Backyard Music: Fireside (Kit)

Submitted by Devon Girl on 10/22/2014

Where Purchased: On-line from manufacturer

Year Purchased: Sept 14
Price Paid: Don't Remember historic exchange rates / currency converter

Sound

It has a nice quiet warm and woody sound, perfect for clawhammer/old time playing.

Sound Rating: 10

Setup

You do your own set up. The assembly instructions are easy, though the instructions for placing of the bridge were for the shorter necked version. I did a google search on how to place the bridge on a banjo and followed a YouTube video by Jamie Boss. You need to use an electronic tuner to get it spot on. The maker has also put some YouTube vids up, which are useful to follow.

Setup Rating: 8

Appearance

The kit was complete, with a few extra nails and screws. The neck is from sustainable Nicaraguan mahogany and the head is thin plywood with a rather nice grain. The rim is resin-impregnated cardboard tubing. There was a tiny dip in the fretboard next to one of the frets, but an extra layer of varnish filled it and it doesn't show now. I was impressed with the extra finishing which had been done, the fret ends were bevelled smooth, the rim pre-sanded and painted and the headstock finished with gentle curves. Not much sanding at all was needed, and I added a faux inlay effect to the head and as fretmarkers using wood grain effect paper, lightly glued in place and varnished. I added a wood grain paint finish to the rim, and I am very proud of my unique instrument.

Appearance Rating: 9

Reliability

I am a new player, so it will be a while before I think of playing at gigs! The finish is down to my own efforts, but it would be easy to do more work on it if I wanted or needed to. There are no head adjustments to make, and the neck is all one piece right through to the tailpiece, so no adjustments needed there either. It is quite quiet and mellow, so in a noisy band it would need to be amplified. It is such a simple construction it's hard to see what could go wrong with it really, unless you've made a mess of putting it together.

Reliability Rating: 9

Customer Service

Being on the other side of the pond, sorting out issues could be a bit difficult I suppose. Fortunately I haven't had any issues that I haven't been able to sort out myself. I sent some pictures of my finished banjo to David Cross, who made the kit, and got a nice friendly reply.

Customer Service: 8

Components

The whole thing is unique, and the simplicity of its design is genius. The pegs are of decent quality, all 5 being geared, and were easy to fit and function well. The 3 main components, head, rim and neck, were lovingly sanded and finished, the fret ends needed no further work and the grain on the head is lovely. The weakest point is in the instructions, but they are mostly adequate and the YouTube videos fill the gap nicely, and I recommend you use the aforementioned video for bridge placement. If I can do it anybody can!

Components Rating: 8

Overall Comments

I've never had or played any other banjo, and I've only been playing this one for a month, so I've got nothing to compare it with, but I love its mellow sound, I love its unique appearance, and I love its lightness.  It was easy to assemble, and I learned so much about banjos in the process, which can only be a good thing when you are a beginner.  Consequently I have forged a strong relationship with it, as I know it so well.  If I had bought a finished instrument I think I would still be a little nervous of it, and a little mystified by its construction.  It feels so much more mine, if you know what I mean.  I chose it because I had no way of knowing good from bad in a beginner banjo, and the reviews were so good about its sound.  I have not been disappointed.  It took me 3 days to decorate it, varnish it and assemble it, and it is worth taking the time to produce something you can be proud of.  If you are ordering from the UK, be warned that as well as the shipping costs you will have to pay customs duty, I had to pay about £26.  It's quite nerve racking trusting that the other reviews are as good as they say, but I have to say, I agree with them all!

Overall Rating: 9