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banjo bill-e - Posted - 04/17/2013: 11:44:06
Gruhn has one right now. Go here: gruhn.com, click inventory, then five string banjos.
Ron Ortegel - Posted - 04/17/2013: 13:28:53
Is that a going price?
$1500 and no case?
Ron Ortegel - Posted - 04/17/2013: 13:29:27
Is that a going price?
$1500 and no case?
SFI - Posted - 04/17/2013: 14:16:38
I sold one 3 days ago for $1,450. It had straight maple neck (not curly), 8 F-holes, & a hard case. Gruhn's price does not seem out of line. I had mine for less than a week.
Banjolution - Posted - 04/17/2013: 15:43:45
Dang that's what Im kinda trying to find. One with 8 F-holes. That one on Gruhn's website has been there for 3 months. I like the peg head shape,and the figured maple neck on that one. I just placed this ad to see what turns up...
The last two that sold on Ebay went for only 1000.00. Just the regular proffesional with 2 F-holes...
I think 1000-1400 is a good price with case. More for fancy inlays and such... My 2 cents... 
jbalch - Posted - 04/17/2013: 17:33:20
Consider the prices (retail) of current Reiter models (without case):
Buckbee or Fretless standard $995
Standard $1195
Special $1295
Round Peak $1395
Regent or Bacophone or Tubaphone $1495
If the Professional were offered today, it would have to cost more than a Bacophone.
The availability - and the demand for - these instruments is limited. It has always been a very "thin" market. I think that is why prices have fluctuated widely in the past. $1000 on ebaY was just crazy. But I saw it happen. I've also seen them sell for much more.
As time goes on, Reiter IR banjos seem to be available with less frequency. I'd say if you find one, in good condition, for much under $1500 - maybe you should buy it.
Good luck!
(disclosure - I like these banjos and own some. Mine are NOT for sale. And I AM definitely biased)
Edited by - jbalch on 04/17/2013 17:34:41
Banjolution - Posted - 04/17/2013: 18:48:33
The market is pretty "thin" for most Banjos at the moment. I think the prices I stated as "good",$1000-1400 are by no means what these Banjos are worth. Those are the prices people seem to be willing to pay for them in the current economic climate. It's a buyers market these days... Whoopee!
jbalch - Posted - 04/18/2013: 17:26:05
;<) that is why I've been buying ... more than selling. I hope you find one at a great price! Enjoy the hunt!
Edited by - jbalch on 04/18/2013 17:30:00
banjo bill-e - Posted - 04/19/2013: 12:32:36
And the one at Gruhn's is GONE! Did you buy it Moss?
jbalch - Posted - 05/02/2013: 16:10:21
Ad deleted....
raharris - Posted - 05/02/2013: 17:02:13
Good call, John --
Banjolution - Posted - 05/03/2013: 07:10:03
I almost bought the one at Gruhns but decided against it. The nut has been "modified"/moved to change the intonation,and the peg head is really pretty chipped up. I feel i want to hold out for another one.
banjo bill-e - Posted - 05/03/2013: 14:09:43
I didn't want to prejudice you r decision, but I did not care for the one at Gruhn's. I played it on two occasions, and this one just did not impress me. I liked how it looked, but it was the quietest banjo that I have played and the tone was not what rings my bell. Of course, it may well be just exactly what someone else prefers, but it really drove home the point to me that you need to play the exact banjo you are searching for, because they can vary quite a bit.
Bill
LFree - Posted - 05/04/2013: 05:18:24
Hi guys,
I bought the banjo that Gruhn's had. It was weird. . .I saw Banjolution's ad wanting to buy one and not much later, the one at Gruhn's was taken off their inventory, so I thought he bought it. Well, I was surfing ads a few days later and it was back on. I had been looking for a professional or grand concert, and I thought I'd take a chance on it. . .hate to buy one without trying ot out, but since we don't have many Reiter banjos here locally in east TN, I got it.
You're right, Moss, about the nut. It has a shim or some mod to it, and it isn't as loud as my Ramseys, but I love the uniqueness of it and the metal polished up nicely. I can live with the dings in the peghead, given its age, because the back of the pot. . the tortoise shell, the curly maple. . .and the other cosmetics of it were in such good shape. Since these are hard to find, I was glad it reappeared at Gruhn's. It's cool to play and nice to look at. None of the folks I play with have one with an IR, so it will be fun to have one that's unique.
Moss, good luck finding another one, hope it works out. There's a Grand Concert for sale at Dusty Strings'
website. No pics of it as of yesterday. . .just FYI.
