quote:

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Originally posted by Bribak

Robby, how does it feel to be one of the most envied people around right now?  We're all just drooling over something you're actually going to own.

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Well.........I don't know, I hadn't thought of it that way......as "me" being envied. I will tell you though that I am proud beyond words to have this banjo coming. Ronnie and I have long time connection......literally since we were little boys and that has turned into a great friendship, that friendship makes this banjo special. I, while talking to Ronnie last year somehow pulled the name Skillethead outa my butt and that's what Ronnie calls his original Bowtie and became the name of this new line of incredible Yates banjos......that also makes this banjo special. To have Warren build this for me and document it all online for everyone to see and hopefully enjoy, makes this banjo special. That my banjo will be used for photos and advertisement on Warren's web site and possibly even magazine ads, makes this banjo special. Some may not understand but those who do will REALLY get this.....it's more than a cool new banjo to me, it's a longtime friendship with Ronnie and hopefully a new friendship with Warren.......just a culmination of MANY things that make this instrument special and although it is part of a new line and there will be many sold......mine is a one of a kind, there will be no more with the built in lineage and history of this one......in my eyes this is the most special Skillethead that will be built.

I hope everyone reads and understands the sentiment in which that last statement was made. I don't know about feeling envied, but I absolutely feel like one of the luckiest people around.

Robby

Yes we are all excited about the new banjo ,,but i just listened again to your videos ..If  that skillet head sounds any better than the one you play on your gigs ,WOW ..Or they sure know how to set up a sound system .. You and Warren keep the pic's coming 

Eddie 

Let's see if this works.  Banjothon 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNYL6TIIy8I&list=UU7_gWb3ham4ZMFqYvbxi8og&index=1&feature=plcp

Edited by - Warren Yates on 01/15/2012 08:28:29

To back track a bit, I wanted to show what the inlay pockets look like after being cut. Robby's was done before this.

Edited by - Warren Yates on 01/15/2012 15:29:47

The frets are installed and blocked down, re-crowned, and polished.

Taped up and ready for finish.

Edited by - Warren Yates on 01/15/2012 15:34:15

quote:

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Originally posted by Warren Yates

Let's see if this works.  Banjothon 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNYL6TIIy8I&list=UU7_gWb3ham4ZMFqYvbxi8og&index=1&feature=plcp

 

 

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Unbelievable but I believe. The Yates did not come in 2nd in those comparisons. Great job.

Ken

quote:

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Originally posted by Warren Yates

Let's see if this works.  Banjothon 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNYL6TIIy8I&list=UU7_gWb3ham4ZMFqYvbxi8og&index=1&feature=plcp

 

 

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Damn Warren! I had to leave just as you walked in....I could have seen that thing! It sounds good....

quote:

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Originally posted by Ron Stewart

I'll make an answer on the price. As Warren mentioned, it comes in the USA made RedLine case, which are not cheap, and also, there is a bit more time involved in selecting rim wood, and neck wood to match Daddy SkilletHead's wood, i.e. grain structure, etc. And of course binding on the headstock, and more "little" things that make Daddy SkilletHead sound like it does, which we have to do to these as well if we want them to sound like the original. 

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You guys played one heck of a great down and dirty show at the Barn last night Ron.  Your banjo was slamming, and I could feel every note B-slap me all the way in the back of the room.  Great playing!!!

Edited by - Warren Yates on 01/16/2012 14:54:06

Thanks, Warren.  The tension mounts...  The paint's on, so it'll soon be ready for hardware, a head and some strings, yes?

The new video clips posted of Donnie Little playing those 3 banjos in a row really illustrates the point Ron was making earlier in this string about the what makes the Yates Skillethead different.  In that video, clearly the Granada has a sound all it's own, in part because it's curly maple and it's more like the mid-30s sound.  The Skillethead has more of that deep from inside tone like the very late 30s/early 40s banjos.  While it's similar in some respects to that '38 RB-75 in the video, Skillethead's deeper.  I think for $4K and change for Skillethead vs. the value of a genuine prewar flathead, a guy could find all the tone he'd ever need.

