I finally got my archtop Stelling!

Premier Sponsors

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue, we will assume that you agree to our privacy policy which includes details of cookie usage. Hide this notice

Stelling Owners Club

Join This Group

For those who own or want to own the ultimate banjo. www.stellingbanjo.com

536 Members, Created 1/28/2011 -

Administrators: 5 String (owner)

< Back to Home

From banjomule on 2/10/2013 5:28:19 AM

I've been wanting a maple archtop for awhile now and finally found one that I couldn't pass up on. Dave at Turtle Hill sold me a 1998 Golden Cross and I couldn't be happier with it so far. Dave was outstanding to work with too.

The previous owner could no longer play and the banjo hasn't been played in a couple of years, so I plan to play it awhile before changing anything on the set-up. I played it all day yesterday and I swear the banjo was coming back to life throughout the day.

Do any archtop owners have set-up recommendations for me?

Right now it has fairly heavy strings on it. The tailpiece is pretty much horizontal, but seems to sit up higher than the tailpiece on my Staghorn. The original Stelling bridge is in the case and the one on it has no identifying marks. The head tension is good and tight with no sag at the bridge.

I was thinking in a couple of weeks I'd put my favorite strings on it (AMB 10 12 14 22w 10) and weigh the bridges and put whichever is lighter back in it. Not sure if I want to lower the tailpiece. It sounds pretty darn good right now so I probably shouldn't change too much at once.

Since I have a very well balanced Staghorn, I would like a very bright, cutting sound from the archtop. Any recommendations are greatly appreciated!

3 Comments
	banjoman56 says: 2/10/2013 9:41:16 AM Congrats on the new banjo! Stelling banjos are fine instruments. I know you will enjoy yours.
	Geoff Stelling says: 2/10/2013 11:05:32 AM Brian, We made more archtops in the late '70's and early '80's than we do now. It was probably due to the fact that Ralph Stanley played one of mine for a few years during that time period. Many were sold thru a dealer in Hixson, TN, named Blaylock Music. Brian Blaylock has been in a number of bands playing banjo, Dobro, fiddle, and mandolin. He can play anything, but I think he excels at playing banjo. He owns the banjo I made for Sonny Osborne and plays it quite a bit, even with Bobby Osborne sometimes. We have archtop tone rings available but have not been selling any for quite a while. They are now actually lighter than our flatheads since I redesigned them. a couple of years ago. Geoff
	banjomule says: 2/12/2013 6:43:45 PM Thanks for the comment Geoff! I would love to hear Ralph on a Stelling! I'll have to go search Youtube for something. Does anyone know where you can find recordings? Well, the set-up adjustments couldn't have been easier. I put on new strings and put the Stelling bridge back on it ... sounds amazing! Got the brightness I was after when I bought it. It's great to know that I can put heavy strings and the other bridge back on to get a more balanced tone back if I want it. It was sure powerful that way. Cant beat a Stelling!
Post a Comment
You must be logged in and a member of this group to post a comment.

MP3: Somewhere over the rainbow Linked by Eastbanjo 1 month ago
Tablature: Kitchen Girl Linked by tenolanmd 4 months ago
Tablature: Big Country part 1 Linked by JOBO 3 years ago
Forum Post: (untitled) Linked by gottasmilealot 4 years ago
	STELLING SUPERSTAR 1979- For sale..... May consider trade for nice Baldwin-Ode D Linked by Ralph Stanley legend 5 years ago
Tablature: Road to Columbus Linked by Briscoedillard59 5 years ago
Tablature: Banjo Signal Linked by dmayeur 5 years ago
	Stelling Visit Linked by gotvim72 5 years ago
Tablature: Eighth of January Linked by Tom Hanway 5 years ago
Forum Post: (untitled) Linked by revellfa 6 years ago