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darylcrisp - Posted - 03/23/2012: 17:58:44
what can you tell me about it. I'm looking for a sound that seems to be near a whyte laydie but maybe not so bright or thin. was wondering how the Special would sound since it has all that maple and a brass tone ring?
anyone know a shop with one for sale?
thanks-trying to narrow down what i'm after.
d
Edited by - darylcrisp on 03/29/2012 14:15:53
John Gribble - Posted - 03/23/2012: 18:08:38
I played one awhile back and have thought about it ever since. A very nice banjo. BAS may be at work here.
Tomward - Posted - 03/23/2012: 19:42:56
Have one in my lap as I type this: the sound's not thin, and not so much "bright" as satin-polished, if you catch what I'm trying to say. Solid, but not plunky. It's also the most comfortable banjo to play. If you find one, give it a good workout. I doubt you'll be disappointed.
jmoathout - Posted - 03/23/2012: 20:06:25
I don't find the Whyte Laydie (such as Reiter GALAX ,thin), but you might look at a Reiter Bacophone-Plus Whyte Laydie with Bacon style donut ring). See several discussions under Bacopone Plus, including several sound clips by John Balch. I have two which I find rich and warm. Elderly is taking orders, as Bart Reiter plans to make about 10 this year. A great banjo.
The Bacon style donut replaces the WL skirt. I have two: one a 2011 GALAX based, and one a 1992 Whyte Laydie based both of which I converted with a Bacon tone ring substitutions.
jbalch - Posted - 03/24/2012: 04:42:38
Re the sound: I agree with Marshall above. Personally I would not describe the WL as "thin." I think that tone ring adds sustain and "punch" (attack). It also brightens the tone.
The Special model is a great banjo and very versatile. I don't own one currently, but I had two or three of them in the past and was very pleased. It may be just exactly what you are seeking. The maple neck and rim provides plenty of brightness and clarity. It responds very well to set-up changes. You can achieve a big range of tones with different head, bridge and tailpiece configurations. Awesome playability and value too.
linked to thre Bart Reiter group: banjohangout.org/group/bartreiterbanjos
Best wishes!
Edited by - jbalch on 03/24/2012 04:46:33
dwdeacon - Posted - 03/24/2012: 05:14:45
I've been playing one for a few months and love it. I have it set up with a Renaissance head, medium Moon bridge, and medium D'Addario strings. John's description is exactly how i'd describe it. I posted a tune in Soundcloud--just a quick recording on the iPad. soundcloud.com/daithio/sally-in-the-garden
banjered - Posted - 03/24/2012: 09:07:03
I had a Reiter Standard years ago. It sounded too metallic to me so I eventually got rid of it. Fabulous neck and construction but I didn't care for the 5/8" thick pot. I didn't know about set-up back then and wish now I had put on a skin head to see if that would warm up the tone. I prefer a bell like tone that has both ring AND plunk, hard to describe exactly. In your beginning stages of sound exploration Daryl you have already had your hands on more top quality banjos than I have had in 30 years. I've played banjos with great tone, great playability, and great construction, but I have never played a banjo that was tops in all three categories. The Tradesman I have now is pretty darn good and probably more banjo than my skills warrant, so good 'nuff for now. You are doing great in your exploration and who knows , maybe you'll be one of the few who nails their ultimate banjo first one out of the gate, who's tastes doesn't change all that much through the years. I wonder if I'll always be exploring because I just can't get my hands on enough banjos.... Have fun! Banjered
darylcrisp - Posted - 03/24/2012: 10:32:59
folks
thanks for all your help and info thru the last month or so-i know i've went back and forth with Ramseys/OME's/Reiters and others. For whatever reason, i early on found some soundclips of the Reiter Special and was immediately drawn to that. It was hard to find one in stock anywhere, and especially with a scoop. I did purchase a Ramsey Standard and it was a great banjo, but just didn't please what my head was wanting to hear-so i sold that. Not wanting to go thru a slew of buys/sales/trades, i dug in deep and i think its all paid off just this morning.
I called every shop on Bart Reiters dealer list and guess what..........found a Special at Fretted Instrument Workshop in MA(the owner has been in business for 41 years), and it has a frailing scoop. I think the owners name was Tony, really nice man and gave some good thoughts. He likewise highly praises the Special, and his description of its tone is what i am hearing in my head i do believe.
So in a week or so i should have the Special at home.
I'll close with this video-this is simply great to my ears:
youtube.com/watch?v=7zEpBhS5hk4
thanks again to all of you, i think we hit the nail on the head with this one
d
DEmery - Posted - 03/24/2012: 12:24:43
Daryl that is a great sound on the video. I had a BR Special years ago but at the time didn't have the skill to use it. Since then I've owned several openback banjos with a variety of tone rings and rim designs. While we often discuss the tonal differences of common tone rings...I picked up on Banjered's comment about the 5/8"thickness or design of a Bart Reiter rim. Bart Reiter selects rims to his design taste and that is all good; but over the past year I've had a chance to play a banjo with a custom bent two ply maple shell. It is more lively and powerful than almost anything I've owned. In my view rim design has as much impact on the banjo as a particular tone ring. With quality private builders today there seems to be more choice in getting a preferred"sound" based on rim design (traditional three ply; block, 3/8" two ply, deeper rims, etc.) matched to a specific tone ring than any time in the past. David E.
