Huber Banjos - Posted - 09/22/2010:  13:18:54

Huber Banjos will be set up again this year during the IBMA World Of Bluegrass and Fan Fest events in Nashville. We'll have our same spot on the left just as you enter the exhibit hall.

Our focus this year will be our Truetone series of banjos. These are instruments which feature the new Huber HR-30 tone ring and engineered rim. Any Huber model can be upgraded with these new components, but at IBMA we will have five new Truetone Hubers in our Vintage reproduction series.

We'll also have at least one stock model, probably a Lexington.

If you'll be in attendance next week, please make a point to visit our booth. We are eager to get feedback on the Truetones after pickers have a chance to try them out. Jim Mills will also be with us in the booth on Friday and Saturday afternoons, so be sure to stop by and say howdy.

The first 500 who visit will also get a free audio CD with six tunes Steve cut using a new Truetone Huber. They recorded earlier in September at Scott Vestal's studio in Hendersonville, TN. Troy Engle played mandolin and guitar, Bennie Boling played bass, and Aaron Till fiddle. Troy also sang on two tracks.

A couple from the CD are attached here.

banjohangout.org/myhangout/mus...?ID=48522

Hope to see you all at IBMA!

Home Sweet Home

Honey You Don't Know My Mind

Phil D - Posted - 09/22/2010:  14:39:25

Great tunes, and that banjo sounds sweet! Can't wait to hear one in person.

Banjov1 - Posted - 09/22/2010:  17:25:00

I'm all over it. One of the big attractions for my trip to the IBMAs this year was to play some Hubers. I'll be there with my fingerpicks ready to go

T

banjoken - Posted - 09/22/2010:  17:33:03

These sound samples sound amazing.

TR Dockery - Posted - 09/22/2010:  18:08:57

quote:

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Originally posted by banjoken

These sound samples sound amazing.

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prewartb3 - Posted - 09/23/2010:  04:31:33

Driving up on Oct 1st to see a few new banjos. These will be on our list for sure. Hope there's some left to pick on.

rupickin5 - Posted - 09/23/2010:  07:03:08

Dang! those do sound fabulous...I often forget (because Steve is so involved in the design, development, and production of some of the finest banjo products available today...) that Steve is one of the true master's of the 'ole 5! Wish I could pick like that!

davepicks5 - Posted - 09/23/2010:  10:54:18

Brian

You are too modest....you can and do, but can't build a banjo, OR at least one that sounds like this......

David

I

owlcreekdan - Posted - 09/23/2010:  12:05:40

great sounding banjo

me!!! - Posted - 09/23/2010:  15:20:36

those sound great!!

Aaron Thomas - Posted - 09/23/2010:  17:38:12

Can anybody tell me what rim Huber uses in his banjos?

davepicks5 - Posted - 09/23/2010:  18:19:14

Aaron

At the bottom of this post, I lifted information from Huber's website....quite a bit of talk has been centered around rims being manufactured in today's banjo environment. As we know, Cox has been the modern day standard for years, but with Jimmy's advancing years, several others have entered into the market. Cooperman Drum and Fife have been manufacturing drum rims and now banjo rims for several years along with First Quality's higher end Factory Floor rims. Yates red maple rims and AMB's new rims are clearly quality products with an opportunity to be evaluated.

Here is what I, and I mean I (David Hedrick) know.......no conjecture, no hype, no second hand information. Dr. James Rae, Bryan Sims and Huber have spent nearly two years working on a true "engineered" rim.

I have a background in structural engineering and know when an engineered approach is taken to either solve a problem or improve on a set of conditions leading to an improved outcome.

This is exactly what Bryan, Steve and Dr. Rae have taken on, a technical analysis approach using sophisticated testing equipment to obtain data from a broad range of prewar rims.......quantifying the results and attempting to take those results and select wood plys which have "tuned" characteristics before bending and forming the rim.

I have stuck my nose into their business, more than I probably should have, but Steve asks and I help .....I will simply say this without question in my mind:

The HR30 ring and engineered rim is the closest result to a prewar flathead Gibson banjo sound I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED.

When the opportunity is available, Aaron, put your picks on one of those banjos and draw your own conclusions. You are a fine picker and I think you will FEEL as well as hear the results of their efforts.

Sorry for the long post.....



[b]The New Huber Engineered Rim

measuring the vibration velocity of a prewar rim
Bryan Sims and I are working on a new 3 ply rim I’m calling an “engineered” rim. We are tap tuning the plys before we bend them into a rim. With the help of Dr.Rae, we have measured the forced induced vibration velocity of 35 prewar banjo rims. We then measure the new rim with tuned plys and compare it to our prewar data. As you can imagine, there are many species of maple as well as many densities. We have collected the data from over 40 test rims so far but we are still in the early stages of development. The good news is that this is going to work. I will be able to predict how a rim will sound by what wood I use. Check back soon for a mp3 sample of one of the test rims paired with an HR-30 prototype ring.