BTW, I saw the ad for the Reiter Grand Concert a couple of days ago, for a little over $1000, and it sounded fishy. Glad it was deleted and another scam averted!
I'm relatively new to BHO, but the advice and info on the website is golden! I appreciate all of your knowledge and experience. The reviews and forum posts have helped me when I've been looking at buying banjos and accessories. You guys rock!!
Take care,
Lisa
Edited by - LFree on 05/04/2013 05:21:33
jbalch - Posted - 05/04/2013: 09:46:29
Lisa:
Welcome to the BHO - and congratulations on the purchase. I hope you enjoy the new banjo. I like mine...
LFree - Posted - 05/04/2013: 11:15:22
Thanks, John. i hope Moss finds the one he wants!
I need to get a Wavwely tailpiece since I think they were standard on the professionals. Would be curious about the tonal difference with one.
Yours are beautiful. Love the backstrap on that one. . .looks lilke birds eye maple on the neck?? Bob Carlin played one in his instructional dvd's with birdseye. . .awesome!
There are photos up now at Dusty Strings of the Grand Concert for sale. It's a beauty. If I hadn't just bought that professional. . .sigh. . .
Edited by - LFree on 05/04/2013 11:19:54
jbalch - Posted - 05/04/2013: 13:19:54
The waverly tailpiece was originally supplied with these banjos. But personally I prefer the sound of a Presto.
My fancy A-scale (with the backstrap) is now set up with a Prucha Presto. But I have the original Waverly in the case.
These two banjos are from 1994. They are consecutive serial numbers. I ordered the fancy a-scale banjo (#1144) brand new through Elderly Instruments. The other one (#1143) came to me in a recent trade. #1143 is kinda rough (well-used). Both banjos sound great.
Edited by - jbalch on 05/04/2013 13:25:17
jbalch - Posted - 05/04/2013: 13:35:03
While there is interest in this topic: Here are some photos of a VERY rare banjo I used to own: It was a mahogany Internal resonator (with stained maple neck). It was a beautiful instrument - that I traded away several years ago:
Edited by - jbalch on 05/04/2013 13:36:05
banjo bill-e - Posted - 05/04/2013: 14:27:24
John, your two banjos should be a great test of how scale length affects tone. How do you hear the difference?
Bill
DEmery - Posted - 05/04/2013: 15:49:56
I recall that banjo John. I sounded very different from the BR maple rim banjos. Nice photos. I had forgotten the maple in the neck on that piece. David E.
jbalch - Posted - 05/04/2013: 16:36:12
quote:
Originally posted by banjo bill-e
John, your two banjos should be a great test of how scale length affects tone. How do you hear the difference?
Bill
Bill - the a-scale banjo has a whyte laydie tone ring under the Bacon donut. The full-scale banjo is standard (Bacon) construction. Those factors probably have more impact one the tonal differences than the scale length.
jbalch - Posted - 05/04/2013: 16:59:35
quote:
Originally posted by DEmery
I recall that banjo John. I sounded very different from the BR maple rim banjos. Nice photos. I had forgotten the maple in the neck on that piece. David E.
That's right ...you owned this one for a short while too. Didn't you have it first?
the-fish - Posted - 05/04/2013: 17:55:11
I was on the hunt for one of these for years, never found exactly what I was after.... I settled on a Docs banjo IR 12 inch.... To date, its the most complex tone of any other banjo Ive ever had...... Its not my favorite... I do like it, complex tone to describe.... The workmanship and woods used make it the most beautiful banjo Ive ever owned, its really a piece of art in my opinion..... Need to play with the set up, heads etc....
jbalch - Posted - 05/04/2013: 19:47:00
Here is a new sound sample of grand concert # 1143.
LFree - Posted - 05/05/2013: 05:15:10
Beautiful banjos, John! Great sound, too. Thanks for sharing them. Glad they went to a good home!
I love playing the professional I just got, but I love to just prop it up by me while i'm doing something else and just look at it too! Sappy I guess, but I appreciate the wood and craftsmanship. . .
That Grand Concert sure is nice. Hope someone snags it. Thanks for the info about the tailpiece. I have seen your set up preferences on several posts and would like to try them on my Reiters.too.
Edited by - LFree on 05/05/2013 05:18:00
jbalch - Posted - 05/05/2013: 05:59:15
Thanks:
It is a rainy morning here in Tennessee. I picked up the Reiter Grand Concert and really loved the slightly tubby sound of the hide head on a damp day. So I quickly recorded another sample.
