Ramsey Standard Review
Ramsey Standard
submitted 8/19/2012
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Submitter |
tmoneygetpaid (see all reviews from this person) |
Where Purchased |
maker |
Year Purchased |
2012 |
Price Paid |
Don't Remember
historic exchange rates / currency converter
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Sound
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Rating sound, and rating anything about an instrument, is a strange thing because it is entirely subjective. That said, when I was looking for a new handmade openback, I played Enochs (tradesman 11 and 12" pot), Chuck Lee, Reiter (Round Peak, Standard), Brown (mesquite), and others. I played about a dozen openbacks at the Music Emporium in Lexington, played everything at the Old Town School in Chicago and at Hogeye in Evanston, IL.
And the Ramseys were my far and away my favorites. They are darker and still loud and full. Clucky but not overly so (that was my main issue with the Reiter Round Peak). I loved the sound of the Woody as well, but the Standard for me hit the sweet spot between dark and woody and clear and ringing. It is loud, but not as loud as the Student that I played (probably the mahogany neck and the head tension and setup are responsible). |
Sound Rating |
10 |
Setup
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Wonderfully setup by Mike.
I'm pretty sure the Standard neck is just a bit thinner than the Student, still thick and meaty but the Student felt a bit like its thickness got in the way. For some, that size will work better. The Standard is absolutely perfect for me.
I love the wider nut spacing he uses on his banjos. Gives room for left hand pull-offs, and feels right for a guy with big ole hands like me.
The Ramseys I played at the Music Emporium had really loosely-tensioned heads, which is probably a big part of their dark sound I enjoyed. The brackets could be loosened with hand tension, which is pretty much the bare minimum tension you could get away with. I mention that because you can always go brighter and louder by tensioning the head more, but you couldn't go darker from that bare minimum tension.
Love the strings he put on-- whatever they are. And the stock 5/8" bridge (presumably a Stew Mac) sounds good. The nut (even the 5th string nut) was carefully slotted on a diagonal to reduce stress. |
Setup Rating |
10 |
Appearance
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Beautiful. Love the dark look of the banjo. The pot is maple but is stained dark dark dark. The mahogany neck is stained to match. A cool look that I like a lot. And the inlay is gorgeous.
The standard has just the saturn inlay on the peghead overlay and the shooting star at the 5th fret. On mine, it looks like the Saturn is abalone and the star body is mop with a abalone tail. Anyway, I love the inlay, way more than I expected to. Just the right amount of bling for my taste.
Deducting a point because there are a few small areas where the finish is cloudy or the sanding/ fret file is visible. A tiny detail, but a detail nonetheless. |
Appearance Rating |
9 |
Reliability
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I'd depend on it. The hardware is all good ole Made-in-the-USA Stew Mac. 5-star tuners, which I like and find great, but I've heard others complain. The only worry I have on the reliability front is the thinness of the pot. It is a multiply (looks like 8-9 thin plies). But that surely constitutes a big part of the sound I love, so I'm 100% onboard for that trade-off. |
Reliability Rating |
10 |
Customer Service
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Mike is easier to reach over email than phone-- go that route if you need to get ahold of him.
He's a one-man show, which I think is great and wouldn't want him to change, so I sympathize with the long time it takes to get the guy on the phone. Just be patient and you'll get him on the horn.
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Customer Service |
7 |
Components
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The only thing I worry about with this banjo is the thinness of the frets. There's no buzz or anything, just anticipate needing a refret in 5-10 years of regular playing, which is to be expected I guess. |
Components Rating |
9 |
Overall Comments
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As I said, I played dozens of banjos in my search for an openback that would suit me. I was getting disheartened, and even started hating the tone of everything I'd play, including my old banjo. Found the Standard and it's the instrument I'd been searching for. I'm so excited to have this instrument for the rest of my life. |
Overall Rating |
10 |
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