Deering John Hartford #1 Reviews

Deering John Hartford #1 submitted 1/8/2008 Submitter Oplunk (see all reviews from this person) Where Purchased Elderly Instruments Year Purchased 2001 Price Paid 1750 ($US) (bought USED) Sound I have to admit that I have not given this banjo the praise it deserves. Last month I put on a new Weather King top frosted head (tap tuned to a G#) and the sound came alive!! I replaced the orignal bridge with a Snuffy Smith. Using Roger Siminoff's suggestions, I spent a lot of time tuning the head and making sure little things like string angle between bridge and tailpiece were optimal. I also put on medium gauge LaBella strings. It now sings perhaps better than my Stelling Master's Cross Deluxe. I have played it pretty non-stop for 3-finger style stuff. Sound Rating 10 Setup No. It came pretty close to "as is". It had a clear Remo head which was not installed properly. The tension ring was lopsided and the bridge was pretty sucky (technical term). Setup Rating 3 Appearance It is beautiful and relatively lite because of the wooden tonering. All hardware is nickel-plated to perfection. The armrest has a little wear, but not excessive. And, I love the "riverboat" style headstock and neck inlays. Appearance Rating 10 Reliability It is now a work horse with style. I love the satin finish and the fingerboard is clean, well-proportioned and well-balanced. The fret work is flawless (smooth, no snags or rough spots). It has a slightly wider fingerboard, so Crowe spacing on the bridge works great. Reliability Rating 10 Customer Service Elderly Instruments has provided high quality products and services to me for many years and I have never had a bad experence with them. I can't blame the set-up on them because I bought the banjo "as-is". Customer Service 9 Components The first head was not original manufacture nor was it the original set-up. It clearly had fallen into the hands of an inexperienced set-up/repair person. The banjo itself is pretty close to perfect in all respects. I use it for both bluegrass and clawhammer and it just sings everytime. Components Rating 9 Overall Comments I was reluctant to even play this banjo for several years. It was always my first choice to trade, but I couldn't get anyone to take it. Then, I decided to spend a little cash a lot of time to make it sparkle. And, it paid off big time. I would now put this insturment up against any other banjo anywhere. So, yes, I would recommend it. But, before you trade a banjo, try getting it set up properly and see you still want to get rid of it. Overall Rating 10

Deering John Hartford #1 submitted 8/12/2007 Submitter maryzcox (see all reviews from this person) Where Purchased Deering custom shop Year Purchased 2007 Price Paid Don't Remember historic exchange rates / currency converter Sound Wow! Light weight, wooden tone ring, big sound. 22 fret open back--it doesn't need a pop on resonator. :) Sound Rating 10 Setup Awesome--it arrived in the mail set up wonderful! I'll put a bronze fourth string on it when I change strings--other than that--wonderful! Setup Rating 10 Appearance Regular steamboat inlays--dark wood finish--very awesome. I ordered gold hardware and a black head and this combo looks the best I've ever seen a John Hartford look. This is an expensive banjo, though, and feel for the price, it should have heel carving and a little inlay on the little heel spot. :) The front of the banjo is exquisite and think it should have just a touch of extra on the back. Also--it would be nice for the tuning pegs to be black instead of white. On the extreme end--it would be nice to replace the white plastic with real black pearl--but that would add a huge custom expense. Appearance Rating 10 Reliability Yes! Especially love the Deering gears--they stay in tune better than anything! Reliability Rating 10 Customer Service Custom shop is friendly and has made me two awesome banjos. :) Carolina Bridges has been a very helpful and cheerful saleswoman. Her phone number is in my cell. :) Customer Service 10 Components Top woods with great sound Beautiful inlay pattern Beautiful concert quality banjo One of the lovliest banjo voices I've ever heard! Components Rating 10 Overall Comments Love this banjo. I've always wanted a John Hartford model. I am chronically on "banjo restriction" so I sold a beloved Ramsey Woody to help finance this banjo. I thought I would be pleased--but wow--I was unprepared for the wonderful tone and appearance of this banjo. My husband was against this project from the first, but when I pulled the Hartford from its case and began to play--he nearly fell off his stool ! "Wow! No wonder you wanted that banjo!" he said. Now--you know it is one heck of a banjo that would make a confirmed banjo restrictor agree that this was a good banjo buy. :) Overall Rating 10

