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The banjo reviews database is here to help educate people before they purchase an instrument. Of course, this is not meant to be a substitute for playing the instrument yourself!
7234 reviews in the archive.
Where Purchased: Ron Coleman (Earls 5)
Please check out the pictures on my homepage of my new BowTie... Neck by Ron Coleman. He is not only my good friend but he is one of the unsung heroes of the banjo building world. I went to him on 3/2/2014 with a project to match a neck pattern to the 1954 BowTie that I sold a few years back but I needed it to match Steve Gill resonator that I had acquired for an RB3 pot and neck.... Only problem was that the reso had WBW binding.
So my new BowTie has a beautiful ebony fingerboard with WBW binding on the sides with just the white on the peghead. Ron's fret work is flawless and the intonation is perfect throughout the neck. I had also sent the pot to Ron to ensure a perfect fit and string height for my 5/8 DC Banjoworks zebra wood and katalox bridge.
Ron sent the rim and resonator up to Don Hunter for finishing.... I sent the resonator to Don at the same time. From start to finish which includes my assembly and setup time, we started talking on 3/2 and I was pickin my new banjo on 5/9... My parts arrived from Don Hunter on 5/7. Try getting that level of service from any other neck builder or finisher.i highly recommend Ron's and Don's services... This neck far surpassed my expectations!!!! Thanks again Ron... This banjo is a keeper!
There are pictures on my homepage if you'd like to check them out.
Overall Rating: 10
Where Purchased: American Made Banjo
Now that I've played mine a while and it's settled in... it has developed a "sticky" spot where I plant my two fingers. And yes I always make sure that my hands are clean when I go near my banjos. This makes for some difficulty when playing up the neck and having to move my hand. I even took my Mr. Clean eraser to it but it didn't work, still same level of stickiness.
Anyway... if you're looking to save a few bucks, buy it because it sounds ok, but I'd just as soon spend the extra few dollars on an American made Remo or AMB's actual Made in America heads since I believe that they are made by Remo as well and I've had great results with those.
As far as the stickiness, it almost seems like the coating is breaking down. My guess is that this head is made outside of the U.S. somewhere with a substandard coating.... never could get a straight answer to that question in a forum a while back.
The only reason that I'm giving this head a rating of 3 is that it's more cost effective than most heads. Some credit has to be given there.
Ok... this is an edit to my original review... obviously, I must have receive a defective head. Tom Mirasola contacted me immediately after he had seen my comments in one of the forums. I should have notified him of the deficiency but didn't as it was a fairly inexpensive item. Anyway, he sent me a return label for the head and graciously refunded my payment. AMB obviously stands behind their products so anyone that reads this please contact Tom if you experience any problems with his products. He will make it right.
Because of this awesome customer service (rare these days), I am raising my initial rating of "3" to a "10" as I have not seen or heard of any other negative comments about AMP's pre-EPA heads and as stated above, they do sound ok with my very inexperienced ear.
Overall Rating: 10
This is the second complete pot assembly that Ron Satterfield of Nashville Plating Service has done for me. The first was in nickel... ABSOLUTELY FLAWLESS... turnaround time was 10 days.
This time I decided to have an entire pot assembly plated in 24 KT gold. First let me say that I put everything in the mail on Saturday morning 10/16. Today is Thursday 10/21 and it arrived today. An email followed within minutes from Ron telling me to check the mail, that my parts had arrived. He cut the time in half from my first order. That kind of turnaround from VA to TN and back is way over the top in my opinion!!!! Everything including the little bracket screws were perfect, gorgeous and Ron evidently spent some time buffing everything out prior to plating. His packing job was superb to ensure everything arrived in tact and also to make sure all parts arrived complete. This is going to be one gorgeous banjer thanks to Ron Satterfield of Nashville Plating.
If anyone is looking for some plating to be done... I highly recommend Nashville Plating Service. Ron continues to amaze me with the quality of his product and his exceptional customer service!!!!!!!!!!!
Overall Rating: 10
Where Purchased: Tim Selman
I'm going to start out by saying that when I finally did get my finished neck and resonator, they came out perfect/beautiful with the exception of one piece of the inlay in the headstock was a tadbit cockeye'd. Considering the following comments, I can deal with it.
With that out of the way, here goes... back in June 2009 I sent Tim Selman an email with detailed pictures and written description of what I desired, contracting him to make me a neck for a Gibson pot that I had on hand. I requested a mahogany neck and resonator and a check followed shortly in the mail for the required down payment. When asked, Tim said that he should have everything complete by August 1st.
