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Old 01-27-2018, 10:58 PM
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BoneDigger BoneDigger is offline
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Default Another Zach Hoyt banjo coming my way!

In my previous thread, I had Zach build me a custom walnut banjo with a Whyte Laydie tone ring. I have absolutely fallen in love with that banjo, and decided that I wanted the same banjo, but with a long neck for tuning down to E and F. So, I discussed it with Zach, and he made a 29" scale version of my other banjo. So, now I'll have a standard scale and a 29" long neck scale with similar specs.

The banjo was shipped today, and he sent some pictures... Absolutely georgeous walnut on this one!
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Old 01-28-2018, 10:23 AM
SpruceTop SpruceTop is offline
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That's one mighty fine looking banjo. Ordering two Hoyt's so quickly vouches for their quality and value and will help spread the word on this maker. Enjoy!
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Old 01-28-2018, 08:04 PM
darylcrisp darylcrisp is offline
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That is beautiful!
The headstock is amazing. I love walnut in open backs, it seems to have such a sweet yet clear tone.
Is that a bone bridge?
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Old 01-28-2018, 08:09 PM
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Originally Posted by darylcrisp View Post
That is beautiful!
The headstock is amazing. I love walnut in open backs, it seems to have such a sweet yet clear tone.
Is that a bone bridge?
Thanks!

The bridge is wood, but the nut and pip are bone.
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Old 01-28-2018, 09:33 PM
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Congrats, looks beautiful. I've seen his banjos on BH. His prices seem very fair. The build quality looks pretty nice too. Have you ever checked out John Balch heads. I have his hide heads on two of my banjos, big fan.
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Old 01-29-2018, 03:52 PM
darylcrisp darylcrisp is offline
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I went to his website, the lighting makes the bridges look almost white, but I see them more clearly now. Zach has some nice looking instruments.

thanks
d
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Old 02-08-2018, 10:37 PM
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I'll try to get some other pictures up at some point, but I can say it's a really nice sounding banjo. I keep this one tuned to "F" and will tune occasionally to "E". It sounds excellent and is just a joy to play!
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Old 02-12-2018, 11:21 AM
Tuba Mike Tuba Mike is offline
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His banjos look wonderful. How would you describe the sound of Zach's banjos? The YouTube posts are hard to get an idea of the sound quality.
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Old 02-12-2018, 08:03 PM
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It's hard to describe the tone in generalities. I had these two banjos setup specifically for three finger picking but I didn't want the pop of a standard flat top bluegrass banjo. So, I went with a Whyte Laydie and a 12 inch pot. The tone is definitely more old time sounding and less driving bluegrass style. I have owned a number of nice banjos and I'm loving these two banjos. I keep the standard tuned to G and the long scale tuned to F.

I agree, his videos make it really hard to get a feel for the actual tone of the banjos.
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Old 02-14-2018, 07:12 AM
Tuba Mike Tuba Mike is offline
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Thanks, BoneDigger. I have been intrigued by Zach's banjos. They certainly look beautiful. It looks like you and I might take the same approach to banjo sound. I like the old-time sound but (as a guitar player that is just venturing in to banjo) claw hammer just baffles me. So I am leaning toward the 3-finger method but still want that darker, pluckier sound. I see that Elderly has a used Hoyt for sale at the moment so I will drive up there tomorrow and check it out. Thanks again.
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Old 02-16-2018, 05:35 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tuba Mike View Post
Thanks, BoneDigger. I have been intrigued by Zach's banjos. They certainly look beautiful. It looks like you and I might take the same approach to banjo sound. I like the old-time sound but (as a guitar player that is just venturing in to banjo) claw hammer just baffles me. So I am leaning toward the 3-finger method but still want that darker, pluckier sound. I see that Elderly has a used Hoyt for sale at the moment so I will drive up there tomorrow and check it out. Thanks again.
I saw that one for sale. Let me know what you think.
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Old 02-17-2018, 12:42 PM
Tuba Mike Tuba Mike is offline
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I saw that one for sale. Let me know what you think.
It was quite nice. It is hard for me to give it a fair assessment as I do not know how to play banjo. Coming from guitar, the whole thing feels awkward and I sound like crap. With that said, it seems to be a well made banjo. It sounded fine and seemed comfortable. The neck was a bit thicker than some of the other banjos. As I am used to a guitar neck that is not an issue. They all seem small to me. For build quality it certainly seems like a fair price for a nice banjo. Someday, I will become a little proficient on banjo and be able to have a better feel for what I am trying.
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Old 02-17-2018, 01:33 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tuba Mike View Post
It was quite nice. It is hard for me to give it a fair assessment as I do not know how to play banjo. Coming from guitar, the whole thing feels awkward and I sound like crap. With that said, it seems to be a well made banjo. It sounded fine and seemed comfortable. The neck was a bit thicker than some of the other banjos. As I am used to a guitar neck that is not an issue. They all seem small to me. For build quality it certainly seems like a fair price for a nice banjo. Someday, I will become a little proficient on banjo and be able to have a better feel for what I am trying.
Yes, that's actually one of the things I like about his banjos. They have thicker necks, almost like a guitar. Glad you got a chance to try some banjos out. Now go buy one and get to picking!
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