Brooks Masten
Custom 12- inch slothead
submitted 7/25/2008
|
Submitter |
WGE (see all reviews from this person) |
Where Purchased |
from the maker |
Year Purchased |
2008 |
Price Paid |
1975 ($US) |
Sound
|
Lovely tone. Brighter than my Lee 12-inch Rose Hill woody, but with a sweet elegance when played softly. It has a nice bite when played with gusto. It is set up with a rolled brass tone hoop. I toyed with having Brooks put a Dobson ring in it, but I think it turned out just fine. Couldn't be happier with its tonal character and versatility. |
Sound Rating |
10 |
Setup
|
The setup was spot on. It came with a custom made bridge that is 11/16ths and which looks pretty beefy. The action is fine for my tastes and playing style. It has a nice wide fingerboard and narrow frets. It has turned out to be the easiest playing banjo I have ever owned; like a knife through hot butter. |
Setup Rating |
10 |
Appearance
|
It really looks great. I wanted the combination of cherry and rosewood which I find is a beautiful contrast and which has wonderful sonic properties. I also wanted a slothead design with a slotted fifth string. Brooks has come up with a nice slotted fifth setup. I had him put the fifth string nut just behind the sixth fret. The neck is nicely carved for the Waverly tuner. The hardware I choose was Brooks butterfly shoes and I specified all the hardware to be antiqued. The tension hoop is raw brass as well. I had Brooks put a stylized cherry blossom at the fifth fret. The entire banjo really exudes "old time" but in a very modern package. There isn't another banjo like it! |
Appearance Rating |
10 |
Reliability
|
Too soon to judge but I doubt there will be any problems. |
Reliability Rating |
10 |
Customer Service
|
Brooks was very easy to work with through a number of design changes during the banjo's gestation. He was very quick to answer e-mails and I had a nice time talking with him on the phone a time or two when we discussed the banjo's and features. He was very good about sending photos at various stages of construction. |
Customer Service |
10 |
Components
|
Most all the components are hand made. The hardware is just fantastic. I also really have grown to like the Waverly tuners. Very precise and they hold tune great. The custom bridge works great with the goatskin head. |
Components Rating |
10 |
Overall Comments
|
With any custom project you worry about how it will turn out and if you will like the end result. I had great luck with a really nice Romero banjo I had done up a few years back and my luck has continued with the Brooks. I got exactly what I wanted, it is unique, it is beautiful, it sounds great, and it plays so very easily. The banjo is very light in weight but very responsive. I feel blessed to have really neat banjos from some of the top custom builders; they aren't cheap but they are worth every penny, in fact two pennies for the Brooks, one on each side of the peghead. I will treasure my Brooks and Romero banjos and try my best to have my playing live up to them. If you are looking for something special, give these guys a call. |
Overall Rating |
10 |
RSS Feeds