David

banjodr - Posted - 09/23/2010:  18:43:52

David dang man that wore your fingers out typing all of that didn't it?

davepicks5 - Posted - 09/24/2010:  05:11:51

Dave

I am just waiting for the salvos to begin........I have my grenada (sp)(ouch) launcher ready.

David

Aaron Thomas - Posted - 09/25/2010:  06:07:07

I have a custom built Cardin banjo that has the Huber Vintage nickel plated ring and I'm wondering if it would really come alive to have a new rim put in the banjo....????

banjodr - Posted - 09/25/2010:  08:50:04

new rims will be available to purchase and install as an upgrade in any mastertone style banjo

Edited by - banjodr on 09/25/2010 08:55:47

Huber Banjos - Posted - 09/26/2010:  07:21:10

Glad to see that everyone likes the audio files. Here are two more.

The Old Home Town

Down The Road

davepicks5 - Posted - 09/26/2010:  09:03:05

Aaron

You asked a question about one of Kenny's banjos with a Huber Vintage ring in it and whether the tone could be improved with the rim...... here is my own experience....

Bought a parts banjo here on the Hangout.....Cox rim with a Blaylock in it, great sounding banjo due to the Blaylock ring as much as anything else. Huber let me test drive one of the most recent engineered rims, switched back and forth between the Blaylock and a Huber HR30.........to say the banjo came alive would be understating the result. The banjo is much much improved with the new rim. More clarity, more separation down on the neck, not volume, but tone quality.

The clip of DOwn the Road is how the banjo sounds with the HR30 in it, the Blaylock is a little more subdued, but in a nice pleasing way, very sweet tone.

This rim is not about how hard the wood is, or how old the wood is, it is about choosing the right wood for tonal response for a banjo tone ring sitting on top of it. A much more predictable result.

David

Beardog - Posted - 09/26/2010:  09:19:07

Those are really great sound files. I'm impressed with the clear tone and separation of notes, and look forward to test driving the Hubers.

If I am #501 (or higher) to make it by the Huber booth next week end, will I be able to purchase a copy of the audio CD??

davepicks5 - Posted - 09/26/2010:  16:59:41

I know this is going to sound ill mannered ......

What does Deering's red maple rim and their ring have to do with this thread, I know I mentioned several other rims above and it is good that you like the Deering rim and ring combination....

BUT Why interject it here.......

David

Majorbanjo - Posted - 09/26/2010:  17:45:27

The tone of the guitar in the sound file "honey you don't know my mind" really stood out to me....who is it and what guitar?

I've got a Lancaster with HR30.....I'm thinking about putting a prewar rim in it that I've got lying around.......although I am curious about the new Huber rims....how much are the truetone rims and when are they available?

jfb - Posted - 09/26/2010:  18:11:21

The sound files sound mighty fine to me..I am saving my quarters

Dave I agree..Mr Brian is much too modest regarding his picking ability..I would be very happy to pick as well as he does

double E - Posted - 09/27/2010:  07:58:26

Hey Majorbanjo,
Hope your enjoying the Lancaster you bought from me. You said you have owned 4-5 Hubers and mine was not the top dog, but not a slouch either. I liked that banjo but havnt played but four or five Hubers. The new Truetone Huber Vintage I just bought I really like. If I would have kept the Lancaster, I would have for sure put one of Steves new rims in it. I think it would really wake it up. I have Several banjos but always seem to pick up the Huber. I think Steve has really hit on something with the new rim. Hope I can make IBMA one of these years. Im also curious as to what one of the new eng. rims will cost.

Forrest - Posted - 09/27/2010:  08:35:33

I'm loving my Berkshire with the original rim and HR-30 upgrade. I sent the pot assembly back to the Huber shop in November 2009 to have Steve fit the new ring and did my own reassembly and setup. It's taken a while for things to really settle and and mature, partly because of the nature of the beast and partly because I've learned to set this combo up to suit my tastes. My banjo has a really powerful and balanced sound to my ears. It really responds well to input with excellent bass and a real singing tone up the neck.

I can't say enough good things about the HR-30 ring in my banjo and if the Truetone rim only accentuates the sound, I can see one in my future.

davepicks5 - Posted - 09/27/2010:  16:43:10

To ALL

Chris and I have chatted by email about his post and my response......we both understand where each is coming from.......

Let it rest and we can talk about great sounding banjos from a quality maker....

