From Greylock to Bean Blossom - Posted - 07/12/2014:  08:48:56

Let me tell you all a nice bedtime story. One that when you think about will make you sleep good at night and replace all your worries with thoughts of hope. Last Monday July 7, 2014 I made the drive from Bloomington, Indiana to one of my favorite places: Burton Ridge Road in beautiful Glasgow, KY. There I visited with Arthur Hatfield (Bev had her grandson with her and I knew instantly where I fit in that pecking order).  When I came home I had a beautiful Hatfield Buck Creek model banjo. It was Buck Creek # 95!

Oh boy what a banjo! Each string, and I mean each string (including the first), has a RICH and FULL  tone to it. The tones have depth and character.  It is hard to describe tones but I want to make an attempt.  Take Charlie Waller, Patsy Cline, or George  Jones and compare their voices to an average back-up singer. The back-up singer is always on pitch and sounds good in a group. But when you put them out by themselves… they are boring/generic. Not so with the voices I have mentioned. The voices have texture, character, and richness/depth to them. So it is with my Hatfield Buck Creek compared to many other banjos to me. It is the difference between the tone had from striking a piece of car chrome compared to striking a big thick bell like the Liberty Bell. It is the difference between eating the cheapest white cookie from Krogers or biting into some of the richest tasting Scottish Shortbread that is  made with lots of butter and cream. Beautiful tones  in my Buck Creek up and down the neck.

And responsive! The banjo makes me feel like I am driving  a Ferrari. It is like when you push on the gas just a little and the car jumps out big time. The same with this banjo: a little extra force on slide or a pull off and the banjo springs out.

Here is the story about how getting the banjo came to happen. I have a great archtop built by Dick Guggenheim but had been wanting a flathead with a great flathead sound. Tommy Brown let me play his Hatfield archtop at a festival and I could not believe the rich sounds coming out of his archtop. Few new archtops do that.  I thought if Arthur can do that with an archtop, imagine what he can do with a flathead!

Also I knew the Hatfield was a great banjo having heard it at Bean Blossom many times and listening to John Mark Batchelor play it on the hangout where I thought it sounded better than his prewar. But that being said, me getting any tone out of an instrument that guys like John Mark can, well unfortunately that is a different story. So I had been trying to play different banjos to see what it sounded like when I played it. I played some that were $4,000+ banjos and I could not get anything out of them like the good players did. They  did not sound like the same banjo.

That caused many calls to Arthur to see when he had one in the shop for me to play. But between our schedules and the way the banjos fly out of the shop when they are done, we had trouble getting together. So I called Arthur and asked who had a Buck Creek in Indiana and Arthur told me Brian Leaver. I found Brian lived only 35 miles from me and got his email from Brian Lappin. Both Brians are big time players having played with some of the best in the business. I contacted Brian Leaver, told him my situation and he was kind enough to have me to his home and try the banjo. How nice is that? This man is a big time pro. We got to talk a lot of bluegrass and banjos and I got to try his.  I could tell right away how beautiful the tone was. Brian even offered to let me take it home and play it overnight. How unbelievably nice is that?!!  I was afraid to do it. Plus I knew what I heard and knew what I wanted. As an added benefit to my banjo journey,  Brian told me he would let me know when he and Michael Cleveland were playing together so I could attend!! Am I doing good in this story or not?

So I put my order into Arthur. In calling to see when it would be done, he said he had all the parts done but it was not assembled. We arranged that he could get it all together in a couple days and I could come pick it up. I told Arthur I was looking forward to having a banjo that sounded  just like Brian Leaver’s and Arthur cautioned me that this banjo would be green and that Brian’s had been played hard for 10 years so it wouldn’t sound like that now. But Brian was more encouraging. He told me that even if it is new, it will have the sound in it: that you can hear IT.

When I went to Arthurs we had a great visit as always. Upon my arrival, Arthur had a good singer there and was playing some great Scruggs back-up behind him. There was also a young man there from Opelika, Alabama getting his banjo worked on. Arthur told me he did not think he had the right bridge on my banjo. So he took the time and went through many bridges until we got one where we both thought the sound was the best. I hate to say it, but Arthur took a bridge off of one of his own banjos to get the most out of mine.

