Fults Parallel 1934 Tailpiece Fults Parallel tailpiece submitted 1/12/2008 Submitter dogsplus2 Where Purchased www.banjotailpiece.com (Bob Fults) Overall Comments I've been looking to upgrade to a quality tailpiece for a while, and it was a toss up between the standard presto or the parallel, but I liked the idea of even pressure on the strings etc so went for the parallel (straight line). This is a serious piece of quality kit, it is extremely well made (I doff my cap to you Bob) and is solid. The Mounting system is great, it really holds the TP in place well with no movement, and a large degree of adjustment is available for the string angle. One slight draw back is that for some, the size of the mounting system makes fitting your strap difficult. That said, with a bit of thought, my strap fitted perfectly, and the TP is well worth the effort. It gives a great clarity to my notes, and all strings sound even in volume. I've had clamshell and a kershner type TP's before, and this well and truly knocks them out the park. It oozes quality, and although noticeably more expensive than some others, you can see why once it is fitted. I'll never change this TP again. Update 23/5/08: This TP is still going strong - I absolutely love it, the aadjustability is fantastic. Bob Fults is also great, I was over eager in tightening (completely my fault too - I have hammers for hands) and broke a bit, Bob sorted me out and never even asked for payment. Thouroughly recommended. Overall Rating 10

G7 banjo capo G7 submitted 12/22/2007 Submitter dogsplus2 Where Purchased Janet Davis Music Overall Comments This Capo is great, it does the opposite of most spring capo's I've tried - you press it onto the strings to lock it, and press the lever to release it. It's a great piece of kit that is small and tidy. It works really well, and I don't think I'll use anything else. It is real small. Overall Rating 9

Jay Buckey Bluegrass Banjo Volumes 1-8 submitted 12/20/2007 Submitter dogsplus2 Where Purchased eBook - website http://jaybuckey.com/banjo.htm Overall Comments I used a lot of great books to get me started, but once I felt I had some of the basics covered, I was crying out for new songs to be able to play - it's what keeps me motivated. I've only been playing a year, but I truly believe that I made a huge leap forward when I started using the Jay Buckey eBooks. They come with MP3's for all the tunes, many at differing speeds, and if you use Audacity or a similar program, you can cancel the banjo from the left audio channel and you're left with a great set of back up MP3's. Not all the songs are the true 'as Scruggs played it' arrangements, but if you can get past that, you are left with great arrangements with just the right amount of challenge for a seasoned beginner/early intermediate. I'm now playing tunes like Ground Speed and Banjo Signal, which I thought were well out of my grasp at this stage, and it just keeps your confidence high, and enthusiasm up. The books themselves come in PDF format and are professional looking TAB books. If you want to try before you buy, he even has a a very large selection of free TAB. Can't recommend enough. Overall Rating 10

Neotech Super banjo strap submitted 11/24/2007 Submitter dogsplus2 Where Purchased Eagle Music Overall Comments This is great. It seems to halve the weight of the banjo. My banjo weighs just over 5kgs, but feels lighter than my starter banjo with no tone ring!! A strange concept, but works very very well. It just doesn't look as nice as a leather strap. Overall Rating 9

Fielding-Cutler Banjo Mute submitted 11/6/2007 Submitter dogsplus2 Where Purchased www.thebanjomute.com Overall Comments This banjo mute is extremely easy to fit and remove. The sound with the F-C mute on is very clear with a slight 'ring' to it, and it very effectively mutes the banjo volume. It doesn't look great, but then it probably isn't meant to, but it's effectiveness is beyond question. This may just save my marriage! Overall Rating 9

Ozark BJ600-5 Natural Bluegrass Ozark 2141GN submitted 11/6/2007 Submitter dogsplus2 Where Purchased Celtic Chords, Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, UK Year Purchased Apr 2007 Price Paid 330 (GBP) historic exchange rates / currency converter Sound When I started playing in January this year, I quickly outgrew my beginner banjo which had no tone ring etc. I was looking for a good heavy banjo with a nice sound that wouldn't break the bank, so after a bit of digging around I opted for this one. The sound from this Banjo is very loud and crisp, there were no buzzes or rattles and it certainly kocked the socks off my first banjo in terms of tone. It is quite a bright sounding banjo, but I changed the head to a Rennaisance and the tailpiece to a Kershner and the bridge to a Snuffy (all cheap and easy upgrades) and it now sound just the way I like it. Sound Rating 8 Setup Yes - no problems with Celtic Chords setup. The owner doesn't really play banjo, but he plays almost all other stringed instruments and is obviously a reasonably adept luthier. String height etc were standard, which is all I need at my stage. The only adjustments I made were to change the strings to my preferred options (Bill Keith light/mediums). Setup Rating 8 Appearance It's a good looking banjo with the natural maple used for the pot assembly. The resonator is also natural maple with concentric circle is black and white. The neck is natural maple with a rosewood fingerboard and wreath style abalone inlay. The banjo look very nice with the rennaisance head fitted. That said, close inspection does reveal a couple of small dark spots where dust was clearly not cleared before lacquering . I think this is acceptable given the price. Appearance Rating 8 Reliability It's still early days, but I don't forsee any problems with the banjo. It is solid and well built, and perhaps the only thing that may need attention in due course are the tuning peg buttons which seem a it flimsy. I've had this banjo apart, it it does seem well made. Reliability Rating 9 Customer Service I've never had to go back to Ozark or Celtic Chords at all, so I don't know. I can say that the chap at Celtic Chords which is a small locally owned company, was happy for me to spend as much time as I liked playing different banjo's (he had about 12 diiffernet ones in stock) before deciding. He trades on his reputation and I would imagine he would be good. because it's never been tested I'll make it 5. Customer Service 5 Components I didn't like the clamshell tailpiece. The tuning peg buttons seem a bit flimsy. Other than that, it seems decent quality. Components Rating 8 Overall Comments For the price I paid, I think this banjo is absolutely fantastic value. It feels and play like a much more expensive banjo. Prior to puurchasing, I played the Gold Tone OB250 and I felt that this banjo was very similar (and almost £500 cheaper). I am not a pro, I do not play in a band yet, but I DO plays lots (1-3 hours a day). I am usually quite obssessive about hobbies, and other hobbies such as photography kept me upgrading to different models every year. I can honestly say, I will not be upgrading from this one unless I am buying a professional (£1500+) banjo - it really is that good. Overall Rating 9