Time went by... nothing... I called repeatedly and got one excuse after another as to why my parts weren't complete. He always mentioned some progress. They seemed like valid excuses (everyday life problems) so I gave hime the benefit of the doubt over and over again. By October, it was starting to feel like I would never get my neck and resonator so I started calling again, sending emails, and threatening legal action. I didn't receive any callbacks until I started threatening legal action.
Finally, I received my parts around the first week of December. I received them at work and at first glance everything seemed ok, but as I looked at the neck, he had the wrong inlay pattern on the headstock. Also, the headstock inlay was cockeye'd. In addition, I looked at the hole that was cut for the 5th string tuner and it seemed too large. When I got it home, it was verified when I went to place the tuner in the hole. The nut also had a chip on the right side. I was very dissappointed considering I had waited so long. It seemed as if everything had been rushed at the last minute. It's no wonder since I was threatening legal action.
I called Tim to complain and can you believe he wanted me to send the neck back??? I told him no and that I just wanted my money back at this point. He didn't have it so I consented to have him make another neck and I would hold both the neck and resonator hostage along with the remainder of the money owed until the new one had arrived. I told him that the new one had better be perfect.
Amazingly enough, the new neck arrived just after New Years and it was beautiful except for the above mentioned inlay.
Considering all this aggravation...lessons learned and also the kind of product Tim can put out if he puts his mind to it, I would never have gone down this road. Tim's prices are enticing compared to the rest but next time I will go with someone who makes necks as a profession so that I know I will get great customer service and a better quality product the first time even though I'll pay a bit more for it.
Overall Rating: 3
Where Purchased: First Quality Music
Year Purchased: 2009
Price Paid: Don't Remember
historic exchange rates / currency converter
Crisp, clear and loud... AWESOME!!
Sound Rating: 10
With the exception of a little tuning, it was perfect right out of the box.
Setup Rating: 10
Absolutley a beautiful banjo!! You can tell the difference in quality from other popular brands (I won't go into that). Let's just say that it's true that everyone else is trying to replicate Gibson in every way. There is a reason for that. This is just a testament to that fact.
Appearance Rating: 10
Best quality I've seen or heard. Mechanically it is sound!!
Reliability Rating: 10
FQM is an awesome dealership. Specifically, let's just say that they honor the military and cater to them like no other dealership. I would do business with Jeff and Eric and recommend them to everyone especially to veterans.
Customer Service: 10
It could have a better tailpiece... to be honest, I did upgrade to the Fults 34 Parallel and it made a great sounding banjo even better. Otherwise, nothing is cheap on this banjo. I was awe struck when I opened the case. That being said, the case could be upgrade to something better quality. The Deering deluxe cases are much better. The curly maple wood in the neck and resonator are absolutely beautiful. The nickel plating is of a much better quality than the Deering Sierra (my previous banjo).
Components Rating: 9
I love this banjo!! The price was incredible (too incredible to even list, so I intentionally left that off of this review). If it was stolen, I would get anothe. My favorite feature is the curly maple wood and finish. The inlays are also very nice. My previous banjo was a Deerin Sierra and I can't even attempt to compare the two. The quality, from the nickel plating, to the tuners, to the finish work, to the setup and everything else in this banjo is far better. I am a Gibson fan for life. I will own no other.
Overall Rating: 10
Where Purchased: First Quality Music
Awesome craftsmanship, great sound. I installed this bridge to replace the Gibson bridge that came original on my Earl Scruggs Standard. It made a noticeable change in the sound of my banjo. Definitely more crisp and clear. It took a good banjo and made it a great banjo!!! I've tried an Emerson bridge and a Deering bridge... they don't compare with my Snuffy III. If everyone changes to Snuffy Smith after they buy Gibson (from what I've read on BHO), why isn't it standard issue??
Overall Rating: 10
Where Purchased: First Quality Music
Great thumb pick!! Very comfortable and the back side is curled under so as not to get caught on the 5th string when pickin the 4th (I've been having problems with that). Best metal thumb pick out there!!! It sounds much better pickin a string than with the plastic ones.
Overall Rating: 10
Where Purchased: Dogwood Designs Website
Not only did Dave exceed my expectations with the design of my strap but he did it twice. I initially ordered a custom design on the "professional" model but Dave had sent the adjustable model instead. When I called and told him, he acknowledged the error and immediately sent another one within a couple days... no questions asked. I LOVE IT!!!! These straps are the best out there (and believe me, I have been searching for something of quality and with a personal touch). The personal service is great... Dave is an honest, nice guy and a true craftsman. I can only have the highest recommendations for this man and his products!!
Overall Rating: 10
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