Since that Monday, I have been home and working on learning  Jim Britton’s version of  Unclouded Day which  Jim posted on the hangout. When I get up in the morning I want to grab the banjo. This causes a conflict with my still sleeping wife and with getting to work on time. But I play without picks in the morning and have thus far been disciplined to put it down in time to be ready for work.  Each time I pick it up, it is a great pleasure.

And yes I finagled Arthur. When he gets his next order of T-hirts done, he has to order some long sleeve ones for me and sell them to me at cost. All around I got one heck of a deal!!

Now if a story like that does not “cause hope to spring eternal” and give you a good nights sleep, nothing will.

Thank you Arthur for making a very affordable, beautiful, and GREAT sounding banjo.

Ken

Edited by - From Greylock to Bean Blossom on 07/12/2014 08:55:53

vincekinney - Posted - 07/12/2014:  09:23:08

Great story ,and another endorsement for the Hatfield banjo.If i had a $ win fall ,it would be hard not to pick the Buck Creek.It makes you wonder what Mr. Hatfields secret is??

banjo bill-e - Posted - 07/12/2014:  09:33:13

Cool! Congrats on your new banjo.

BanjerKen - Posted - 07/12/2014:  11:09:54

I just pulled the trigger and ordered a Buck Creek last week. I'm not that good at bedtime stories but I hope my end result is as exciting

From Greylock to Bean Blossom - Posted - 07/12/2014:  12:35:04

quote:

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Originally posted by BanjerKen

I just pulled the trigger and ordered a Buck Creek last week. I'm not that good at bedtime stories but I hope my end result is as exciting

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Congratulations Ken.

I know you will enjoy it!. You may want to get in the Hatfield owners group here on the hangout. Some pretty good music is posted on there.

Ken

Possom - Posted - 07/12/2014:  12:49:40

Glad to hear about another satisfied Hatfield customer. I know I sure do love mine

From Greylock to Bean Blossom - Posted - 07/12/2014:  12:59:06

quote:

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Originally posted by Possom

Glad to hear about another satisfied Hatfield customer. I know I sure do love mine

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You know Lee, it may be better to say "another satisfied Hatfield friend". Arthur is banjo and loves banjo and bluegrass so much and shares it with us. He makes us all feel like a friend.

ken

pknight - Posted - 07/12/2014:  13:28:01

Very well stated, Ken.

You buy a banjo but with Arthur & Beverly, you make great friends for life.

Great story and not unlike my own. I didn't get a T-shirt deal out of it, but I also was hooked up with 2 great gentlemen in my area so that I could play a couple of Hatfields. Come to think of it...I made 4 great friends through my Hatifield experience ! 

I love my Hatfield Custom.    Knight

dj9124 - Posted - 07/12/2014:  22:57:23

Great post Ken, congrats on your new Hatfield!!!


Dave

From Greylock to Bean Blossom - Posted - 07/13/2014:  03:48:48

Thanks Dave,
ken

Possom - Posted - 07/13/2014:  07:13:15

Well Put Greylock, him and Bev are good as gold and he banjos are even better!

banjoez - Posted - 07/13/2014:  07:18:49

Thanks for that great report Ken. For those that haven't tried one, you should. Been playing for 40 years and this is one of the very few modern banjos that sends the hair up on the back of your neck when you play it. Here is a review for those interested.



banjohangout.org/reviews/searc...edir=true

Edited by - banjoez on 07/13/2014 07:24:29

casinojack - Posted - 07/13/2014:  11:22:43

Congratulations Ken

I like the long sleeve t-shirt idea, I'd buy several.

Order them up Arthur, customers waiting.

Welcome to the Hatfield family.

Jack

Edited by - casinojack on 07/13/2014 11:23:34

From Greylock to Bean Blossom - Posted - 07/13/2014:  11:29:36

quote:

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Originally posted by casinojack

Congratulations Ken

I like the long sleeve t-shirt idea, I'd buy several.