The other sample (Lost Cherokee) was recorded with a small piece of sheepskin stuffed in the back. This one is without any stuffing at all. There is no reverb or EQ either - this is just a flat, mono, recording. I think you can hear the resonance of the Bacon ring inside the rim a little better on this sample.
JB
Edited by - jbalch on 05/05/2013 06:01:30
LFree - Posted - 05/05/2013: 06:20:15
Very nice!! Always love that song. Soggy here in East Tn, too. Don't know who's saggin more. . me or my banjar heads!
But it does make them sound good. Like in the old days before synthetic heads came along. . .a nice reminder of how our ancestors sounded when they played on days like this.
Edited by - LFree on 05/05/2013 06:22:52
DEmery - Posted - 05/05/2013: 06:54:38
John I didn't own that Reiter with the unusual headstock inlay first. You had it and that banjo went between us and back to you on a trade. You held it a short oeriod of time and let it go. David E.
jbalch - Posted - 05/05/2013: 07:15:41
quote:
Originally posted by DEmery
John I didn't own that Reiter with the unusual headstock inlay first. You had it and that banjo went between us and back to you on a trade. You held it a short oeriod of time and let it go. David E.
That's right. The banjo had a badger's paw inlaid in the headstock. If I remember correctly, Bart said it was a custom order by a botanist.
raharris - Posted - 05/05/2013: 07:55:47
My Reiter Professional is standard by comparison by some we've seen here -- no fancy inlay, no fancy woods. But it's my best 5-string (at this point my only 5-string) and I like it. Wouldn't imagine selling it. They're nice instruments no matter what the accouterments, and I wish you luck.
LFree - Posted - 05/05/2013: 08:49:24
Robert and John,
Could you comment on the set up you all have on your Reiter Professionals and Grand Concerts? (also with any string rec's you'd have)
Thanks,
Lisa
jbalch - Posted - 05/05/2013: 09:53:34
Lisa:
My set-up works very well for me ...but might not be right for everyone. There is no substitute for experimentation and discovery. The good news is that these banjos respond well to changes and customization. I use the same set-up for my Grand Concert & Bacopone-plus banjos.
I prefer the following:
1. Premium quality goatskin head, mottled, & natural ( .013in. - .016 in. thick), well-tensioned (even all around),
2. Maple/ebony bridge (Gary Sosebee or Tim Purcell),
3. Prucha Presto tailpiece - set parallel to and about 1/4" +/- above the head (otherwise, I use the original Waverly set up high),
4. GHS PF150 strings (bronze 4th)
Edited by - jbalch on 05/05/2013 09:54:49
LFree - Posted - 05/05/2013: 10:10:22
Thanks, John. I know a lot of it is subjective and individual preference, but it's great to see what other folks have had good experience with, and I know you've commented on how well Bart's banjos respond to set up tweaks.
BTW, sorry for the duplicate post.
Much obliged.
wbelm - Posted - 05/05/2013: 10:48:50
Great playing John. I think I prefer the Farther Along soggy head tone. But that is a fine sounding banjo.......Bill
raharris - Posted - 05/05/2013: 11:22:10
quote:
Originally posted by LFree
Robert and John,
Could you comment on the set up you all have on your Reiter Professionals and Grand Concerts? (also with any string rec's you'd have)
Thanks,
Lisa
John is the musician here, I just play the banjo --
;-)
LFree - Posted - 05/05/2013: 12:45:40
Thanks, guys.
Robert, I'm sure you're being too modest!
thefolkshop - Posted - 05/07/2013: 07:31:20
Can any of you Reiter IT owners/players tell me of the difference in sound between the the 2 'f' hole and the 8 'f' hole models? and why? Paul
LFree - Posted - 05/08/2013: 05:04:57
Hi Paul,
Hi Paul,
I wouldn't be able to compare mine with 2 f holes to the ones with 8, because I haven't played one with 8.
Maybe John can help you more with that comparison. I can just say that my IR model is the most balanced banjo I have right now, between bass, mids, and trebles, and offers more bass than most of my others. After I put a new set of strings on it, it is considerably louder and brighter.
Sorry I can't offer any help with your comparison, though.
Lisa
raharris - Posted - 05/08/2013: 05:22:32
quote:
Originally posted by LFree
Hi Paul,
I wouldn't be able to compare mine with 2 f holes to the ones with 8, because I haven't played one with 8 holes.
Lisa
And I've never played one with 2 holes!