RWJones1970 - Posted - 03/24/2012: 15:16:18
Your going to love that Reiter Special Daryl. I have owned some really sweet Reiter banjos with the A-scale Galax and the WL among my favorites. The WL had all the inlay with the maple neck and 5/8 thick pot. I came to the conclusion that, although I loved the inlay and tone, wasn't big on the 26 1/4 scale. The reach was too long for my preference...so I sold it. I asked Bart to put an a-scale neck on a Galax pot and he so humbly agreed and I thought ....wow, this is the one. I love his A-scale neck and the WL tone. I played that for over a year and sold it because I didn't like the size of the 5/8 pot. Well I gotta tell you I have regretted letting that A-scale Galax go. That banjo was awesome and I kick myself because Bart did me a favor and I forgot about that until I let it go and now I can't get it back. However, just recently I nabbed an A-scale Standard from the classifieds for a deal at $850. Let me tell you, I really love this banjo. I got the Reiter A-scale neck length back and this one measures 12" from nut to middle of 12th fret making it a 24" A-scale!!! Although it doesn't have the WL tone ring, this banjo has a rolled brass tone ring with a 1/2 "curly maple pot rather than the 5/8". The Standard is much like your Special with a few minor differences in pot size and your neck is maple and mine is mahogany. The tone you can get from this banjo depends entirely on setup as John Balch and a few others have mentioned. Mine has a Bill Miller calfskin head, rosewood Sampson bridge, medium Vega strings, and a no knot tailpiece. The best way I can describe it is a plunky, warm, bell like, clear tone. Although I love the tone with my current setup I may try a Fielding tailpiece. So, I love the tone, the lightweight, the scale length, professional look, and construction of this Reiter banjo. I don't like to ramble too much and may have a little with this post but I wanted to assure you that your choice of banjo is superb in my opinion and you can acheive the tone you want because your Reiter is a versatile instrument. Looking forward to hear your feed back after you have played with it for a bit. I am so proud of my little Reiter A-scale Standard....here are a few photos.
Edited by - RWJones1970 on 03/24/2012 15:21:33
darylcrisp - Posted - 03/25/2012: 16:06:00
quote:
Originally posted by RWJones1970
Your going to love that Reiter Special Daryl. I have owned some really sweet Reiter banjos with the A-scale Galax and the WL among my favorites. The WL had all the inlay with the maple neck and 5/8 thick pot. I came to the conclusion that, although I loved the inlay and tone, wasn't big on the 26 1/4 scale. The reach was too long for my preference...so I sold it. I asked Bart to put an a-scale neck on a Galax pot and he so humbly agreed and I thought ....wow, this is the one. I love his A-scale neck and the WL tone. I played that for over a year and sold it because I didn't like the size of the 5/8 pot. Well I gotta tell you I have regretted letting that A-scale Galax go. That banjo was awesome and I kick myself because Bart did me a favor and I forgot about that until I let it go and now I can't get it back. However, just recently I nabbed an A-scale Standard from the classifieds for a deal at $850. Let me tell you, I really love this banjo. I got the Reiter A-scale neck length back and this one measures 12" from nut to middle of 12th fret making it a 24" A-scale!!! Although it doesn't have the WL tone ring, this banjo has a rolled brass tone ring with a 1/2 "curly maple pot rather than the 5/8". The Standard is much like your Special with a few minor differences in pot size and your neck is maple and mine is mahogany. The tone you can get from this banjo depends entirely on setup as John Balch and a few others have mentioned. Mine has a Bill Miller calfskin head, rosewood Sampson bridge, medium Vega strings, and a no knot tailpiece. The best way I can describe it is a plunky, warm, bell like, clear tone. Although I love the tone with my current setup I may try a Fielding tailpiece. So, I love the tone, the lightweight, the scale length, professional look, and construction of this Reiter banjo. I don't like to ramble too much and may have a little with this post but I wanted to assure you that your choice of banjo is superb in my opinion and you can acheive the tone you want because your Reiter is a versatile instrument. Looking forward to hear your feed back after you have played with it for a bit. I am so proud of my little Reiter A-scale Standard....here are a few photos.
odd that you mentioned the A-scale Reiter as i think that will be something i want to look for next-due to this:
youtube.com/watch?feature=ends...f7gBT8eNY
i like the sound and i think it would good to have that scale to see how it works for me. BAS, its a never ending disease process...............
d
darylcrisp - Posted - 03/25/2012: 16:07:37
quote:
Originally posted by dwdeacon
I've been playing one for a few months and love it. I have it set up with a Renaissance head, medium Moon bridge, and medium D'Addario strings. John's description is exactly how i'd describe it. I posted a tune in Soundcloud--just a quick recording on the iPad. soundcloud.com/daithio/sally-in-the-garden
thanks for the soundclip-it sounds great. i aspire to play as well as you one day.
