Banjo stands Sosebee Banjo Stand submitted 4/15/2008 Submitter eagleisland Where Purchased banjo.com Overall Comments I'm of the belief that a banjo should either be in its case or (preferably) in your lap - and generally, that's where mine is. But there are times when this isn't practical, and gigging is one of those times. With that in mind, I did some research for the sturdiest, safest banjo stand available. That appeared to be the Sosebee, so I ordered one. Unlike most stands, which are metal and collapsible, the Sosebee is more or less a sturdy wooden box about 6" high, 18" wide and 8" deep. The top is cut out to accept the shape of a resonator banjo. Inside the box is an adjustable pad, by which you can shape the angle with which the instrument sits. It serves its purpose very well. These things aren't cheap - a little over $100 ordered through banjo.com (plus shipping). Frankly, at that price I was rather disappointed by the fit and finish of the device. It's not exactly fine furniture, and it's obvious that they're assembled quickly, with little regard for appearance. The '8' rating is a combo. Functionality is a 10. Finish work, at this price, should be much better - I'd charitably give that a 6. Overall Rating 8

Huber Capo Huber Capo submitted 3/17/2008 Submitter eagleisland Where Purchased Direct from Huber Overall Comments Could a capo possibly be worth $135? Because once you add in a couple of extra sleeves shipping and handling, that's about what these puppies cost. Beats me as to why. From a design standpoint, these are very similar to the Paige, which is available at roughly 20% of the price. There are some subtle mechanical differences, but the upshot is that they both work the same way: a U-shaped fitting that surrounds the neck, a padded bar across the fingerboard, a fitting that goes against the back of the neck, and a knurled thumbscrew to tension that fitting. The truly key differences lie in the sleeve material on the fingerboard bar - it's considerably softer than that on the Paige - and the way the fitting is padded - with a thin strip of leather. All that said, the Huber capo is beautifully made and performs flawlessly. I had some intonation problems with the Paige; I find myself retuning much less with the Huber. I also found that the sleeve on the Paige tends to wear out a lot faster than the Huber (you can order more sleeves from Huber - but you can also get the same material a lot cheaper at large hardware stores). This last puts me to the ponder. I would assume that the tubing used on the Huber is also a stock type of tubing, although I don't know what that might be. Still, one wonders if a Paige with the same tubing Huber uses might be just as effective and save one more than a hundred bucks. It is for this reason I gave the capo an 8 rather than a 10 - because the Huber DOES in fact perform perfectly. BTW - I ordered the capo by phone, and Steve himself answered the phone. He radiused the capo for me and shipped it promptly. It was a very pleasant buying experience. Overall Rating 8

Nut and Saddle lubrication Big Bend Nut Sauce submitted 12/16/2007 Submitter eagleisland Where Purchased Buckdancer's Choice, Portland maine Overall Comments I was having trouble with strings sharping up after tuning and with Keith tuners flatting when brought back to pitch - all classic signs of friction on the nut and saddle. This stuff was recomended by my local music store. The packaging says that it contains "graphite, teflon and synthetic lubricants." The stuff comes in a small syringe with a very fine point. The instructions caution you to use only the tiniest amount, and they're not kidding. Nut Sauce squeezes out of the syringe in an almost hair-thin bead and even that can be too much; the tiniest extra bit of it can end up as a small blob on the strings and will significantly damp the tone of the string. If you use this stuff. make sure that you indeed follow that 'tiniest amount' caution and also make sure you clean your strings at nut and saddle thoroughly. This stuff ain't cheap, either, so using the minimum possible amount is good economics. Results: once I figured out why my banjo sounded so curiously dead and cleaned off those blobs, it works pretty well. The banjo definitely holds tune better and the Keiths work as intended. One note: I have noticed a little discoloration around the grooves on my (bone) nut. This stuff might produce some modest staining on bone. Overall Rating 7

