Deering Jens Kruger Custom  Reviews

Deering Jens Kruger Custom submitted 10/2/2004 Submitter Jack Deckert (see all reviews from this person) Where Purchased Deering Banjo Co. Year Purchased 2004 Price Paid Lots ($US) Sound This is a Walnut banjo. Beautiful burled resonator that sounds as good as it looks. It has a bit more of a poppy sound (where my Golden Era is pure bright) this banjo has much more range and is really well suited for Scruggs style as well as the more progressive "modern" stylings. It has an arched fingerboard which is so comfortable and taller frets making fretting much less of an effort. Just an awesome ride. Sound Rating 10 Setup This banjo was custom made for me by Chad, Chuck and Dylan as well as several of the other guys at the shop. The neck was shaped to my had and has that fantastic pre Tenbrooks "V" neck shape that is so comfortable. Set up was done with me watching and testing and checking, etc. It was flawless. I put a King Pin bridge on it and the volume increased significantly. Setup Rating 10 Appearance Absolutely stunning banjo. Gold plated and engraved, gorgeous Ivanhoe inlays running up and down the neck with a curly M.O.P. truss rod cover. There were only six original Kruger banjos ever made (now seven) and although I preferred to leave out the huge steel rod that runs down the neck it is still a Kruger in every sense of the word. The new Kruger is great but the pre-Tenbrooks Kruger is my personal favorite. Resonator is deep and burled like a son of a gun. Appearance Rating 10 Reliability All is top notch. Gold finish looks to be quadruple dipped. I will take this amazing piece of wood with me to only the choicest of festivals as if it ever gets dinged (which it certainly will someday) I will be a vegetable. Finish is deep and rich and thick. Reliability Rating 10 Customer Service Deering customer service is the absolute best. As most people know you can call Deering any day of the work week and get someone to help you out with any tech questions regardless of the label on your banjo. Customer Service 10 Components Arched fingerboard and Deering's fabulous new tailpiece are standout components. The engraved metal and the V shaped neck are great as well. I love the bound peghead on my model (it's the first Kruger ever bound). Components Rating 10 Overall Comments The banjo weighs in at about 9,500 big boys but if you have that kind of cabbage and a very forgiving spouse I would say order one. I've played a ton of banjos and in my humble opinion this one suits me best. If it was ever lost or stolen I would do terrible things to my dog with a fork (just kidding). I would definitely be in rough shape, maybe some counseling, perscription medication (valiums, Xanax something like this) would help. Then I would get on the horn, wake Chad up, and have him get the boys going on a new one. Overall Rating 10