Posted by Banjov1 on Wednesday, May 21, 2008
I finally did it. After mulling it over for a couple months and playing a bunch of different banjos, I finally picked up a vintage Gold Star GF 100 FE. It's from 1985, it's got Keith tuners on the 2nd and 3rd strings and it feels and sounds pretty darn good. I still haven't changed the old strings on it cause I haven't been able to put it down long enough.
The banjo was owned by a friend of mine and it was one of the first I ever played. When i first started looking to upgrade, I thought my Aria neck was pretty comfortable and was looking for something with a super thin neck to replace it. But as I played the Gold Star a couple times with it's larger neck I started to realize that I've got some pretty meaty claws and I needed a little space for my piggies to work their magic. I started to get so comfortable on it that Blackberry Blossom would just about play by itself.
I began to really start looking and playing a lot of other banjos I played some Deerings, Recording Kings, a Nechville, a Baldwin and an old Gibson (which wasn't for sale). Each time I played something I wound up comparing it to my friend's Gold Star and coming up with some sort of deficiency (except for the Gibson). There were a few banjos that I wanted to play but never really got a chance. I love the look of the blonde maple Deerings and Sullivans. But I kind of like the Mahogany tone on this Gold Star, especially the plunkin D string sound.
So today was my birthday and I finally just broke down and bought it. I've got a jam session coming up this Saturday and I'm playing for a Bluegrass church service on June 8th. I can't wait to test out this guy on the masses.
Hopefully I'll get around to posting some pix and recordings in the near future
Here's a pic
Tony
3 comments on “Whoo Hooo!!..... got me a new Banjer!!!”
zeke_w15 Says:
Wednesday, May 21, 2008 @10:33:09 PM
Well congrads Tony and happy B-day, have fun and happy picken
banjomikey Says:
Thursday, May 22, 2008 @4:53:45 PM
congrats tony!!!
Shimdog Says:
Friday, June 6, 2008 @10:30:05 AM
Tony,
Having heard you play that Gold Star a few times now, I must say it is a real nice one...and you know how to use it. Nice picking.
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