Stage Mate banjo stand submitted 4/25/2008 Submitter 5strbanjo Where Purchased :Manufacturer's website Overall Comments ...this is an excellent stand, strong yet light and also small; very portable...also very stable and solid; also, you can't beat the price... Overall Rating 10

Deering Goodtime Special submitted 3/28/2008 Submitter 5strbanjo Where Purchased Private Individual Year Purchased 2008 Price Paid $340 + shipping ($US) (bought USED) Sound This instrument arrived from the original owner in absolutely like-new condition. I haven't seen another one of these advertised in this price range on Banjo Hangout, so I think he gave me a really good deal. It's a beautifully designed lower-end resonator banjo, ideally suited as a second/travel/beginner banjo for Scruggs, melodic, and related styles. Because it comes with a steel tone ring designed by Deering, it's heavier than the Goodtime II, but still much lighter than more expensive resonator banjos with bell brass tone rings, etc. The tone is bright, which is to be expected from a maple/birch banjo. It sounded fine with the standard Goodtime bridge, but I upgraded to the expensive Greg Deering bridge ($65, believe it or not!) which resulted in a tone that is noticeably deeper and richer. I haven't tried it, but I wonder if a good Snuffy Smith bridge wouldn't have a similar effect. It would certainly cost a lot less! Sound Rating 9 Setup One of the first things I did when this banjo arrived was tighten the head to my liking, adjust the positioning of the bridge a tad, and make sure the tail piece was adjusted for as mellow a tone as possible. I also adjusted the single coordinator rod to lower the action some, and that worked fine; all I did was follow the instructions on the Deering website for doing this, and it went well. That's about all you can "set up" on a Goodtime banjo, and I like the results of what I did. Setup Rating 9 Appearance Having owned one of the Deering models that are stained brown, I noticed that, on that instrument, wear tended to occur through the stain on the edges of the neck, so I wanted to stick with the natural maple look. The standard Goodtime "Gumby" peghead shape has taken a fair amount of abuse over the years, and I must admit I'm not wild about it, either. I can live with the peghead shape, however...indeed, I've received positive comments on the overall look of this instrument. I saw a high-end electric guitar recently with a similar peghead, so maybe the shape is catching on! The finish was flawless and remains so, the maple neck/peghead and birch/maple rim are evidently high quality woods. The metal stretcher band, bracket hooks, coordinator rod, and tail piece are nickel plated and untarnished. Appearance Rating 8 Reliability I'm not happy with the look of the simple guitar-style geared tuners...but I must admit that they do the job. The Deering tail piece design is a good one. Deering strongly recommends using light strings on Goodtime banjos, I presume because the solid maple neck, which has no coordinator rod, might not stand up under the tension of heavier strings. So there is that... I've played this instrument indoors and outdoors, for band practices because it sounds good and is easier on the shoulder and back when standing for lengthy periods of time, and at jams that go on for hours, and it has never failed me. Recently, I have left it in double C tuning because I'm learning to play a double C arrangement of "Ashokan Farewell," and I don't want to have to re-tune each time I practice. It stays in double C tuning really well from one day to the next. (For now, most of the time I use my other, more expensive banjo for everything else.) Reliability Rating 10 Customer Service I have had direct dealings with Deering on various occasions, and they always respond in a prompt, helpful, friendly manner. Once, years ago, I had one of the early Goodtime open back banjos, and I had some trouble with the bracket hook bolts they were using at that time, a design they changed early on in the Goodtime's history. Anyway, I sent them the banjo and they sent me a brand new one with the new style brackets, even though the banjo was beyond the company's one-year warranty. Customer Service 10 Components The whole instrument seems rock solid, and while, as I said, the tuners are simple guitar-style tuners (which I don't care for on banjos) they do work reliably. The only part I can recommend tinkering with is the bridge... Components Rating 9 Overall Comments I would definitely recommend buying a used Goodtime Special, especially if you can find it in the price range that I paid. At the time of this writing, a brand new one can be had for $669 from, for example, Janet Davis Music. Compared to other banjos in this price range, however, I think the Goodtime Special sounds better and is built better than (frequently foreign-built) banjos that may be more attractive in terms of the cosmetics, etc., and come with some form of brass tone ring. Overall Rating 10

Shubb Sliding 5th-String Capo submitted 3/28/2008 Submitter 5strbanjo Where Purchased www.shubb.com Overall Comments I was leery of having even little screw holes drilled into the neck of my banjo, but I bit the bullet and had it done because I wanted to give this capo a try. A professional luthier did the installation. I'm really quite happy with the result. This capo operates on a different principle than spikes and you can adjust the pressure downward on the string so it doesn't go as easily out of tune as sometimes happens with spikes. Keep an open mind! Overall Rating 10

Thumb Pick Showcase Torti-PIck submitted 3/26/2008 Submitter 5strbanjo Where Purchased Bill Stokes / Showcase Overall Comments Bill makes these himself using water buffalo horn bonded to pearloid plastic. Expensive but worth every penny of the $16.95 price. Very strong, but not too rigid, and very comfortable, plus they have gotta last for many, many years. Contact Bill by email: bill@billstokesshowcase.com. At the very least, the perfect gift item. Overall Rating 10

Wittman Mini-Tuner submitted 1/14/2008 Submitter 5strbanjo Where Purchased From Manufacturer Overall Comments This is the most convenient tuner I've ever used. It mounts, and remains, on a resonator banjo's flange (using pressure-sensitive tape) with the tuner's display facing the player. You turn it off and on with a little toggle switch on the tuner, and it's powered by a 9-volt battery that mounts inside the banjo's rim (again using pressure-sensitive tape). It's highly accurate, too. The only time when it may not work as well as you'd like is when you're near other instruments, in a jam, performing with a band, etc. No clipping a tuner on and off the peghead, etc. It's always right there. I love it. It also works with guitars, mounted just inside the sound hole. You can check it out at http://www.wittman-spins.com/tunersMiniTuner.html Overall Rating 10

Harold Streeter submitted 12/13/2007 Submitter 5strbanjo Overall Comments The other reviewers have about said it all, but as one who has been learning from Harold for about five years now I will say this: If you're within driving distance of Harold Streeter, and you want to take banjo, guitar, or mandolin lessons from someone who is not only a master at playing these instruments but who knows how to really and truly help others learn, too, then you can't do better than Harold Streeter. Period. Overall Rating 10