Pisgah: Woodchuck

Submitted by pfosinger on 3/22/2017

Where Purchased: Acoustic Corner

Year Purchased: 2017
Price Paid: 1045 ($US)

Sound

To my unschooled ear, the Woodchuck is the perfect blend of warm and biting, full and focused. I spend some time comparing it to a Wildwood Mistrel, another very fine instrument, and found the Woodchuck to have better projection, without being too bright. In a band with fiddles and guitars, it might not cut through like a tubaphone, but the sound is perfect for me.

Sound Rating: 10

Setup

Perfect setup, almost as if the maker is right down the road (which he is).

Setup Rating: 10

Appearance

Not an ornate instrument, which is one of the things I love about it. Richlite fretboard, black headstock, and black ash rim make this a very classy banjo. I love its simplicity. Best of all, part of the Pisgah mission is to use native North Carolina woods (the richlite is not wood, per se, but is certainly sustainable, fitting the company's mission). Only improvement I might have wished for would be dispensing with the dot position makers. But that's a quibble.

Appearance Rating: 10

Reliability

These are not an assemblage of parts from here and there. Pisgah makes most of their own hardware, very high quality. As the resident picker at Acoustic Corner told me, This instrument will last you your entire journey.

Reliability Rating: 10

Customer Service

Patrick Heavner in Asheville makes these instruments, and he's very personable and eager to talk about his instruments. I corresponded with him and spoke with him on the phone, and found him patient and friendly. Invited me to come over and visit the shop in Asheville, which I plan to do some day.

Customer Service: 10

Components

Nothing cheap, nothing weak. The instrument is sturdy and solid, a joy to hold.

Components Rating: 10

Overall Comments

I live in North Carolina, and have hugged a few trees along the way, so I found the company's mission of sustainability very compelling even before I picked up one of the instruments. For me, their sourcing of local woods is not a compromise, it's an enhancement. These are not bluegrass-style instruments with exotic woods and frilly inlays (which, personally, I find ostentatious)—they let the sound do the talking, and the sound does not disappoint.

Their little Woodchuck may be their entry-level instrument, but it fits me perfectly. I have three very fine guitars--a Bourgeois, a Martin, and a Taylor--but the Pisgah is not a poor cousin. Visually, it's subtle and elegant, and the sound is killer. Very happy with my purchase.

Overall Rating: 10