Bring your Nechville and join the fun!
226 Members, Created 1/27/2011 - 
Administrators: Jim Pankey (owner) , brettmularkey , nechville
From CAPT Steve on 12/12/2011 11:28:45 PM
Hey everyone,
I posted this on the long-running Nechville string earlier today and thought I'd join the group and post it here, too. Pretty excited about seeing this banjo develop and find a home in NW Florida.
Ordered my Nechville last week. Some of the things that I've been playing recently would really like a tunneled fifth string, something I didn't have, so I got to looking. It quickly came down to the Nechville Phantom and the Bishline Heirloom. I'll say right up front, either would be a very classy instrument. I had a string of e-mails to Rob Bishline, and to Al Price and Tom Andersen at Janet Davis' shop getting details and trying to get a handle on the various characteristics of the two instruments. (Al--still trying to figure out how you can live in the Pacific Northwest and work for a Minnesota company--ah, modern times, modern times). Tom @ Janet Davis also spoke with Tom Nechville about some of the options I was interested in and Tom N was fully supportive of each, plus letting Tom A know that many of the options were being discounted for the Christmas period. All three gentlemen who I e-mailed were extremely helpful, and patient, and provided extended explanations of the banjos I was looking at. And, the comments on the string I mentioned earlier played no small part in my decision. Not so much how loyal Nechville players are as owners, I got that pretty quickly, but many of the technical discussions from them as the folks who play them (for hours!). The sound clips that I found for the two instruments also helped a great deal in deciding. Putting all this together with the adaptability and the various tones that can be pulled from a Nechville ultimately made the choice pretty simple. Tom N sent me a great e-mail from south France after I ordered it.
I had looked at the Nechville Phantom three years ago; the decision came down to the Phantom and a Stelling Master's Cross, I opted for the Stelling. It's a decision that I haven't regretted as the Stelling is a beautiful instrument with a wonderful sound. Some life circumstances since then (health and such) got me to thinking recently that I will enjoy owning and playing both instruments as I anticipate they will sound distinctively different. None of us are promised X-number of years and I really want to spend a big chunk of the rest of my life (however many days/months/years) making music. I consider myself a vocalist first, and continue to work to combine that with instrumental accompaniment. Like many of you already do, I hope to share the wonderful sounds of our instrument in church playing for the Lord. And I hope some of the harps that believers will play in heaven as described in Revelation 15:2 are banjo-shaped.
So here's what the folks at Nechville will be crafting for me, should be awesome! It starts as a walnut Phantom Galaxy, but will have an Orion peghead. The neck will be the standard tunneled fifth using ebony for the fingerboard. On the peghead, I've requested a larger version of the star that's found at the third fret; in my mind, it'll be a lot like the inlay for the Classic DLX, which is my favorite stock peghead inlay. It'll just be star-shaped. I'm a big fan of block rims, so I've asked for a bubinga block rim to go with the standard bell bronze tone ring and 80 steel spheres. Finish will be the natural walnut and will have the maple binding in the usual places. It's really pretty amazing to be able to have this much input into the design of an instrument, to be able to make it 'your own'. There just aren't too many builders who are willing or even interested in doing this for us as owners and musicians. Thank you Tom and your whole team for being so enthusiastic about your craft and allowing us to participate in the process. Now, I have to be patient and wait for it to come together (Aaaarrrrgh! the anticipation's gonna be tough!)
Merry Christmas to all.
4 Comments | |
 | answerguru says: |
 | CAPT Steve says: |
 | nashvillebanjo says: |
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