Wow! they sound so similar.

Correct myfavefive. That is what we hear. The Skillet Head is deeper but only in its own way. It is simply another choice. Good prewars are wonderful and set the standard and anyone that owns one is very lucky. The problem is that as the price of the collectibles go up, using them causes ware and tare and the price goes down from it. They can get stolen, broken or anything. It is worth the extra expense to buy the new banjo that might do the same thing and keep the price up on the real treasure which would surely hold the value up to far exceed the cost of the new banjo. It is like an insurance package of protection and all of your new banjo investment is still in your hands not in yearly premiums that are gone like the wind.

quote:

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Originally posted by Warren Yates

Let's see if this works.  Banjothon 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNYL6TIIy8I&list=UU7_gWb3ham4ZMFqYvbxi8og&index=1&feature=plcp

 

 

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 Those two prewars sound fine...FINE. Mighty fine. The Yates is nice, but if I'm honest, it kind of lacks the deep rattle the other two have, particularly the 75. The Skillet Head just seems a little simpler in tone, heavier to my ear, too. There is an echoing going on in the sound chamber of the 75 that is just captivating. Nice picking Donny ;)

quote:

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Originally posted by Pickin furry paws

quote:

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Originally posted by Warren Yates

Let's see if this works.  Banjothon 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNYL6TIIy8I&list=UU7_gWb3ham4ZMFqYvbxi8og&index=1&feature=plcp

 

 

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 Those two prewars sound fine...FINE. Mighty fine. The Yates is nice, but if I'm honest, it kind of lacks the deep rattle the other two have, particularly the 75. The Skillet Head just seems a little simpler in tone, heavier to my ear, too. There is an echoing going on in the sound chamber of the 75 that is just captivating. Nice picking Donny ;)

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 The Yates is still very green. Sounds very good for being so young. Give it a year of lots of play and that rattle will get there. Some will have more than others quicker. The tone and punch is amazing. I would be proud to own one. My 2 penny's worth.

quote:

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Originally posted by jrmorrow

quote:

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Originally posted by Pickin furry paws

quote:

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Originally posted by Warren Yates

Let's see if this works.  Banjothon 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNYL6TIIy8I&list=UU7_gWb3ham4ZMFqYvbxi8og&index=1&feature=plcp

 

 

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 Those two prewars sound fine...FINE. Mighty fine. The Yates is nice, but if I'm honest, it kind of lacks the deep rattle the other two have, particularly the 75. The Skillet Head just seems a little simpler in tone, heavier to my ear, too. There is an echoing going on in the sound chamber of the 75 that is just captivating. Nice picking Donny ;)

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 The Yates is still very green. Sounds very good for being so young. Give it a year of lots of play and that rattle will get there. Some will have more than others quicker. The tone and punch is amazing. I would be proud to own one. My 2 penny's worth.

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I have seen several comments here addressing the matter of what might be dubbed as "complex tone" vs. "simple tone." My opinion on the matter is that some banjos are born with more going on inside the pot. Others, however, seem to have a very straight-forward, rather plain sound without much going on inside their shell.

I think what Warren said about "being only 4 inches deep and sounding much deeper...being only 11 inches across and sounding much broader" really puts this fact into perspective. While the maturing of the banjo, i.e., the tone-ring fully mating to the shell (among other things) is important, I haven't heard a banjo, even an old one that had "matured," that could get the "complex" sound with time. The banjos that "have it" have it from day 1. I think what Yates banjos and several other makers' banjos have shown us is how little age actually affects the tone of a banjo. Yes things change, but what isn't there from the get-go doesn't appear with time. I think that is why banjos have to be incredible the moment their picked. It's like this old principle: good gets better; best becomes great.

