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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!
7235 reviews in the archive.
Where Purchased: From the maker
Year Purchased: 2009
Price Paid: $1450 ($US)
This banjo has a medium to full sound. It is not as full as my Flesher Promenade, but it has its own color and character that is very nice. It is an open back 5 string built for down picking and frailing. The notes are clear and not blurry. The bass is full, but not booming. The low D string doesn't have quite the sustain as my wood rimmed Flesher or my rolled brass ring Stu-Mac kit banjo. Initially I found the tone a bit dull and muddy, but appealing. I did some adjusting on the instrument (see below) to get what I consider a fuller, more clearly defined tone.
Sound Rating: 9
My instrument came with a fairly high action and I believe excessive bow in the neck. Through e-mail, I discussed this with Brooks, and finally adjusted the neck myself, which was extremely easy to do. I think the 5th string nut is a bit high, and I may adjust that some time.
Setup Rating: 8
This is a beautiful banjo and is the polar opposite of my Bob Flesher Promenade banjo. It has a square peg head, no fingerboard inlays (there are pearl side marker dots), and an unplated, notched brass tension hoop. The neck is dark grained walnut with an oiled finish. The maple rim is stained to match the walnut. I had Brooks put a Renaissance head on it, and it looks great. The tuners are 5 Star with black plastic buttons. It has a no-knot tail piece. Brooks uses his own butterfly lugs for the tension bolts which adds to the antique appearance.
Appearance Rating: 10
This is a solidly built banjo. I would not hesitate to put it in a gig bag and take it as carry -on luggage on an airplane. I have played it for a year and it holds up well. I would take this instrument without a back up any day.
Reliability Rating: 10
Brooks is very helpful and wants to make the customer happy. I was able to meet him at his workshop in Portland, Ore. before I ordered my Spartan. He was most accommodating. I was also happy to get the banjo in about 4 months after I ordered it. I consider that excellent.
Brooks was also very helpful when I asked him to make a 5th string-only scoop at the end of the fingerboard. That makes it easy to play over the neck, but I can still note up to fret 22 on the 4 higher strings.
Customer Service: 10
This banjo stands out by its simplicity. The components are solid, well built, and well assembled. It has 14 lugs, and that is plenty for the job. The critical fit of the neck to the wood rim was very well done. The 5 Star tuners have functioned well and I have no complaint about them. I noticed that there was some kind of tape on the ends of the brass tone ring where they meet to form the tone ring. It is not soldiered together. I removed this tape and used emory cloth to take the sharp edge off the cut ends of the brass. I then remounted the head over the ring. I feel that that gave the instrument a clearer tone to the notes. Brooks told me he put the tape on to keep the edges of the brass from cutting into the head material. I haven't had a problem yet.
The neck of the banjo is a bit wider than any of my other banjos. It takes a slight technique adjustment when playing this banjo.
Components Rating: 10
One of the most appealing aspects of this banjo is how light it is. It has a 1/2 in. wood rim, a 1/4 in. brass tone ring, and 14 lugs for the tension hoop. It is my newest instrument, and I still play it more than the other two in my home. It is a great, great instrument. I love it.
You can see and hear my banjo on Brooks web site. It is Spartan model #152.
Overall Rating: 10
Where Purchased: Bob Flesher
Year Purchased: 2005
Price Paid: $1895.00
historic exchange rates / currency converter
This a great claw hammer banjo. Mr. Bob Flesher has made open back, claw hammer banjos with his own ebony tone ring design for many years. He has made these instruments long before Deering made the John Hartford model and other makers came out with "woody" models. The only way I can describe the tone is a clear ring with absolutely NO clang. It is quite loud if you want it to be, or it can be quiet and soft. It has a full sound and does not sound "thin" of tinny.
Sound Rating: 10
The banjo was set up perfectly for claw hammer. Mine has the frailing scoop, and playing over the fingerboard is a breeze. The banjo has a 9/16ths compensated bridge and seems just right. I ordered the instrument with a fiberskin head, and I do like the look and the tone. Bob's banjos have a non-adjustable rod in the neck, and there has been no need to adjust the neck. I have tried a bit looser head tension for a bit more low end, and that is about it.
Setup Rating: 10
This is a highly appointed, heirloom quality banjo. My daughter calls it "girly," but I don't think that it is at all gaudy. The woods are the highest quality with a highly figured, curly (almost tiger tail) maple neck. The wood rim is straight grained maple with an ebony rim cap and red-black-red wood marketry stripe on the outside and inside of the edge of the rim. Inside the rim is a shoe bolt cover. The design and execution of the pearl and abalone inlays are stunning. My Promenade model actually came with the Grand Promenade inlay pattern and heel and back of head inlay. See note on "Customer Service" below.
Frb., 2019: I had a complete fret job done at Hoffman Guitars in Minneapolis about 4 years ago. When the luthier took it out of the case, he was speechless. Another customer came over to look at it, and he, too, was amazed.
