 4/25/2003
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Submitter |
gbkyser (see all reviews from this person) |
Where Purchased |
Folk of the Wood |
Year Purchased |
2002 |
Price Paid |
880 ($US) |
Sound
|
I'm updating my review after a year with the banjo. It is loud and clear but the notes don't have the 'roundness' and character you hear in top-end banjos. I've been capoing the 3rd fret full time to learn Scruggs style, but this banjo really sounds best with the strings open. Then it has a rich sound with a lot of sustain, almost halfway to a guitar. ('Course it's tuned to E - the guitar key!) |
Sound Rating |
7 |
Setup
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Sort of a mess. The fifth-string capo was poorly installed so it buzzed, and in the wrong place. When I moved it I found a screw or a drill bit broken off in the neck under the capo. The strings were mismatched, one was really old. FOTW shipped it tuned up to G, and I bet they kept breaking strings during setup. |
Setup Rating |
4 |
Appearance
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Very nice, pretty simple. A couple of the inlays a little crude, and a couple of galvanized parts have rough edges. But that's nitpicking. |
Appearance Rating |
8 |
Reliability
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Seems sturdy. In the long long run, I'll keep my eye on the tuners, but I wouldn't hesitate to play out with it. *$#!# keep sticking the head into the ceiling fan! but it's holding up fine. |
Reliability Rating |
9 |
Customer Service
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Wayne from Goldtone sent me new tuner buttons free within a week when one of mine cracked, so this rating is for him. On the other hand, FOTW rates a 4...the order from start to finish took over 3 months (first banjo broke in shipping; reorder from Goldtone; couldn't find a case; wrong strap...) and they never once contacted me to let me know what was going on - I had to call them. I hung in there because of the good price. Did I get a warranty? I dunno. |
Customer Service |
10 |
Components
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I like the Price-licensed tailpiece. I replaced the the Grover bridge with a Sosebee and I got more volume. The tuners are less smooth than my 5-Stars. The resonator attachment hardware seems a little clumsy. The neck feels good but doesn't fit all capos. |
Components Rating |
7 |
Overall Comments
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A good banjo at a good price. |
Overall Rating |
8 |
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