PFP said: "I think that is why banjos have to be incredible the moment their picked. It's like this old principle: good gets better; best becomes great."  I believe it also matters if the picker has the ability to use the (tool/banjo) to pull out that tone if it is in there.  I have watched many pickers take the same banjo and not be able to "pull-out" what the previous picker had done with the same banjo.  The random occurrence can also take place...think of the stories of J.D. Crowe and Bela Fleck...J.D. didn't know that the banjo he picked up out of a luthier's shop would be great, neither did Bela know that the box of parts that arrived at his door from Mandolin Bros. would be the banjo it is now.  Both of these players wanted pre-war flatheads, and the "random occurrence" or destiny (I guess) mated the great player with a great instrument.  Then it became the objective of both players to find the tone in that box of parts or the disassembled banjo in a shop.  Bela says that he knew he did the right thing the moment he picked the first note...not sure if J.D. felt the same after he assembled his pre-war banjo (the one that he found while he was with Jimmy Martin).  All I know for sure is that I'm sure glad that both found a TONE MONSTER in capable hands!  As PFP stated...good gets better, best or better becomes great!  This goes for the picker as well!

quote:

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Originally posted by plunka5

PFP said: "I think that is why banjos have to be incredible the moment their picked. It's like this old principle: good gets better; best becomes great."  I believe it also matters if the picker has the ability to use the (tool/banjo) to pull out that tone if it is in there.  I have watched many pickers take the same banjo and not be able to "pull-out" what the previous picker had done with the same banjo.  The random occurrence can also take place...think of the stories of J.D. Crowe and Bela Fleck...J.D. didn't know that the banjo he picked up out of a luthier's shop would be great, neither did Bela know that the box of parts that arrived at his door from Mandolin Bros. would be the banjo it is now.  Both of these players wanted pre-war flatheads, and the "random occurrence" or destiny (I guess) mated the great player with a great instrument.  Then it became the objective of both players to find the tone in that box of parts or the disassembled banjo in a shop.  Bela says that he knew he did the right thing the moment he picked the first note...not sure if J.D. felt the same after he assembled his pre-war banjo (the one that he found while he was with Jimmy Martin).  All I know for sure is that I'm sure glad that both found a TONE MONSTER in capable hands!  As PFP stated...good gets better, best or better becomes great!  This goes for the picker as well!

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 I couldn't agree more, plunka. I think that is why we all value Ron Stewart in this process. It isn't simply because he is helping build the banjos in part, but mostly because he possesses the intense skill to be able to show us the difference in sound. I know that both he, Jim Mills, and only a handful of others have inspired me to be able to "pull out that tone." The banjo is only as good as the player, no? Frankly, after seeing Mr. Stewart last August, he got me thinking about picking with one finger on the head like J.D. It gives a better tone. I have also lightened up, due to a hand condition, and because it made the tone of my banjo better. Ron is one of the few who "has it all." He is helping build good banjos, and promoting the right techniques to get the best out of each. That is a wonderful combination.

Cat scan complete.

Edited by - Warren Yates on 01/18/2012 14:58:48

Edited by - Warren Yates on 01/18/2012 15:01:45

Just got an email from Warren saying that he had completed the cat scan and I see that he has already posted it........he is waiting on the lab work as I type!

I have a suspicion that Warren will have "Son Of Skillethead" strung up and playing it within a few hours.......anticipation on my part is high!!!!!!!

Robby

It made a sound today but is quite a way from set up.

Very nice Warren, and thanks for posting that video from Banjothon!  

I have to admit, i've never been a huge fan of the bowtie style ... but these pics and videos are starting to make a believer out of me!!

I love the finish on the neck and reso! Makes it one of the most attractive mahogany banjos i've seen!

I wasn't aware that Warren was making all his own hardware too. That is awesome!

Couple questions:
Does Warren make all the hardware for the other models (RS, top-tension) too? Or just Skillethead?
And can a person order a non-distressed finish banjo?

I had heard alot of good things about Yates Banjos in the past, but this thread has been incredible for raising awareness of just who you guys are and what your doing! I'm starting to put my pennies together already!!

I have to say I have enjoyed this thread as much as any that have been on here for a while.  I have wanted a Ron Stewart model for a while now but have always loved the Bow Ties. Now the decision will be difficult. I always wondered why someone did not build one as an Alan Shelton tribute.  Warren you have done an amazing job, thanks for letting us see the progress.

Tony