Banjos Direct

Submitted by thebcs on 1/20/2012

Overall Comments

I I had it easy, being close enough to the shop in Norwich that I could easily drop in, but I think anybody would do well buying an instrument from this company. Not only does it have a good selection (and its companion company, Left Hand Bear must be a life-saver for lefties) but the advise was great -- not pushy, but they told me what I needed to know and really helped me choose the right one.
I ended up with a Barnes and Mullins Rathbone, which looks really cool, with the black head, and sounds almost as good as one of the heavyweights, without quite so much strain on my bony shoulders.
I look forward to debuting the new banjo tomorrow night at the gig.
They have a number of other types of instrument, such as mandos, resonator guitars ("dobros"), lap steels, etc., which they carry in left-handed version at Left Hand Bear, as well, but their main focus is banjos of all types.

Overall Rating: 9

Barnes & Mullins: Rathbone BJ400

Submitted by thebcs on 1/20/2012

Where Purchased: Banjos Direct

Year Purchased: 2012
Price Paid: 340 (GBP) historic exchange rates / currency converter

Sound

I was going to wait a while to review this, but I see that there are no reviews of Barnes & Mullins, so I thought I'd throw this in.
It has a very full sound, well balanced, and it rings pretty well up high on the neck, without starting to get too plunky. Almost as good a sound as the very heavy banjos, but this is pretty light.

Sound Rating: 8

Setup

It seemed to be well setup, although I know he did it quickly. I tightened the head a bit and switched in a staggered bridge, added a Schatten pickup and a strap.

Setup Rating: 7

Appearance

Inlays look good -- snowflake-style, good side dots. The black head (white is available, too) is very striking and matches the black head on our drummer's kick drum!

Appearance Rating: 9

Reliability

It looks pretty good, although it's too early to tell how it wears. The rim is notched for the brackets, and the bracket mounts have shoes on them where the brackets go through. Tuners are planetary, with geared 5th. Resonator has contrasting wood inlay a couple of inches in from the edge which looks very classy.

Reliability Rating: 8

Customer Service

Company is excellent -- owned by musician couple. Don't know about warranty.

Customer Service: 10

Components

Neck seems very good. Bridge supplied was pretty standard straightline ebony top -- nothing special. Can't tell yet how the tuners are, since the instrument hasn't settled in yet.

Components Rating: 7

Overall Comments

It's very attractive, easy to play, rings well, with good intonation up the neck. And it doesn't weigh a ton! I think the value for money is very good.

Overall Rating: 7