ODE 2SR submitted 9/23/2007 Submitter eagleisland Where Purchased From a friend Year Purchased 1988 Price Paid 150 ($US) (bought USED) Sound This is an aluminum-rimmed archtop, with the rim coming in and topped with a brass tone ring (of sorts). It takes careful setup to optimize the tone of these instruments. The combination of aluminum ring and archtop virtually guarantees a lot of top end but not much down low. A skilled setup person can coax more depth of of them, but that depth is somewhat limited. Additionally, note separation leaves a fair amount to be desired - for clear note separation you really have to play close to the bridge. The right bridge will definitely help, and there have been some interesting approaches to improving the tone with assymetric head tensioning. I've not done this, but if you're interested you should contact Hangout members (and hard-core Ode buffs) Mike Stanger or Ed Britt for details. Sound Rating 6 Setup Odes are known for slim necks and close action and this puppy has both. It was a used instrument when I got it so specific setup commentary is really more general - See comments above with regard Setup Rating 7 Appearance This is an entry-level banjo and as such is very basic in appearance. For what it is, it's just fine. Appearance Rating 6 Reliability This is a Baldwin or Gretsch era banjo. It's well built (with one caveat - see below). Now that I have my "lifetime" banjo, I now use the Ode primarily for traveling - it's ideal for taking camping or on the boat, and it's relatively sturdy. Reliability Rating 7 Customer Service n/a Customer Service not rated Components The neck is slim and the action is very close - which makes it an easy instrument to learn on. I've not touched the truss rod since I bought the banjo and the neck is still true. The biggest weakness I see is the way the resonator is attached to the flange - directly, through the flange, into lugs on the sidewall. There is no secondary bracket to the rim. I've had lug failure as a result of the case being dropped (thanks, USAir!) that I suspect would have been avoided if a more sophisticated attachment system had been used. The banjo came with a compensated Grover bridge. Greg Boyd replaced it with a Prucha bridge, which definitely improved the sound Components Rating 7 Overall Comments It was a steal for the price I paid, and it proved to be an excellent starter banjo and a good one to have in the quiver for taking to places you wouldn't want to take your primary instrument. As such, I'd happily recommend one to a beginner or someone who wants a good-quality "beater." Because of the growing Cult of Ode, these banjos sometimes trade in the $900 range nowadays. I think it's possible to get better sound out of some of the newer instruments today - for example, you can get a truer bluegrass sound for the same money with a lightly used Recording King - but that said, these are very sturdy, well-playing banjos with some attributes worth considering. Overall Rating 7

Greg Boyd's House of Fine Instruments submitted 9/23/2007 Submitter eagleisland Overall Comments Who'da thunk that one of the finest acoustic instrument stores anywhere would be tucked into a converted garage on a quiet residential street in... Missoula, Montana? Boyd's is a bit hard to find and the exterior really gives no idea of what's inside. What's inside is a small, cluttered "showroom" of sorts with as many instruments as possible hung from the walls - and stacks of cases containing others everywhere else. Presiding over the cluttered scene: Greg himself, an affable, gentle bear of a man who has probably had time to forget more about acoustic instruments than most of us will ever learn. The shop alternates between sleepy and crowded (five customers in the room, given the decor, is definitely a crowd). Boyd is a wealth of information, and he likes to talk, exploring every nuance of a customer's question. That's great as long as you're the person who asked it. If you're the second to arrive, you might be waiting for a while. Greg has an eye (and ear) for high-quality instruments you might not have heard of. He was pretty much the first dealer in the US to recognize Prucha banjos for what they are, and is one of only two dealers in the States to sell them. He also championed the Wiliams banjo and several high-quality guitars. Greg doesn't give his instruments away, but he charges fair prices for them and is always available, in person, online or on the phone, to answer questions (unless, of course, you're the second person to arrive). And he absolutely stands behind what he sells. He also does superb setup and repair work and stocks a wide variety of parts in the (much more spacious) warehouse and shop behind the store. Having been to the shop and seeing Greg in action, I can say with confidence that I'd order an instrument online from him - without having first played it. And Greg is about the only person I'd do that with. Missoula isn't exactly next door from anywhere, but if you're looking for quality instruments sold by a quality guy, touch base with him. Keep an eye on his website - his inventory changes a lot and he's pretty good at keeping the online store updated. If you see something of interest, call him - he'll give you the straight scoop. If you can find a way to get to the store, so much the better. I'd happily drive 5 hours to get to the store, and if you're looking at something really special a visit is not a ridiculous idea - you can fly into Missoula connecting from Denver, Seattle, Chicago, Minneapolis, Portland OR, Las Vegas or Salt Lake City. Overall Rating 10

