 | stanger says:
12/14/2020 8:08:12 PM
Whyte Ladies aren't my thing, but I owned a 2000 Prucha Tubaphone for quite a while, one of the first Premium series banjos made.
The Tubaphone pot was extremely cleanly made. I was able to compare it directly to a brand new Deering Vega #2 at a dealer's shop, and the Prucha tone ring was made much more cleanly and finished out farther than the same tone ring made by Deering.
They both sounded like good vintage Vegas, and the Deering did feel more like an old Vega than the Prucha.
I liked the banjo a lot, but ran into a bad patch and needed some cash, so I regretfully sold it.
By 2012, I had financially recovered and was hankering for another good open back. By then, I had purchased a Prucha bluegrass banjo, and it impressed me with it's old-time abilities. I thought an openbacked version of that Prucha standard cast flathead pot might be something unique, so I ordered another banjo just like the first one, but with one difference.
The open back uses the tube from a tube & plate flange to hold the brackets. I have always liked the tube on an open back, and using it allows me to add the rest of the flange and a resonator if I ever want to resonate this banjo.
So far, I like it much better than the Tubaphone. The Mastertone style cast flathead tone ring produces a tone that's similar to the Tubaphone, but with deeper low tones and more volume power when the banjo is pushed.
It's probably not a good banjo for everyone, but I love it's versatility. I like to play bluegrass on it, as it has enough punch to hold its own in a small jam, and it is a very good banjo to use for playing using the bare-fingered 3 and 4 finger up-picking classical style.
It sounds fine played clawhammer style too.
The other big thing I really enjoy is the 2 Prucha are next to identical in their feel and action. I can go from one to the other instantly with no need for adjusting my playing to suit the banjo.
This allows a ton of playing options that I haven't fully explored yet.
regards,
stanger
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| stanger says:
12/20/2020 4:27:23 AM
Hi, Flatat...
I'm sure you're right. There are quite a few banjo makers who make Whyte Laydies, and Prucha seems to like to make banjos that don't have as much competition or are harder in some way to make.
Not that he would hesitate to build a Whyte Laydie if someone was to inquire for one; he would certainly build one to anyone's reasonable specifications.
I've found that if he gets a good mental picture of what I want in tone, action, and parts preferences, he will offer some good advice on the choice of wood, finish colors, etc.
That's one of the nicest things about working with any good banjo maker. They all love the instrument and really strive for customer satisfaction and a good customer relationship.
It wasn't always this way, and there was once a time when just finding a banjo maker was a hard proposition.
Banjos aren't cheap any more, but I can feel and hear the quality in the banjos being made these days. The industry is at a very high level now, and I try believe this is the Golden Age of the modern banjo.
regards,
stanger
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