d
darylcrisp - Posted - 03/25/2012: 16:10:49
quote:
Originally posted by DEmery
Daryl that is a great sound on the video. I had a BR Special years ago but at the time didn't have the skill to use it. Since then I've owned several openback banjos with a variety of tone rings and rim designs. While we often discuss the tonal differences of common tone rings...I picked up on Banjered's comment about the 5/8"thickness or design of a Bart Reiter rim. Bart Reiter selects rims to his design taste and that is all good; but over the past year I've had a chance to play a banjo with a custom bent two ply maple shell. It is more lively and powerful than almost anything I've owned. In my view rim design has as much impact on the banjo as a particular tone ring. With quality private builders today there seems to be more choice in getting a preferred"sound" based on rim design (traditional three ply; block, 3/8" two ply, deeper rims, etc.) matched to a specific tone ring than any time in the past. David E.
David, thanks for the reply and thoughts-its always great to hear what others have experienced. Who makes the banjo you mentioned with the custom bent 2 ply maple shell? would love to check it out.
thanks
d
MyBaNJo - Posted - 03/27/2012: 04:22:23
quote:
Originally posted by RWJones1970
Elderly has a Reiter Special due to arrive soon ! Save your money!
elderly.com/new_instruments/it...ECIAL.htm
They actually had one until last week. 
I upgraded from a Deering Goodtime banjo last Thursday afternoon. My second banjo, but first post. Hey, everybody!
RWJones1970 - Posted - 03/27/2012: 06:18:14
Hello MyBanjo, Welcome! How you like your new Reiter?
MyBaNJo - Posted - 03/27/2012: 08:30:00
It's due to arrive today. Once I've played it, I'll offer my comments!
I've learned that constantly hitting Refresh on the Fedex tracking tool will not make it arrive more quickly...
Edited by - MyBaNJo on 03/27/2012 08:32:05
MyBaNJo - Posted - 03/28/2012: 04:02:39
Well, I unpacked my Bart Reiter Special last night with great anticipation and I was not disappointed. First, it is a beautiful instrument! I was very impressed by its understated elegance and class - add another embellishment or take one away and you'd ruin it. Second, it has a clear, "round" tone. The notes don't sustain as lone or sound as twangy as my Deering Goodtime Banjo which allows you to hear each of them more independently. Sorry if I'm not describing this correctly, but I've been a guitarist longer than a banjoist!
I only had 30 minutes to play it between playing Daddy and husband after work. I plan to give it more of a workout over the next few days.
bohemian - Posted - 03/28/2012: 18:41:43
Congrats, Reiters are keepers. A joy to play.
darylcrisp - Posted - 03/28/2012: 19:04:12
quote:
Originally posted by MyBaNJo
quote:
<Well, I unpacked my Bart Reiter Special last night with great anticipation and I was not disappointed. First, it is a beautiful instrument! I was very impressed by its understated elegance and class - add another embellishment or take one away and you'd ruin it. Second, it has a clear, "round" tone. The notes don't sustain as lone or sound as twangy as my Deering Goodtime Banjo which allows you to hear each of them more independently. Sorry if I'm not describing this correctly, but I've been a guitarist longer than a banjoist!I only had 30 minutes to play it between playing Daddy and husband after work. I plan to give it more of a workout over the next few days.>
thanks for keeping us posted on your new Reiter-mine is enroute this week. i ordered the Special over all the other models because of the exact way you described its sound-"clear, round, with less sustain and twang". Thats exactly what i heard from all the soundclips i found, and is one of the prominent sounds i hear in my head.
keep us updated on what you think
thanks for contributing
d
Edited by - darylcrisp on 03/28/2012 19:05:30
darylcrisp - Posted - 03/29/2012: 14:21:37
Expected Delivery By:
March 29, 2012
Insured
arrived home at 4pm, no sticky note stating i was missed? tracked my mailman down 13 minutes later-he did not have it either. So...........sleepless nite leading into friday for a hopeful delivery in the morning.
d
MyBaNJo - Posted - 03/30/2012: 07:53:07
Any word on your Reiter Special?
rinemb - Posted - 03/30/2012: 10:08:05
My Reiter Special was my first serious banjo purchase. It is still near and dear to me. Brad
Dexter - Posted - 03/30/2012: 10:39:37
quote: darylcrisp....it seems to me that you bought a Ramsey Student?, not too long ago. I was just curious and if you've already discussed this I apologize.....what did you not like about it...tone...construction, feel, etc. I'm asking because I'm always weighing Reiter vs. Ramsey for my eventual next banjo purchase...thanks, Rick
Originally posted by darylcrisp
Expected Delivery By:
March 29, 2012
Insured
arrived home at 4pm, no sticky note stating i was missed? tracked my mailman down 13 minutes later-he did not have it either. So...........sleepless nite leading into friday for a hopeful delivery in the morning.
d
darylcrisp - Posted - 03/30/2012: 18:57:09
today it arrived intact, i've yet had time to center the bridge and tune it up, but from the first glance and hold, its a sweetie for sure. can't wait to tune it up and see how it sounds.
a short review in a few days
d
jbalch - Posted - 03/31/2012: 17:06:29
Congratulations...enjoy!