Deering John Hartford #1 submitted 5/15/2007 Submitter pdorrell (see all reviews from this person) Where Purchased MusicRoom Online (UK) Year Purchased 2006 Price Paid 1900 (GBP) historic exchange rates / currency converter Sound Great... the wooden tone ring does give a nice rich sound . Sound Rating 8 Setup Initially the sound was a little muted. The action was very high, and needed a little adjustment, and a new set of strings made all the difference. The only other change was the addition of a pair of D tuners. Setup Rating 6 Appearance Excellent finish, looks great. No complaints at all. Appearance Rating 10 Reliability Very solid build. Can't see any problems with it for the future Reliability Rating 10 Customer Service The retailers were very friendly; however they omitted to send me the warranty card for the banjo. Will have to chase them up on that. No contact with Deering required. Customer Service 7 Components So far, I've been pretty happy with everything. Components Rating 9 Overall Comments I'd certainly recommend this banjo to anyone. The prices are high in the UK, but that seems to be a problem for most manufacturers. Overall Rating 9

Deering John Hartford #1 submitted 11/22/2006 Submitter japus (see all reviews from this person) Where Purchased Professional Music..Greensburg, Pa. Year Purchased 2004 Price Paid 2400 ($US) Sound Had this banjo now for 3 years and wouldnt trade it for another of any brand or model, not even Deering's Banjosaurus....I changed the head to a fibreskin, tried a few different bridges, but all in all this is one terrific instrument, I have had people play it and all told me it is a keeper...ONly change I would make if buying it again would be to purchase the one with the pop off resonator.. Sound Rating 10 Setup Very easy to change settings, made changes to action a few times in order to get it to my liking... Setup Rating 9 Appearance I like the finish on it..takes a little time occasionally to clean it all..doesnt everything? Appearance Rating 10 Reliability I am pleased with everything on this banjo..the only one I use now, for clawhammer and 3 finger style Reliability Rating 10 Customer Service Cannot say enough about Deering and emplyees,,everyone is helpful, courteous, and informative, any questions I had and couldnt answer they did send me an answer..even with my first purchase..goodtime2 Customer Service 10 Components Cant find anything cheap about this one Components Rating 10 Overall Comments I recommmend this to anyone, especially someone seeking a litgher weight banjo..the granadillo tone ring is superb and I just love it I would replace with a pop off john hartford.. My favorite feature is banjo lays in my arms just like a baby Havent found another banjo I like as much as this one Overall Rating 10

Deering John Hartford #1 submitted 10/10/2004 Submitter ryanidol (see all reviews from this person) Where Purchased Elderly Instruments Year Purchased 2004 Price Paid 2300 ($US) Sound Thsi banjo has terrific sound. The wood tone rings produces awesome low end and it has a quality sound. Sometimes i miss a real tone ring, but i think its just because i play it so much i get frustrated with sound. You have to play one to decide for yourself. The tone is amazing though, and I think most people would be impressed. Sound Rating 9 Setup The head was pretty loose, everythign else was allright. I definitly did my share of tweaking. I have put a snuffy smith head on it along with a sosobee submurged wood bridge. This improved the tone. Setup Rating 7 Appearance Thsi banjo is beautiful. The inlays are very distinct and very neatly done. This banjo is virtually flawless. Appearance Rating 9 Reliability Built very solid, also very light. This is a big plus. I use this banjo without a backup banjo, even though i own one. Reliability Rating 8 Customer Service Never dealt with them except for ordering. No complaints there. Customer Service 8 Components Presto tailpiece rattles, but they always do. The tonering is amazing. High quality tuners. I like the snuffy smith head i put on it. Components Rating 9 Overall Comments I would recomend this banjo. The tone is fantastic, it is very light, and the playability with light strings is flawless. I would recoment playing one that is proferly setup before making your decision though. This banjo lacks a little bit of the crunch that a regular tone ring banjo has, but it is made up for in other aspects of tone. The sustain is a little longer on it also. One flaw that i have with this banjo is not being able to change tone rings. It would be nice if they could have carved the grenadillo wood into the shape of a standard tone ring and placed it on the rim, this way a tone ring change would be possible. Other than that this banjo is awesome. Overall Rating 9

