Jim Britton - Posted - 07/12/2014:  19:20:06

Hey Dave, Heartland Sales (Robin Smith) will be posting a Bare Bones model by first of the week. Been pickin it today. Mahogany/ leaves and bows inlay. It's a hoss. Great banjo for $2499. Brand new...only gonna get better.....

-JB

Edited by - Jim Britton on 07/12/2014 19:21:33

davepicks5 - Posted - 07/13/2014:  05:09:31

All

With this breaking news about Huber and now Robin Smith, clearly more American built choices now.

I believe the most difficult decision to make will be based on sound. Where do you go to find one to play it and decide if it fits your "ear".

Ultimately the tone ring and the rim quality and consistency will  define the $2500 priced banjos.  The workmanship of all of these builders cannot slip or the knowledgeable customer will notice and word will travel.

Every one has to win at some level for these banjos to be successful and the builder sustain themselves.

There is nothing simple nor easy about the business of building and selling banjos.  We all should own at least 10 or more, at least that is what I try to convince my wife.

David

From Greylock to Bean Blossom - Posted - 07/13/2014:  06:12:10

quote:

---

Originally posted by davepicks5

All

 

 

There is nothing simple nor easy about the business of building and selling banjos.  We all should own at least 10 or more, at least that is what I try to convince my wife.

 

David

 

---

ABSOLUTELY!!  This is the most level headed clear thinking I have heard on ANY subject for a long time!!!

I sense a movement starting! I sense a groundswell of visionaries sensing and following this truth!

Ken

PS Dave, Will you please come have talk with my wife?

superdave - Posted - 07/13/2014:  06:40:52

I Feel a road trip coming on. I haven't been to Tenn. in quite a few years. 

Thanks, Dave

pjxndvm - Posted - 07/14/2014:  12:34:12

I'll throw the Sullivan V 35 into the mix. Hatfields I have heard are very nice, and would surely go with that as well. I bought a Maple V35 from Elderly when they had a sale. If you watch the classifieds, you might find a good used one. You are just one state south of Elderly... a trip there would be a fun thing...

gospelman97 - Posted - 07/14/2014:  13:16:37

quote:

---

Originally posted by pjxndvm

I'll throw the Sullivan V 35 into the mix. Hatfields I have heard are very nice, and would surely go with that as well. I bought a Maple V35 from Elderly when they had a sale. If you watch the classifieds, you might find a good used one. You are just one state south of Elderly... a trip there would be a fun thing...

---

Uh...the Sullivan V35 costs $4299.  If you can get one for $2500, that's a really good buy!  I have played one and it was a great sounding banjo.

Edited by - gospelman97 on 07/14/2014 13:17:05

MadMatt - Posted - 07/15/2014:  04:24:25

while im no expert on the topic I like my Bishline Cimarron, good sound and Ive had it 9 weeks and never had to tune it. $2200

banjodr - Posted - 07/15/2014:  09:03:12

quote:

---

Originally posted by MadMatt

while im no expert on the topic I like my Bishline Cimarron, good sound and Ive had it 9 weeks and never had to tune it. $2200

---

That sounds like we need the name of the brand of tuners on your new banjo! Although come to think about it most other musicians think banjos never get tuned anyway!

johndalf - Posted - 07/15/2014:  12:08:17

I am a 4th degree banjo owner. I think I am close to 5th degree. I hold these 9th and 10th degrees in awe.

quote:

---

Originally posted by From Greylock to Bean Blossom

quote

:

---

Originally posted by davepicks5

All

 

 

There is nothing simple nor easy about the business of building and selling banjos.  We all should own at least 10 or more, at least that is what I try to convince my wife.

 

David

 

---

ABSOLUTELY!!  This is the most level headed clear thinking I have heard on ANY subject for a long time!!!

I sense a movement starting! I sense a groundswell of visionaries sensing and following this truth!

Ken

PS Dave, Will you please come have talk with my wife?

