Bill Rogers - Posted - 09/25/2010:  22:00:19

I had a chance to play one clawhammer style without the resonator today. My comments follow. This is not a formal review. I did not buy the banjo (at Gryphon) nor did I examine it for most of the things on the BHO review template, hence the posting here. The model has been well-described elsewhere and good pictures are available at Gryphon's, Elderly's and Zepp's websites. It has been well-reviewed as a bluegrass banjo, and I won't dwell on that here. Since it's a bolt-and-shoe banjo, it's quite easy to remove the resonator and play it as an openback. In that guise it has excellent volume and a tone that is a tad less ringy and with somewhat less sustain than a Mastertone-style tone ring banjo played openback. It was set up as a bluegrass banjo, with lowish action, a heavy Deering maple bridge with ebony top and a top-frosted head. I think with a Renaissance head and a thinner, all-maple bridge (of whatever style) that it would have a dryer tone with less sustain than off-the-shelf, and it's a very satisfactory clawhammer banjo as it stands. I think it holds its own with any of the tone-ring openbacks. As a two-way banjo, for both bluegrass and old-time, the Eagle II is superior in my opinion. For someone who plays both styles and can afford but one banjo, this would be the best choice I know of since its street price is just under $2,000. Deering has done well here, filling a market niche no other new banjo does.

brundecarli - Posted - 09/26/2010:  00:38:05

Thanks Bill.I think that Eagle II is a very good banjo. A big upgrade of the Goodtime and a downgrade of a Sierra.(model 2009)
In my opinion.
Bruno

Emiel - Posted - 09/26/2010:  01:43:43

Thanks Bill. What does that "Twenty-Ten Tone Ring" look like? Did you take a peek?

the-fish - Posted - 09/26/2010:  05:17:24

Excellent! I'm going to elderly on monday, I hope they have one in stock so I can try it both ways

Good review bill

ZEPP - Posted - 09/26/2010:  08:31:50

Here's a shot of it... Definitely not the GT II ring, BTW (as was speculated here some time back).

Cheers,
ZEPP

Deering Eagle II tone ring

1four5 - Posted - 09/26/2010:  08:37:03

Thanks for the photo Zepp! Have you had a chance to check out the new 2010 GT special pat pend ring as well? I'd love to know the difference between the old and the new.

Edited by - 1four5 on 09/26/2010 15:23:32

Emiel - Posted - 09/26/2010:  08:52:32

Thanks, ZEPP. Looks interesting...

Edited by - Emiel on 09/26/2010 08:53:29

Beardog - Posted - 09/26/2010:  11:35:29

Surely Deering will have one of these banjos at IBMA for folks to check out??

ZEPP - Posted - 09/26/2010:  13:52:40

[quote]Originally posted by 1four5

Hmmm... dunno. We looked at a GT II, but I don't know that it was a 2010 model. We'll have to do that.

Cheers,
ZEPP

1four5 - Posted - 09/26/2010:  15:27:52

I edited my post above to read GT Special. The GT II doesn't have a tone ring. I have an old stlye GT special that I LOVE and am very interested in the difference between the old tone ring, the new pat pend tone ring, and the difference between the new 2010 pat pend GT special tone ring and the Eagle II pat pend tone ring.

Forrest - Posted - 09/26/2010:  15:44:22

I'll have to take another look at the photo Zepp posted, but on first glance the tone ring in the Eagle II looks suspiciously like a Gibson pyramid tone ring.

Bill Rogers - Posted - 09/26/2010:  21:23:23

Not like a pyramid at all. The Deering leaves most of the top of the shell uncovered, unlike the pyramid.

Forrest - Posted - 09/27/2010:  08:07:21

I agree regarding the coverage, Bill. I was looking at the break angle/bearing point on the top of the ring. It could just be a reflection in the photo, but it does resemble the 2 Pyramid rings I've seen. I played an Eagle II back in May and thought it was a great sounding banjo.

ZEPP - Posted - 09/27/2010:  13:20:45

quote:

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Originally posted by 1four5

I edited my post above to read GT Special. The GT II doesn't have a tone ring.

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