Appearance Rating: 10
I have had and played this banjo for 5 years and nothing is worn. The tuners tune easily. It is very sturdy. I have had to have a fret job done on the first 5 frets. Just recently, one of the 5th string capo spikes broke. It was easily removed and replaced. This banjo still looks brand new. It was recently appraised at a value equal to the price of the model now: $3500.
This banjo is completely reliable. I would take it to any jam and only pack extra strings.
Reliability Rating: 10
I ordered this banjo in July of 2002. Because of some chaos in his life, it took over 2 1/2 years for Bob to complete the banjo. When I ordered it, it sold for $1895. When I received it, the price had risen to $2800. My deposit in 2002 was for the lower price and that is what I paid. Although Bob never said so, I believe he gave me the Grand Promenade inlays and heel and back of head inlays as a token of appreciation for my patience. I also ordered one of his CDs with the banjo, but forgot to include the price of the CD in the final check I sent to him. When I realized this, I sent him a check for the CD. He returned my check to me uncashed.
Customer Service: 10
The absolute awesome aspect of this banjo is the wood rim/tone ring. The tone this instrument makes is a down picker's dream. The fullness and ring without clang in the tone really stands out when played side be side with other instruments. His craftsmanship in constructing and assembly of the components, the choices of wood and laminating, and the outstanding inlays make this an eye-popper.
Components Rating: 10
I would expect Bob's other, less ornate instruments to sound just as good, and the fancy inlays are a nice decoration on my banjo. If you are willing to wait, I would order one of his banjos right now. If you wait, it will only take longer to be done and sent to you. Bob does make resonator blue grass instruments with his wooden tone ring. I think that they might be very interesting to hear and play.
Overall Rating: 10
Where Purchased: Stewart-MacDonald catalog
Year Purchased: 1985
Price Paid: 300 ($US)
This is a bright sounding, open back banjo assembled from a kit. I put an Emerson Power Bridge on it, and it sparkled. Perhaps there was too much brightness. It was my first open back instrument, and it fit my claw hammer style very well. Its current set up is bright, but with plenty of bass on the low D string. It probably is the loudest of my 3 open back instruments. The action is medium low and very playable for claw hammer and what little 3 finger I can muster.
Sound Rating: 7
I call this my "mule" banjo. I have tried a Kershner, Waverly, and No Knot tail pieces on it. I don't think any made a bit of difference in the sound. I have tried Emerson Power, Emerson II Sweet Power, light Moon, and even a birch Sosebee bridge. The Emerson Sweet Power II and Sosebee gave it the best, fullest tone. I use medium strings and a regular, 5 Star head. Set up was a challenge because the coordinator rods were drilled for a blue grass tone ring, instead of the rolled brass ring in my kit, so I had to re-drill a few holes. I had a difficult time getting the heel of the neck to fit solidly onto the 3 ply rim. I have never had to adjust the neck, and it is still straight as an arrow.
The kit wasn't quite "finish, assemble, and play" that I thought; especially the heel to rim fit. I have had that recently re-cut by a set up guy, and it seems better.
Setup Rating: 6
The quality of woods were excellent. The neck is mahogany, and the rim is 3-ply, 3/4 in. straight grained maple. The fiddle shaped peg head was highly finished to the nut, but the rest of the neck was only rough shaped, with the rest of the shaping left to me. There were many an evening of me with my banjo neck, Sure-Form rasp (straight and curved form), and C-clamp to hold it to my work table. I learned a lot from that experience, made no mistakes, and neck came out outstandingly well. I stained the wood rim almost black, and left the neck unstained red. I put a gloss varnish on the neck and a semi-gloss on the rim. It is a little funky, but not garish.
There is a star on the peg head, and position dots on the ebony finger board. The neck also has a nut heel on the opposite side of the peg head veneer. I also tone-belled the rim, and accidentally put an additional router gouge on the inside edge of the bottom of the wood rim. Oops! Fortunately, you can't see it unless you look at the back side.
None of the metal components were anything less than first class. They still look great after 25 years with no rust, oxidization, or flaking. The 5-star tuners still function well.
Appearance Rating: 6
This banjo is a tough, work-a-day instrument that sounds great. I take it camping. It has never let me down. As I said above, the metal pieces are bright, not tarnished, and have no rust or flaking plate. The finish has held up quite well. Their only flaws are where I clunked the instrument against something harder than its wood. I think you could drive a pick up truck over it, and it wouldn't break, yet still sound great either frailing or Scruggs picking.
Reliability Rating: 10
I have had no need to contact company. In what I have learned from building this instrument, I would use Stu-Mac again in a heartbeat (though the myriad of rim and component makers available now is tempting). I can't give a rating.
Customer Service: not rated
The woods are great. The finger board was fretted, dressed, and attached to the rough cut neck, and has been highly accurate. The nut is bone, and it has weathered nicely. The 5th string goes through a slot screw head, then crosses over the 5th fret. I haven't replaced the head, and it has held up well. I probably should have left the No Knot tail piece on it, and I have since misplaced it. But the Kershner tail piece works well. The rim is outstanding, first class. As a matter of fact, I wonder how my Fender-Salstrom Artist would sound with a better, 3-ply (instead of multi-ply) rim.