---

pjxndvm - Posted - 07/15/2014:  13:01:35

I've seen in the classiffieds Sullivan V35s for sale near the $3000- ish range. I got mine from Elderly when they had a 20% off banjo sale. So, yes the retail is $4299... but it if you look and are patient.... you can pick one up for a good deal

pjxndvm - Posted - 07/15/2014:  13:07:23

theres a V35 in the classifieds now for $3200.... only its a lefty...

markbyrum - Posted - 08/04/2014:  09:52:22

For those of you who are following this thread, Huber has announced his $2,499 Workhorse.  It looks great and if you go to facebook and search for Huber Banjos you can hear soundbites.  Here is a link to Steve Huber introducing the banjo and playing the "first one off the bench:"

youtube.com/watch?v=CllGclgRaxo

Check it out!  And yes, that is a picture of me playing my Huber Custom Shelor Model.

Mark

Edited by - markbyrum on 08/04/2014 09:53:26

REarl - Posted - 08/04/2014:  15:23:08

And now there is the Sullivan Festival at under $2200. With that banjo and the Huber Workhorse in the mix plus the others mentioned earlier it really looks like players looking to move up can take a step before the Huber Truetones, Sullivan V35's, etc. It has been said before that we are in the Golden Age of banjo making and I really believe that is accurate. You can be sure that Gibson is not going to start making banjos again, the competition would wipe the floor with them.

prewartb3 - Posted - 08/04/2014:  16:31:20

All under $2500 style RB250, Style RB3 and the ESS

banjohangout.org/classified/18553     youtube.com/watch?v=Bq4SNS8k8kM

banjohangout.org/classified/17088    youtube.com/watch?v=eTbuzLvozU4

banjohangout.org/classified/17089    youtube.com/watch?v=g7-35N4C5ds

Best deals in town IMO

stickfigurine - Posted - 08/05/2014:  01:58:03

Well this is a timely conversation for me - I'm about a month away from buying my first "real" banjo. That is, assuming I can make a decision about which one to buy. I'm finally coming to the conclusion that my dream of going somewhere that I can play lots of different banjos and pick my favorite is a pipe dream. Trying to hear subtle acoustic differences from watching youtube videos is folly. So that pretty much leaves picking by reputation and just rolling the dice.

I guess my first question is: Are $4000 banjos really better than $2500 banjos? It's sort of assumed by the price but everyone on BHO sort of dances around direct comparisons of banjos - maybe it's politeness because many of the builders are reading this forum, but it doesn't make the decision easier. If the quality of sound is merely subjectively different, I might as well go with the cheapest option since I'm equally likely to like that particular sound, no? I hate the advice "buy the best banjo you can afford" because without a lot of personal experience with different banjos, this just equates to "buy the most expensive banjo you can afford" (or "buy the most expensive banjo that won't get you divorced"). Not helpful.

I'm currently playing on old Korean-built Fender FB58 that, if it has no other faults, needs to be replaced by something that isn't made out of dwarf star alloy. And while I've played with the setup, I can't seem to get the kind of growl that I like to hear out of a banjo. Maybe it's my playing, but the banjo is easier to replace :) I don't really have much to compare it to. I once played Bill Evans' Osborne Chief, which I rather liked, but there don't appear to be any Chief's in the used market right now. Under or around $3k would be nice, depending on how much I want to antagonize the wife I could go higher. But I'd have to feel that I'm getting a significant amount of extra value for that... which is hard to do when there seem to be plenty of people very happy with $2700 options.

I would love to have a video of one person playing the same song on 10 different banjos all in the same room on the same day with the same (high quality) recording equipment.

From Greylock to Bean Blossom - Posted - 08/05/2014:  08:22:49

quote:

---

Originally posted by stickfigurine

Well this is a timely conversation for me - I'm about a month away from buying my first "real" banjo. That is, assuming I can make a decision about which one to buy. I'm finally coming to the conclusion that my dream of going somewhere that I can play lots of different banjos and pick my favorite is a pipe dream. Trying to hear subtle acoustic differences from watching youtube videos is folly. So that pretty much leaves picking by reputation and just rolling the dice.