David

stelling58 - Posted - 09/27/2010:  17:41:40

How much will the new engineered rims be going for?

lazyarcher - Posted - 09/27/2010:  17:57:11

Good gosh Steve--the breaks on "The Old Home Town" are just WICKED good...I'm stealing them as I post. The banjos...amazing as always...

lethegoodtimesroll - Posted - 09/28/2010:  15:24:02

is the Trutone tha Steve uses in the recording samples Mahogany?....it sounds great

davepicks5 - Posted - 09/28/2010:  16:53:36

LTGTR........I believe it is a mahogany necked banjo, hopefully Jim or Steve will confirm our suspicions......just wish I could pull tone out of a banjo like he can.......

He said he wanted to play as close to Earl on the Earl type numbers and like JD on the BGAB numbers, but on his breaks, ......still sounds like Steve Huber to me.......he can't copy anyone, the boy hears other tones as they come from his fingers.

David

Prewar3 - Posted - 09/28/2010:  17:41:03

I am heading into IBMA tomorrow (Wednesday) and can't wait to get to the Huber Booth. I have my custom VRB-75 Huber with the HR30 ring and Steve has my Ron Block model putting a new neck on it courtesy of FEDEX. That also has the HR30 ring and I am going to put the new engineered rim in it also. I am hoping to have that back in the next 4 weeks. Anyway, Steve said I am going to really love the banjos he has at IBMA so maybe I'll get lucky and sell one there and then be able to buy another. I am chomping at the bit though for the morning to come so I can get on the road. I had a lobectomy where they removed the top lobe of the right lung less than four weeks ago and I am thrilled to be able to make it to IBMA. That'll brighten my spirits....now if I can get Steve to give me a good deal.......See you tomorrow. Jim M.

Edited by - Prewar3 on 09/28/2010 17:41:59

fatdaddyo6 - Posted - 09/28/2010:  18:02:52

Mahogany necked banjo Dave, that's a strong pile of banjos he's got with him here. He and the team are onto something. Steve

Majorbanjo - Posted - 09/29/2010:  16:21:07

Price of new engineered rim?....bewler.....bewler.....

Majorbanjo - Posted - 09/29/2010:  17:58:37

OK...it's on Huber website....rim = $485......ok.....will go for it...

grich - Posted - 09/30/2010:  00:56:05

I normally don't use a sound clip when it comes to judging the sound of a banjo but I have to admit they sound great and it's nice to know you guys did the research instead of copying the Gibson banjos of the 1990's .

Edited by - grich on 09/30/2010 04:32:01

davepicks5 - Posted - 09/30/2010:  04:29:25

OH LORD HELP ME.......I just fell off the turnip truck...and that one left a mark.

David

Forrest - Posted - 09/30/2010:  05:11:10

Ouch!! Greg, you are a bad, bad man.

grich - Posted - 09/30/2010:  05:56:28

Maybe you could name the different models with something really original like .... Style 3 , style 4 , Standard and Granada !

Wait a minute that's already being done by 2 different companies ...... I think 3 companies using those names might confuse the market!

lazyarcher - Posted - 09/30/2010:  06:00:32

Ohhh...cold ...cold....

davepicks5 - Posted - 09/30/2010:  06:21:54

Greg


At least Huber didn't call the line MISTERTONE......now that is a break through in the world of banjos....

AND to think that he would actually employ some real science and engineering principle to the challenge.....

Huber, what the heck are you thinking......
David

grich - Posted - 09/30/2010:  06:54:14

Your right ... what's wrong with that guy !

The Pope - Posted - 10/01/2010:  12:07:37

Man, I'll tell you what: Steve plays a mean banjo! I'm jealous that he can stay in practice with all the other stuff he does, like make and research some pretty incredible banjos!

'Cause damn!

Cabin_Hill - Posted - 10/02/2010:  04:59:23

The Huber HR30 @ IBMA sound great.

Some fine pickers @ IBMA. Huber has a winner

Majorbanjo - Posted - 10/02/2010:  15:48:22

I was all set to upgrade to the engineered rim but decided to go a different route since I already had the hardware.....just dropped off my huber at Randy Wood's shop; I'm having Randy put a prewar rim in it and cut a new nut....4th string is too close to the edge of the fret.....I've already got the HR30 ring....it sounds good now.....but a hair green......the old rim should really open her up.....

Shimdog - Posted - 10/04/2010:  15:14:26

There was quite a buzz surrounding the Huber booth at IBMA. The "Truetone" line is the real deal. Amazing sound. He sold most or all of the Truetones. What was also apparent was that his "Vintage" line is still outstanding, even when compared to the Truetones. I think he sold a couple of those too that were terrific.

Here is a picture of Jim Mills, Bobby Hicks and Clay Hess jamming at the Huber booth. Jim is playing his personal model Huber. The other picture is Ron Block playing his Huber when he was on the workshop stage with Sierra Hull.

Not sure if the new owners are on the hangout...but if they are, congrats to each of them. I'm looking forward to getting one some day.

Jim Mills, Bobby Hicks and Clay Hess

Ron Block at IBMA 2010