Price Banjo Case Price Banjo Case submitted 7/1/2007 Submitter eagleisland Where Purchased Gruhn Guitars Year Purchased 2007 Price Paid 575 ($US) Sound n/a Sound Rating not rated Setup n/a Setup Rating not rated Appearance It looks like what it is: a bombproof banjo case Appearance Rating not rated Reliability I have a feeling you could drive a fork lift over this puppy without fear of damage to the contents. Reliability Rating 10 Customer Service Didn't deal with Price directly. Found it on the Gruhn website. For all the slagging Gruhn gets on the Hangout, I must say that my experience with them was great. I was in need of a great road case for my new banjo and couldn't find a Calton - I stumbled upon the Price on the Gruhn website. In that I was going to be in the Nashville area about a week later, I called the store. Yes, it was in stock. Yes, they could put it on hold for me. No, I didn't need to put a deposit on it (!!) Yes, it was sitting right there in the banjo room with my name on it when I showed up. The Gruhn staff was friendly and prompt. Only bummer was learning that Tennessee has something like a 10% sales tax, which added no small amount to the cost. But Gruhn's was great. Customer Service 10 Components It's got the best quality hardware I've seen on a banjo case. Fit and finish are fine. The dual-pick-box arrangement is quite handy. Comes with rings so you can put a shoulder strap on it - and trust me, you'll want to. Read on... Components Rating 10 Overall Comments There's only two downsides to these things. First, they have rubber feet on the hinge side and the bottom, in order to support the case on its side or laying flat. That's smart. But when the case is open and the banjo is removed, they tilt towards the hinge side. Minor annoyance. More signficantly:: loaded with a banjo and a few doodads in the pick box, you're looking at a 30+ pound load - and that's not an inconsiderable weight to lug from a parking lot or through an airport. I've hefted loaded Caltons that were comparable and, inexplicably, also loaded Caltons that were significantly lighter. Go figure. I'm not dissing Caltons. The Price case is, however, an excellent product: a heavy and very solid banjo case that affords a high quality banjo the best protection available. They're not cheap, but if your banjo is special, you should consider one. Price sells a case cover for these made of ballistic nylon. I'm giving serious thought to getting one and having backpack straps added to it. That might make long treks with the case a little less onerous. Of course, if only someone would make a quality case out of carbon fiber... Overall Rating 10

Hatfield Custom - "The Compass Rose" submitted 5/21/2007 Submitter eagleisland Where Purchased Arthur Hatfield Year Purchased 2007 Price Paid ($US) Sound Let me say up front that I am NOT going to provide ratings numbers. There is too much 'grade inflation hereabouts. I'd give everything a 10 anyway, but given the fact that some pretty ordinary banjos routinely get 10 ratings it's just not realistic to do so. The sound is fantastic. The banjo is walnut, with a radiused Brazilian rosewood board. The rim is the Sullivan Old Floor and the ring is a gold-plated Hatfield 20. To my ear, this is the sweet spot for a banjo - depending on where you pick it you can get almost all of the snap of maple or the comparative tonal softness of mahogany. The range of sounds this banjo is capable of delivering is mindblowing. It's new, too, and still opening up (and I am still learning the instrument and how to get the best of it). Suffice to say that this banjo has a wider palette of tonal capabilities than I can describe or, possibly, use to fullest advantage (yet). Bottom line is that the sound is amazing, and everyone else who has played it has been highly impressed. Sound Rating not rated Setup The action was set at 'pro' height, which is a little higher than I'm used to. Arthur took it down a tetch and I'm learning to use that height. Moving from an Ode - a banjo with decidedly LOW action - has required a little adjustment on my part. That's not a criticism of the banjo - it's a criticism of the player. Several highly accomplished banjo players have played it and pronounced the setup perfect. And setup is also about sound - see above. Setup Rating not rated Appearance The banjo looks like a jewel. I was stunned when I first saw it - it was even more beautiful than I'd hoped (pics on my home page). The inlay patterns were totally custom and Custom Inlay developed the design from my ideas. The execution of those ideas was almost, but not quite, perfect. There is a small fill on one section of the fingerboard (it happens) that could have been better executed. That's not Arthur's fault - if anyone's, it's C.I.'s - and I'll note that as I play the banjo the obviousness of that fill is disappearing. All of the trim and finish work done by Arthur is flawless. Appearance Rating not rated Reliability This banjo is built out of absolutely top-grade materials and components. Rock solid. I am not in the least worried about the reliability of any of the parts. Reliability Rating not rated Customer Service This is Arthur Hatfield we're talking about here. His concern for the quality of his banjos and his relationship with his customers is absolutely exemplary - there may be a tiny handful of other builders who are as good, but there's no one better. Customer Service not rated Components Everything is first rate. Sullivan old floor rim. Hatfield tone ring. Keith tuners all around (except for #5, which is a Gotoh, because Bill Keith doesn't make 5th string tuners). Gill resonator, FQMS neck blank, etc. etc. Arthur buys his parts from the best in the business Components Rating not rated Overall Comments Hatfield stock model banjos are wonderful instruments and a bargain at their prices (warning - Arthur is bumping up prices soon so if you want one get on the list... even with the price increase the banjos will provide exceptional value). For custom instruments, Arthur is willing to work with the customer to deliver exactly what the customer wants - offering options on components and appearance precisely to the customer's wishes. Most other banjo builders either won't do a customized inlay pattern or will charge out the wazoo for it. It wouldn't surprise me at all if Arthur starts to charge a premium for a custom job, and frankly, I think he should. Stage managing a fully custom banjo takes a lot more of his time than building one of his three basic models. Even assuming he does so, your custom Hatfield will still be a out-and-out bargain. The entire process of having this banjo built has been wonderful - and I can say that despite the fact that Arthur had his accident between the time it was ordered and the time he actually started building it. It was worth the wait. This banjo comes alive in your hands and it just wants to make music. Anyone considering a new high-quality banjo should take a very close look at Hatfields. Anyone wishing to have a banjo built to their own ideas should take a close look at Hatfield - and then stop looking. There's no need to go anywhere else. Overall Rating not rated