I guess my first question is: Are $4000 banjos really better than $2500 banjos? It's sort of assumed by the price but everyone on BHO sort of dances around direct comparisons of banjos - maybe it's politeness because many of the builders are reading this forum, but it doesn't make the decision easier. If the quality of sound is merely subjectively different, I might as well go with the cheapest option since I'm equally likely to like that particular sound, no? I hate the advice "buy the best banjo you can afford" because without a lot of personal experience with different banjos, this just equates to "buy the most expensive banjo you can afford" (or "buy the most expensive banjo that won't get you divorced"). Not helpful.

I'm currently playing on old Korean-built Fender FB58 that, if it has no other faults, needs to be replaced by something that isn't made out of dwarf star alloy. And while I've played with the setup, I can't seem to get the kind of growl that I like to hear out of a banjo. Maybe it's my playing, but the banjo is easier to replace :) I don't really have much to compare it to. I once played Bill Evans' Osborne Chief, which I rather liked, but there don't appear to be any Chief's in the used market right now. Under or around $3k would be nice, depending on how much I want to antagonize the wife I could go higher. But I'd have to feel that I'm getting a significant amount of extra value for that... which is hard to do when there seem to be plenty of people very happy with $2700 options.

I would love to have a video of one person playing the same song on 10 different banjos all in the same room on the same day with the same (high quality) recording equipment.

---

You are asking a question for which there is no definitive banjo. As Warpdrive says, we are now living in the golden age of banjo makers. As I said earlier in this thread, I played some $4k+ banjos and decided to buy a Hatfield because I liked its tone better. I could not pull the tone out of the other banjos. That being said I know the other banjos have tone in them because I have heard it come it. It comes down to individual likes and individual abilities. I think some banjos are better for some people than are others. Hatfield's, Neats, Yates, Hubers, 1st Quality all make excellent banjos. You just have to find what when you hit the string, sounds best to you.

I always loved the sound of Ralph Stanley's banjo. James Allen Shelton bought it and told me he could not get the tone out of it that Ralph could. Many who played Earl's banjo have said it did not sound that good when they played it. Listen to Kenny Ingram play anything and it sounds great. But for what I wanted to hear, I could not be happier with what i got and the price helped me out a lot.

Ken

banjo5string - Posted - 08/05/2014:  09:02:23

Gibson made the RB-3, RB-250, and ESS.

GlennM - Posted - 08/05/2014:  18:23:01

Sullivan Roasted Maple Banjo.

RTWhite - Posted - 08/06/2014:  12:05:37

All this love for Hatfield Banjos makes me want to leave work early to go home and hug my Hatfield Celebrity.

I'd echo what others have said.  Dealing with Arthur and Bev is a real treat.  I have a Hatfield Celebrity, with, when factoring everything comes to about $3,500.  Arthur swears by his least expensive model, the Buck Creek, as much as he does about the more expensive models.  He won't try to sell you what you don't want (which is just amazing).

I took my Hatfield to Grey Fox, and was sure to call Arthur when I got home to relay all of the nice compliments I got about my banjo.  Arthur and Bev are great people.  Arthur makes an amazing banjo.

My Hatfield turns 6 months old, tomorrow.

banjoez - Posted - 08/06/2014:  12:54:07

It is nice to hear all the great stories about the Hatfield's and what great people they are, however, at the risk of sounding a little cold, I have never met them in person and can only attest to the qualities of their banjos from a player's perspective and nothing more so there is no agenda here and simply cold hard facts mixed with personal opinion.

I like testing out different banjos and when the opportunity arises to pick up a used banjo that I haven't tried before I take it. I won't bore you with details since I have already done some Hatfield reviews on here but my results have been that Hatfield banjos are the real deal if you are looking for a level of tone that really surpasses most anything else out there today including many higher priced instruments. I thought I had played some great sounding banjos but these banjos tend to make you re-think what good tone really is and a Buckcreek is all the banjo anyone would ever need in this or any other price range. His higher end banjos still have the same basic engine so you are paying for the extra bling.

Just look in the classifieds and see how many used ones there are. Most experienced owners seem to hold on to them.

Edited by - banjoez on 08/06/2014 13:08:48