Submitted by ruraltradpunk (see all reviews from this person) on 3/27/2019

Where Purchased: online from friend

Year Purchased: 2019
Price Paid: Don't Remember (bought USED) historic exchange rates / currency converter

Sound

I play irish traditional music on the tenor banjo tuned GDAE and this JP Whitechapel suits it down to the ground - clear, crisp, loud, bright for an open back, almost like a cross between an open back and a resonator banjo. The Whitechapel tone ring (made from bell brass from the old Whitechapel Bell Foundry in London) was what attracted me to this model - all examples I've heard of it in the past were awesome.

Sound Rating: 10

Setup

Everyone I know with a JP says that Jim Patton sends his banjos out with great set-ups. As I'm the third owner of this banjo it needed some attention. New strings were in order as the set on it were two years old. I also tightened the Renaissance head, which had stretched over the years, and needed to tighten the coordinator rods because I think the original owner had tweaked them (they also swapped out the original Kershner tailpiece for an Oettinger style one, and swapped the 5/8 bridge for a half inch one - the action was too low for my liking but rose slightly after I'd made the above adjustments so by happy accident is now at a height that works for me. I'm rating the set up as 6 due to the state the banjo arrived in, not a reflection of the set ups Jim Patton does. All adjustments were easy to make by the way.

Setup Rating: 6

Appearance

The banjo is absolutely gorgeous, the Decaphonic rim has tulipwood inlay, the neck has lovely ornate inlays as well. It's the right balance between simplicity and bling. The banjo is also light and the neck profile is great, very comfortable to play.

Appearance Rating: 10

Reliability

Everything about the banjo screams "top quality" - this is an extremely well made, beautiful instrument. I would have no qualms gigging with it without a back up. I already have another lovely tenor banjo (Ome Juniper) but I think the JP is going to leap frog it as my main banjo.

Reliability Rating: 10

Customer Service

I emailed Jim right after I got the banjo to ask him a question about set up and he got back to me super fast. Lovely guy, and other folks I know with his banjos can attest to the same.

Customer Service: 10

Components

The standout components/features for me would be the Whitechapel tone ring and the Decaphonic rim. No weak/cheap parts as far as I can see, not planning on upgrading anything.

Components Rating: 10

Overall Comments

I've been a big fan of Jim Patton's work for several years now and have always wanted one of his Whitechapel archtops. I got lucky in that a friend offered to sell his to me. Many of my favourite tenor banjo players have JP banjos (Angela Usher, Stevie Dunne, John & Maggie Carty, Alan Reid)  - I've been delighted to see how popular Jim's banjos are getting (including in the States) and won't part with this banjo for anything! Ordering a Calton case for it this week!

Overall Rating: 10