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fish1963 - Posted - 12/22/2025: 13:29:54
My main banjo is a Sullivan Pot with a Bela Neck Radius neck - prucha parts. About a month after I put this banjo together, I played another banjo at a jam -- it was a top tension Hawthorn banjo. I remember being totally blown away by it ... just killer sound. I'm still happy with my current one, but that Hawthorn really grabbed me.
I'm thinking of pulling the trigger this spring on a Hawthorn - been talking with the owner and discussing the build. I
I play Scruggs, Single String Melodic and other off brand rock and roll/honky tonk stuff.
Any Hawthorn owners out there willing to share their experience? and is the extended fret board worth it? I'm leaning no.
The attached pic looks a lot like the one I played ... " This is a maple Hawthorn RB-7/18 style top tension banjo done with unplated raw polished brass parts. The Eco brass top tension parts that we use basically don’t tarnish and have a subtle, restrained brass look. This banjo has an unplated Huber HR-30 twenty hole flathead tone ring matched to a three-ply rock maple Huber Engineered Rim turned for us by Steve Huber himself. Other features are Rickard Cyclone 10/1 ratio tuners, unplated with boxwood buttons. Also featured are a Kat Eyz arched and pegged maple bridge and an AMB head. Also a Rickard Deco unplated brass tailpiece. "
fish1963 - Posted - 12/22/2025: 13:45:46
quote:
Originally posted by fish1963
My main banjo is a Sullivan Pot with a Bela Fleck Radius neck - prucha parts. About a month after I put this banjo together, I played another banjo at a jam -- it was a top tension Hawthorn banjo. I remember being totally blown away by it ... just killer sound. I'm still happy with my current one, but that Hawthorn really grabbed me.
I'm thinking of pulling the trigger this spring on a Hawthorn - been talking with the owner and discussing the build. I
I play Scruggs, Single String Melodic and other off brand rock and roll/honky tonk stuff.
Any Hawthorn owners out there willing to share their experience? and is the extended fret board worth it? I'm leaning no.
The attached pic looks a lot like the one I played ... " This is a maple Hawthorn RB-7/18 style top tension banjo done with unplated raw polished brass parts. The Eco brass top tension parts that we use basically don’t tarnish and have a subtle, restrained brass look. This banjo has an unplated Huber HR-30 twenty hole flathead tone ring matched to a three-ply rock maple Huber Engineered Rim turned for us by Steve Huber himself. Other features are Rickard Cyclone 10/1 ratio tuners, unplated with boxwood buttons. Also featured are a Kat Eyz arched and pegged maple bridge and an AMB head. Also a Rickard Deco unplated brass tailpiece. "
Culloden - Posted - 12/22/2025: 21:47:45
I played a Hawthorn Bow Tie some years back and I remember it was one of the most responsive banjos I have ever played. I have never played a Top Tension model so I can't speak for that one.
Neither one that I played had an extended fingerboard. That idea sounds like it could come in handy but it depends on how much you play that high on the neck. I would probably go for the extension.
Edited by - Culloden on 12/22/2025 21:50:05
peterm - Posted - 12/27/2025: 17:20:33
I looked into these a few months back. Really hard to find reports from folks who own them. The one I priced out was on the very high end of the price scale, so I went a different direction.
