Beardog - Posted - 10/07/2010:  19:12:14

I recently purchased a 1956 RB 250. I took it to Chris Cioffi, along with a gold, no-hole Dannick ring, and asked him to completely go through the banjo, install the rim, and set it up for me. I instructed him to do whatever he felt was needed to bring out the best in this vintage banjo. I picked the banjo up last week while I was at IBMA. I am still in awe of the job that Chris did on the banjo. In addition to basic set up and ring installation, he cleaned the tuners and all the plated hardware, made a speed neck, installed a new nut, put all new frets on it, and put a new Huber head and Huber .656 bridge on it. I have posted some pictures of the banjo, and a video of a couple of tunes that I recorded tonight. Other photos of the banjo are in the album titled "1956 RB 250" on my home page.

I can't speak highly enough about the work that Chris did for me. The tone, pitch up and down the neck, and playability are fantastic. This is the best speed neck that I have had in my hands yet. He also reworked my Style 5 Gibson arch top, that I will post about at another time.

youtube.com/watch?v=z2OKKun60j4

MikeM - Posted - 10/07/2010:  19:35:00

Congrats! One of the nicest sounding banjos Ive heard in a while! That one is a keeper! But if you ever decide to let it go............:)

Seeders - Posted - 10/07/2010:  19:36:29

Wow. What a beauty! Sounds as good as it looks too.

dj9124 - Posted - 10/07/2010:  20:09:29

Very nice Beardog, especially like your rendition of Whiskey Before Breakfast, very tasty!!

Dave

Beardog - Posted - 10/07/2010:  20:43:24

I had three almost immediate e-mail requests for something more "Scruggsy" on this banjo.

Here is a quick rendition of Groundspeed...please excuse the mistakes and tempo changes. This was totally unrehearsed.

youtube.com/user/BearTilly?fea...VafC6u4f0

dmiller - Posted - 10/07/2010:  20:56:12

Wow! What a good looking and good sounding banjo. Congrats!

Hey - - I want to learn Whiskey Before Breakfast the way you do it!
That was Dyno-Mite!

Bradskey - Posted - 10/07/2010:  20:58:59

That is reeeeeeeeeally nice and sounds great. Congrats! Gonna have to get me one of them some day, I love the looks -- reminds me of my uncle's old '63 ES-335.

Mopick - Posted - 10/08/2010:  06:25:45

Chris works wonders on banjos. If you have a banjo that needs some TLC, Chris is the guy. Chris worked on my 1993 RB-3 last Spring. You can see pictures of it here banjohangout.org/myhangout/pho...umid=4475

That is a pretty banjo and I know it plays good, I know Chris.


Randy

Edited by - Mopick on 10/12/2010 06:22:52

Tim13 - Posted - 10/08/2010:  07:11:34

I know that a lot of people hate the Gibson paddle head design, but I love it. Combine that head style, with the bow tie inlay, and I think it's a great looking banjo. It sounds great as well.

Very nice. I'm envious.

Tim

lespik - Posted - 10/08/2010:  13:20:17

Very nice banjo

tubeandplate - Posted - 10/08/2010:  14:59:04

Sam and Randy....Thank you!

The speed neck resulted from the discussion Sam and I had about the neck being too big and massive to sound really good, so in thoughts of recarving, and to avoid some extra expense on finishing the neck after recarving, we decided to try to re-carve the neck in such a way as to end up with a nice speed neck instead.

Sam and I decided to go for a slight V shaped neck as well; the way this particlular neck was originally carved, it worked out swimmingly.

I installed a period replica Gibson 50's/60's fifth string tuner button to match the original tulip shaped buttons on the original tuners....

I love the mid century stuff, and the bowtie era is a cool aesthetic....let your freak flag fly, I say..hence the matching 5th peg button.

The rim needed a lot of work, as did the neck...to be right. Had some head scratching moments along the way, but Sam's bowtie turned out really, really nicely.....VERY poppy and deep with the effervescent sparkle on top.....I think what most of us are after in a BG banjo.

We were really pleased with the result.

Thank you, Sam, for being so vocal about my work...I appreciate it....

Now, if I can just find a banjo for myself that sounds like yours!


Chris Cioffi

More about me and my work as well as other client feedback is here:

banjohangout.org/topic/152453

Edited by - tubeandplate on 10/08/2010 15:00:43

pickerjim - Posted - 10/12/2010:  07:27:12

Congrats Beardog!! That is a beauty!!...Jim

Beardog - Posted - 10/12/2010:  13:03:57

This bowtie is indeed a fantastic banjo. It is getting better by the day. I really can't do it justice with a video or sound file. As good as it is, the arch top Style 5 that Chris worked over may be better. I will eventually get around to posting some stuff about it.