Order them up Arthur, customers waiting.

Welcome to the Hatfield family.

Jack

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Thank you Jack!

Ken

barbbanjo - Posted - 07/13/2014:  14:38:03

I love this bedtime story! One of these days I hope to order one myself!

dmiller - Posted - 07/13/2014:  14:42:36

What a great story Ken!  I'd love to see it next time I'm there in town visiting family.  

You're starting to get a real "herd" going, eh?  

From Greylock to Bean Blossom - Posted - 07/13/2014:  15:09:26

quote:

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Originally posted by dmiller

What a great story Ken!  I'd love to see it next time I'm there in town visiting family.  

You're starting to get a real "herd" going, eh?  

 

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Holding at three. Had to sell one.

Ken

From Greylock to Bean Blossom - Posted - 07/13/2014:  20:00:16

 I meant to post these pictures of me getting my banjo from Arthur:

But before I left with it, we had to negotiate the price of my Hatfield Banjo long sleeve T-shirts

For anyone that loves banjo's and bluegrass, it is always a pleasure to go to Arthur's.

ken

dmiller - Posted - 07/13/2014:  21:22:13

Great picture of you two (and the banjo) from outside of his shop!

krazyspank - Posted - 07/20/2014:  06:16:14

Have to love it, truly the experience of ordering, waiting, and going to pick it up is worth almost  as much as the banjo.

 

Edited by - krazyspank on 07/20/2014 06:17:25

RB100 - Posted - 07/20/2014:  19:44:13

Late getting to this thread...had to get Buck Creek #33 (December 2007) and pick a tune. Not difficult since it stays in its case in my living room and gets attention every day. If you think the new one sounds good now, play and get to know it and over time you will get to understand why any of Arthur's banjos' 'whole is greater than the sum of the parts.' This has to do with the touch of the master artisan and craftsman from the very beginning to the end of the build! Hard to describe but you will know it when you play it.

By the way, the value of the connection of the creator to final product is something that can't be measured by simply producing the cost of a list of materials in an instrument. This is the intangible that to me would suggest we are indeed living in a golden era of instrument building. The original post here is yet another example of this process playing out on Burton Ridge Road!

Bill

Deb D - Posted - 07/21/2014:  17:28:10

Thanks for a wonderful story!  It brought back fond memories of picking up my Special a little over a year ago.  I like your car comparison.  If you read my review here on the hangout, you will see that I chose to compare to chocolate!  I wish you many happy banjo hours!

From Greylock to Bean Blossom - Posted - 07/21/2014:  19:37:56

quote:

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Originally posted by Deb D

Thanks for a wonderful story!  It brought back fond memories of picking up my Special a little over a year ago.  I like your car comparison.  If you read my review here on the hangout, you will see that I chose to compare to chocolate!  I wish you many happy banjo hours!

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Thanks you Deb!

ken

From Greylock to Bean Blossom - Posted - 07/21/2014:  19:44:18

Hey RB100,

Here is a good right turn: correct?

hangoutstorage.com/banjohangou...72014.jpg" class="decoded" src="http://www.hangoutstorage.com/banjohangout.org/storage/photos/large/22/22640-15741192172014.jpg" />

RB100 - Posted - 07/21/2014:  23:21:04

Ken,

I plan on taking that 'right turn' today to pick up a 00 conversion!

Bill

dmiller - Posted - 07/21/2014:  23:54:22

quote:

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Originally posted by From Greylock to Bean Blossom

Hey RB100,

Here is a good right turn: correct?

hangoutstorage.com/banjohangou...72014.jpg" class="decoded" src="http://www.hangoutstorage.com/banjohangout.org/storage/photos/large/22/22640-15741192172014.jpg" />

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youtu.be/lP17hlLNvSI    

gmo - Posted - 07/22/2014:  21:14:23

I love that video !! Having made that trek several times myself, albeit from the opposite direction, watching the video brings back pleasant memories,( especially from the destination end of the video !!! ). I would really like to do it again, but financial restraints won't allow it . Maybe some day !! Feels like you are going home every time you make the trip !!