Deering John Hartford #1 submitted 7/25/2004 Submitter Muttcaster (see all reviews from this person) Where Purchased Direct at Winfield Year Purchased 2003 Price Paid 2000 ($US) Sound Full and rich. You can really hear the wood in the tone ring. Being primarily a guitar and mandolin player, I wanted something a little different than your typical bluegrass banjo. I've had a friend's Gibson Granada in the house for several months and I almost never play it. Everyone here prefers the Hartford's tone. Sound Rating 9 Setup Excellent. I do lutherie work and setups for a living and the only thing I've done to the Hartford is decrease the neck relief a little. I let a friend of mine swap bridges and he ended up with the stock bridge. I'm still using light strings on it, too. I just like the Setup Rating 9 Appearance This is a gorgeous banjo, IMHO. The inlays are different and the brown stained maple is really sharp looking. Appearance Rating 10 Reliability No real comment. I've had it a year and it hasn't broken down and left me stranded on a dark dirt road yet. Just looking at it and applying my lutherie experience, it's a well-built instrument. Not going to give me any problems. Reliability Rating 9 Customer Service I bought the banjo at Winfield and Barry was really helpful and patient. I've had supper with Janet and Greg Deering well before I was even remotely interested in banjos and feel sure they'll back up their instrument. Customer Service 9 Components I haven't changed a thing and don't see any reason to. If I were going to fool with something, it would be the tailpiece and I might try and adjustable tension t/p, but I'm in no hurry to do so. Everything else is just fine. Components Rating 9 Overall Comments I really like this banjo. I had been playing an OB-250 for a few months and decided to look at higher-end banjos at Winfield. I went down the line of Ome and liked them, but nothing grabbed me. Got to the Deerings and liked them. The instant I pulled the Hartford off the shelf, the lighter weight got my attention. The neck felt instantly comfortable. I sat down and played my beginning version of Cripple Creek and thought Hey, this banjo sounds GOOD!!! At this point I knew nothing about the Hartford- this was the first I'd ever heard or seen of the thing. I went back several times over the next day and finally the next morning I dragged my friend Keith Yoder down to the booth. We jammed for about an hour with him on banjo and me on guitar. Hearing the Hartford from out front and getting Keith's opinion was the clincher. I bought it. It's way more banjo than I need but I've never regretted it for an instant. What I notice when A/B'ing it against my friend's Granada (which I've had for several months) is that the Hartford's tone changes more as the right hand moves around. The deep notes are deep but not muddy, and the highs are high but not shrill. The overall tone is just more musical- less bell-brass ringing and more fundamental notes. Yeah....I'd say that I like this banjo! Overall Rating 9

Deering John Hartford #1 submitted 5/1/2002 Submitter Unknown Where Purchased Allen Music Year Purchased 2001 Price Paid Don't Remember historic exchange rates / currency converter Sound I am a rookie player but I would say it has a full sound with a lot of volume. Sound Rating 7 Setup The action is high at present. That is the way it was at purchase. I would like lower action. Setup Rating 5 Appearance It looks great. Classy but not fancy. Appearance Rating 8 Reliability Too soon to say. Reliability Rating 7 Customer Service n/a Customer Service not rated Components Wood tone ring... provides great sound. Components Rating not rated Overall Comments I love my banjo. But I am always looking. Overall Rating 8

Deering John Hartford #1 submitted 1/12/2002 Submitter Road Dog (see all reviews from this person) Where Purchased Elderly Instruments Year Purchased 2001 Price Paid 2069 ($US) Sound Loud, rich/full sound. The Grenadillo wood tonering gives this banjo a "vintage" tone (sounds good and old) - to my ears anyway. Check out the review of my Stelling Bellflower Top-Tension. Sound Rating 10 Setup Excellent setup. The guys at Elderly do a great job. Action is 1/8" at the 12th fret. I haven't made any changes (none required). Setup Rating 10 Appearance This banjo is too beautiful for words. Flamed maple (neck and resonator) stained a rich brown. Hand rubbed finish - great vintage look - not glossy. Inlays are described as "Steamboat Gothic." Very elaborate, multi-color pearl headstock inlay. Unique inlays at frets 1, 8&9 (inlay covers 2 frets), and 21&22. Small pearl dots at the "usual" frets. Appearance Rating 10 Reliability So far so good. The finish on the wood is described above. Nickel plating on the metal parts is flawless. I'm trying to do my part - diligently wiping the plated parts down after each use - to hopefully prevent (or at least delay) tarnish. Reliability Rating 10 Customer Service Deering has been great to deal with...so have the folks at Elderly Instruments. Lifetime manufacturer's warranty. Elderly has a 90-day to one year new instrument warranty in addition to the manufacturer's. Customer Service 10 Components Excellent components. This banjo has a wooden tonering - Granadillo wood - same wood used on marimbas. Amazing tone!! It also has a zinc flange...makes for a very light banjo...probably 6 or 7 pounds lighter than my Stelling. It's said that because of the wooden tonering, the Hartford will "play in" like a violin (become louder and develop more presence the more it is played). Components Rating 10 Overall Comments Well worth the money. It doesn't sound like a pre- war Gibson or a Stelling, so it's probably not for everyone, but it's perfect for me. I love the sound (loud, not clangy, lots of mid-range), and the great vintage look. It's a unique banjo, and has all ready become my favorite. I'd have to say my 21+ year old Stelling is a much more "modern" banjo - and it has never let me down - but I'm really liking the Deering. Overall Rating 10