Components Rating: 9
About 5 years ago, I bought a Bob Flesher banjo. I took it and my Stu-Mac to some friends to play and compare instruments. Bob Flesher's workmanship and highly figured neck wood made the Stu-Mac look doudy, but my friends actually preferred the sound of the Stu-Mac. I do prefer the Flesher, but the Stu-Mac has a quality to it that doesn't keep it in the corner gathering dust. I'm giving it a "7" because of my mistakes and the difficult heel to rim fit.
Overall Rating: 7
Where Purchased: Indianapolis
Year Purchased: 1977
Price Paid: Don't Remember (bought USED)
historic exchange rates / currency converter
This is a bright sounding flat head tone ring banjo. At the time I bought it, I was enamored of the arch top sound. This banjo seemed like a blend of flat top bottom and arch top ring. I play claw hammer style, but, at the time, I didn't have an ideal tone in mind. I just know it sounded and played a miles better than the Gibson Mastertone Bow Tie banjo it replaced. I never changed the head, but I did put a Waverly tail piece (for looks) and an Emerson Power Bridge I on it. The 11/16 Power Bridge I really improved the tone, brightness, kept the low end, and increased volume. I also tried an 11/16 Emerson Power Bridge II on it. Boy! That just seemed to kill all the brightness and dull the tone. I took it right off. After a while, I realized that this kind of banjo is not best for claw hammer style.
Sound Rating: 8
The action was initially set too low, so I did my best to adjust it up. The original bridge was 5/8, but an 11/16 worked better, and the action was still quite low. Because of this, I would get a lot of drum sound with claw hammer and frailing style of play. I also tried loosening the head, and that did help the low end without killing the brightness. As noted above, the Emerson Power Bridge I really brought out the best in the instrument.
Setup Rating: 7
This is a beautiful walnut banjo with nice but somewhat blocky inlays. It is far superior to the product Fender currently imports. The finish is a bit thick on the neck and wood rim, but is well done on the resonator. I bought it used, and the resonator has some weather-checkingon it. The binding is ivoroid on the neck, but the head is not bound. The head stock inlays are very nice. This instrument has the most narrow neck I have seen. I don't prefer that slender of a neck, but if that is a feature you like, look at the vintage, made in USA Fenders. The inside of the wood rim proclaims "Santa Ana, California".
Appearance Rating: 9
I bought the banjo used and owned it for almost 30 years. It has held up well and never let me down. Another reviewer mentioned his flange bending, but I had no such problem. For a long time, this was my only banjo. I have now two other banjos, so the Fender is on permanent loan to my Godson who is learning to play the instrument. I liked this banjo very much.
Reliability Rating: 10
Never needed service.
Customer Service: not rated
The head never broke, but I would like to try a Renisance head on it. I came with Keith regular tuners for the D strings, and D-tuners for the G & B strings. After 30 years, I had to replace the friction washers on the D-tuners. The neck was always straight and did not need adjustments. The frets are wide by banjo standards, but worked well. I did need about 8 frets replaced. It seemed to go smoothly. I installed my own railroad spike 5th string capo with no problems. They still work well. The tone ring is very heavy brass. It seems to be a compromise in tone of a flat top and arch top banjo: quite bright.
Components Rating: 8
I liked this banjo and would recomend it to bluegrass players. Since I focus more on claw hammer, my preferences have moved on to open back instruments. My current wish list now includes a 12 inch, wood or rolled brass tone ring, open back banjo, so I probably would not look for another Artist model to replace it.
Overall Rating: 9
Where Purchased: Seymour, Indiana
Year Purchased: 1973
Price Paid: $400 ($US) (bought USED)
The sound was dull and uninteresting. I didn't like it much and was glad to move on to a better instrument.
Sound Rating: 3
Set up was OK, but I don't remember much detail. I tried to adjust the bridge a bit. It also had the 1st generation D-tuners that required 2 extra holes drilled into the head. I took those off. They were a nuisance.
Setup Rating: 6
This was a bare bones RB 250, bow- tie inlay, rectangular peg head Gibson banjo. It had a Cremona brown sunburst finish and a chip on the lacquer near the G-string tuner of the peg-head. I rememer a double inlay binding on the resonator. The chromed parts looked good.
Appearance Rating: 7
At least it was a durable instrument and never broke down. The tuners worked well. The 5th string tuner was not geared.
Reliability Rating: 8
I bought it used, so there was no warranty. I didn't have much money, so I never had an experienced or skilled person try to bring it to life. Ignore the "5" rating, as there was no experience with the factory.
Customer Service: 5
Nothing stands out. It was entirely forgettable.
Components Rating: 2
Actually, the instrument was stolen. I received enough for my home-owner's insurance policy to replace it with a Fender Artist model that allegedly was played by Mike Lilly of Mike lilly and Wendy Miller fame. As noted above, it was a forgetable instrument, my first try for a quality instrument. I would have been interesting to hear it after a professional set up.
Overall Rating: 2
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