Wayne Holcombe - Posted - 10/12/2010:  14:56:05

GerryH - Posted - 10/12/2010:  15:12:31

Nice addition to the family!!
GerryH

Alex Z - Posted - 10/12/2010:  17:12:10

Very nice arrangement of "Whiskey Before Breakfast"

Beardog - Posted - 10/13/2010:  04:22:54

My version of "Whiskey Before Breakfast" is from Tony Trischka's big book of fiddle tunes. I play mostly by ear, so I doubt that it is exactly like the tab. I know there is a huge debate about using tab, but I want to start learning more from tab...learning like I do, by listening over and over, then trying to get it it to sound right over thousands of "trial and error" repetitions is often maddeningly slow!

f5loar - Posted - 10/13/2010:  14:25:31

I noticed this has the full nickel kluson step tuners. Where they replaced from the original style with the white tulip ends?

Beardog - Posted - 10/13/2010:  16:38:16

quote:

---

Originally posted by f5loar

I noticed this has the full nickel kluson step tuners. Where they replaced from the original style with the white tulip ends?

---

tubeandplate - Posted - 10/13/2010:  16:56:10

Hi Tom-And Sam-

The tuners on the 250 are the originals, I assume from the tenor that the neck maker re-used.

They have the original metal nickel plated buttons.

I custom fit an All Parts repro period greenish plastic button for the fifth string tuner that is the same style and size for reproduction/repair work for the same period Gibson guitars.

These repro buttons have no through shaft hole, and the shaft hole is meant for a tight fit and then to be glued onto the guitar tuner shaft, as these old buttons on the guitars were bad to dry rot and disintegrate.

So, I had to drill and fit the button to the fifth string tuner shaft.

I did this for Sam because I thought that it was a shame to not try to match things up nice....I thought with the original tuners, the "normal" oval style fifth string button just looked bad/inconsistent with the rest of the banjo which is such a "mid century" "populuxe" 50's/60's aesthetic.

I just feel strongly about classic vintage instruments that I should try to hopefully (as with the plugging and redrilling the badly drilled out lag holes in Sam's rim) repair things in a proper period restoration way, and hopefully, when I'm done, no one would know it had been "repaired" as it would retain it's original look consistent with the maker's intent.

To some, stuff like this is a waste of time and money...to me, restoring a vintage instrument is a chance to do things right....and any banjo that turned out as good as Sam's, in my opinion, deserved the "Full Monty"......

If anyone here wants to see a TB-6 from the 30's I went through with some similar/more involved issues, you are welcome to visit my thread, the link to which is under my signature here. The TB-6 story is on page 4 I think....I posted extensive restoration process pictures, so there's a lot of prewar "under the skirt" shots of a classic, venerable old high grade Gibson there.


Chris Cioffi

banjohangout.org/topic/152453

Edited by - tubeandplate on 10/13/2010 16:56:53

Iderhobanjer23 - Posted - 10/14/2010:  20:46:49

this is literally my dream banjo. play it well, sir.

Matthew Wyatt - Posted - 10/15/2010:  07:05:34

Sounds Good.

Beardog - Posted - 10/17/2010:  07:03:50

I took this banjo to a local jam a couple of nights ago. It just keeps getting better! I finally pried it out of Benjo75's hands at almost midnight!

Majorbanjo - Posted - 10/17/2010:  15:31:59

One of the best banjo's I own and have ever played is a 49' PB 150 cut down to full flathead and made into an RB250...very strong banjo.....

f5loar - Posted - 10/17/2010:  16:30:20

If those tuners are original to that neck then the neck can not be a '56. They did not make those full nickel kluson step tuners before 1962. Those prior to late '62 had the ivoried tulip ends on the step tuners like you see on that '49 above. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Majorbanjo - Posted - 10/17/2010:  16:40:51

this is the 49' a little closer....these are on the banjo's 5 string neck right now; I've also added a tulip button to the 5th string peg...I got the banjo from Leo Coulsen at Intermountain Guitar and Banjo back 5 or so years ago.......

Edited by - Majorbanjo on 10/17/2010 16:43:27

Scout70 - Posted - 10/17/2010:  20:00:37

Great sounding banjo. Once again proof that you can't go wrong with a Gibson. It is still the gold standard banjo--tone, value and everything beardog listed.