New FlintHill RK80 Archtop

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Posted by edhanzel on Sunday, March 2, 2014

Hello everyone.....

Very happy and proud owner of a new banjo today. We received a much larger tax return than expected, so with my wife's blessing, I was able to get a new banjo.

Was considering buying a new 58-60" screen TV for the living room to replace our aging 42" TV when my wife said "Get what you want....you worked hard for it." That was all it took to start me down the banjo trail. My first thought was "TV or Banjo? Tough choice...."

So, I armed myself with the cost of a TV and then came home and looked online for a banjo. Criagslist showed a Flinthill RK80 listed for $680 and a SAGA for $500.00. I remember the SAGA as a banjo kit that you build and so I quickly rulled out the SAGA. The Flinthill looked to be a nicer banjo, so I called my friend and my personal Banjo Expert, Glen Miller from the Pickers Academy site (www.pickersacademy.com). Glen looked at the Craigslist link and pointed out some of the nice things about the banjo and gave me some advice on the price.

From there I was off to the races....it was going to be a banjo and the TV was going to have to wait. I drove my wife crazy as I was bouncing off the walls at home waiting for the time to look at the banjo. After a VERY, VERY LONG two hours, I met up with the owner, Taylor from Georgia, stationed out here at the Miramar Marine Air Base. He was very friendly, showed me the features of the banjo and after chatting for some time, we settled on a price and completed the sale. Oh, did I forget to mention it included a hard case? Well it did!

I do have some work ahead of me learning to play with a heavier banjo and clear head....it feels different and the clear head makes it harder to see the strings, but that should not slow me down for long.

Here is the posting from craigslist and the link to photos I posted on the hangout.....

2013 Flinthill RK-80 Archtop banjo with a hardshell case included, along with the tuning wrench, truss rod adjustment key, and keys to the banjo case. The banjo is set-up with a gary sosebee banjo bridge, 5/8 height and standard spacing, along with that is a pair of gold plated Schaller D-Tuners for the 2-3 strings, a new set of Martin light banjo strings and a smooth 5-star brand banjo head.

http://www.banjohangout.org/myhangout/photos.asp?id=70641

4 comments on “New FlintHill RK80 Archtop”

Peanutscreams Says:
Sunday, March 2, 2014 @3:48:09 PM

Alright Ed - Congratulations my friend! I know you have been wanting this for a very long time. Enjoy...

Butch B.

edhanzel Says:
Wednesday, March 5, 2014 @9:18:33 PM

Thanks Butch.
Been thinking about a new once since we visited Deering.

I was able to play it the two days for about an hour each day and it has been very enjoyable. I have found it much easier to do a pull off or hammer on with this banjo. The resonator really helps the sound. The open back they always sounded a little soft.

Ed