Gold Tone Banjola none submitted 4/24/2007 Submitter eagleisland Where Purchased Buckdancer's Choice, Portland maine Year Purchased 2007 Price Paid 600 ($US) Sound I love the sound of this instrument. It is very soft and very gentle with a lot of sustain. The best word I can give to describe it is "delicate." It's lovely for melodic and Celtic-style stuff. Doesn't handle bluegrass worth a damn, but it's really not intended to. One can certainly PRACTICE bluegrass on it, however. It does NOT sound like a banjo - it sounds like a banjola, and as such is unique. I suspect the sound will become fuller as it ages and gets played. Sound Rating 8 Setup There's not a lot of setup you can do with these. Mine developed a nasty third-string buzz within a week of purchase. It required both a truss rod adjustment and some fret dressing to solve this. It is not an expensive instrument, so I suppose some (ahem) lack in quality control should be expected. Setup Rating 5 Appearance I find the appearance of the instrument quite tasteful; the scrolled peghead is appealing and the inlays are pretty. No exterior finish flaws noted, although inside it's pretty obvious that the bracing didn't see much sandpaper during cutting and assembly. Appearance Rating 7 Reliability See below, components Reliability Rating not rated Customer Service Have not dealt directly with Gold Tone. The store where I bought it is staffed with knowledgeable people who give a damn. They addressed the buzz issue graciously and promptly, with no charge. Customer Service not rated Components The hardware is cheap. The tuners are adequate. The tailpiece is almost a joke - stamped metal, and obviously designed as a one-size-fits-all approach to tailpieces for a variety of different inexpensive instruments. Hard to explain unless you see one for yourself. Then again, I think it's adequate for the instrument and what I plan to do with it. The woods used appear to be of very good quality. Components Rating 5 Overall Comments I purchased this primarily for the sound and the fact that it's very light. I travel a fair amount on business and this will be the instrument I take with me from now on - it weighs a fraction of what a banjo weighs. In its gig bag, it should fit in overhead bins easily - even on the smaller regional jets. I think the instrument offers good value for money, overall. One note: because of the lightness of the pot, these instruments are neck heavy. You WILL need a strap; playing one for the first time you'll be surprised how much energy gets used simply holding up the neck, which is awkward. Strap it and your left hand won't be fighting itself between fingering and support. One more note: if you have family members who are not entranced with the loudness and punch of a banjo (like I do) give one of these serious consideration. The sound of the banjola is appealing to all - bonus points for the fact that you can play it late at night, after everyone else has gone to bed. Overall Rating 7