Cedar Mountain J300 Reviews

Cedar Mountain J300 submitted 10/5/2008 Submitter Drewster (see all reviews from this person) Where Purchased Mandolin Bros Year Purchased 2008 Price Paid 1600-ish ($US) Sound Going into this, I was leaning towards a 12 inch "woody" openback after playing for a couple years. I play more melodic clawhammer and had played a variety of different types of openbacks which lead me to prefer that more mellow tone qualtiy. I went to Mandolin Bros with the intent to trying out a H&D singletree as well as a Ramsey woody which were in stock. I had only heard of Cedar Mountain and was not expecting on getting blown away by the perfect blend of mellow and sweet tonality. The block rosewood rim combined with a fiberskyn head works, which suprised me as I was never a fan of fiberskyn from others played but this one is somehow different. I can honestly say that the tone alone sold me on this particular banjo. It plays well with solid booming lows and sweet highs. There is little noticable volume loss up the neck. Sound Rating 10 Setup The set-up was fine and action played (still plays) great. Probably going to experiment around with some different bridges to see what happens but for now plays just great. The spacking on the neck is perfect for me. I can easily drop thumb without much issues. Setup Rating 9 Appearance I personally dislike any ornamentation on instruments. Never could understand the need for fingerboard dots (never look there) and was pleased that Lo keeps his fretboards clean on most models. I would actually prefer a clean peghead but this one has the cardinal inlay which is ok. I am sure most people like ornamentation but that really isn't my thing. I guess this would be the one asthetic compromise I made. I am more impressed with wood detail and component quality which is outstanding with this instrument.The rim is absolutely beatiful and the cherry neck, while a fairly straighforward one-piece, looks and feels great. I have not seen any flaws, blemishes or construction issues. Appearance Rating 9 Reliability So far no complaints. When I hold it and play it, there is a feeling of solid craftsmanship. It is obvious that pride was taken in its' construction. Reliability Rating 10 Customer Service Have not had much need for customer service. I emailed Lo to get some additional details/specs on the banjo and got a prompt reply with the life story of the instrument. Good stuff. The warrantly is lifetime which I doubt will need to be addressed. Customer Service 10 Components The J line is the less expensive line of Cedar Mountain banjos which I was not aware of when I purchased this banjo. I had also played a FH by Cedar Mountain at the store and still thought the J300 was a better sounding instrument. The rosewood block tone rime is amazing. I cannot attest for the bent "ply" rims of the other J models. Components Rating 10 Overall Comments While I paid a little more than I expected for this instrument, I am perfectly content with it for my style of playing. The combination of playability, tone and appearance keeps me perfectly content everytime I pick it up. I think that as far as openbacks go, this one will stick with me for life. Like I said above, the only issue I have with the banjo is my preference for a more traditional "clean" look which makes the cardinal inlay not my cup of tea. Overall Rating 10