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#1
12-10-2021, 03:30 AM
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The 13 days of (banjo) Christmas. what you purchased/traded into during 2020/21 (#13)
somehow i ended up with 11 banjos. 8 open backs that include 2 fretless, and 3 resonator models that easily convert into open backs. never intended for this to happen, but it did. as they kept moving into the household, i promised myself i would take my time, play them, and decide which 4 to keep. uh, yea.
i like every one of them, a lot. i'm starting to figure out which one to keep in standard E tuning with Julia Belle string sets-well, maybe keep 2 of them in that tuning. And nylon string. I'd like one in nylon, maybe a fretless. want to keep one as a resonator but can't decide. both fretless are wonderful and have squatters rights until i'm gone. Some i have traded into, but i did outright purchase 4 or 5 of them. maybe i have 12, i can't remember. so every now and then i will add another one and show something i've done to it, or what i've found works for me best with it(heads, string sets, etc). have fun with this, add yours to the thread and tell anything interesting or what you like about it(or don't like). from my household, #1 entry is a Nechville Moonshine. i traded a pretty Ome Trilogy that had a tubaphone tonering for this. i've never got along with a tubaphone and the Ome was the third and last one i'll try. just not my sound. a young fellow did this Moonshine as a custom build and went pretty much full out. i had wanted to try a Moonshine for a long while, and also wanted to experience a tunnel 5th string. this has evo frets, radius fretboard, 25.5" scale, 1 9/32" nut width, crowe spaced Nechville bridge, pop on/off resonator(with the new 4 piece attachment it fits very snug and tight-as well as a screw on. Macassar ebony fretboard/headstock veneer, radius thumbscoop for the 5th string for clawhammer. copper anodized frame and tailpiece. intonates extremely well and rings clean and bell like all the way up the fretboard-as is typical of Nechvilles. excells at fingerstyle as well-i actually have been playing it more as fingerstyle and enjoy its compact size. I'm used to 5-6 lb open backs but the weight of this doesn't bother me. the shortscale neck is real nice to have around. came with an archtop tonering as an extra part-adds 2.6 lbs. will peel paint off a wall with a renaissance or frost top head. i keep it with the timbertronic tonering which is all wood, as an open back with the timbertronic it comes in at 7.6 lbs(not bad). with the resonator on it comes in at 8.6 lbs. resonator is burled mahogany, neck mahogany, smooth no slop gotoh tuners. the tunnel 5th works smooth and keeps in tune-has the upgraded roller at the 5th fret for the string. the main body is machined from a solid billet. if you are not familiar with Nechville, a single allen screw at the heel of the neck is loosened to allow the neck to float up or down at any area on the body and adjusts string action height. the neck attaches to the body with one screw. it works perfect. i've owned a Nechville wood body open back for about 2 years with the same neck attachment, a custom Atlas. its quite amazing in design and function. heads can be changed out in about 5 minutes by removing the bridge, flipping the banjo over and using the two tools, unscrew the tension band and remove the tonering, the wood rim that 80 ball bearings sit on(remove it gently with the bearings in place, then remove the head-replace and put back parts in reverse order. tighten to preference. the tension ring tightens the entire head as it turns-fast and easy to achieve your head tension preference. this is a really cool banjo and is able to change into a lot of tone ranges. keeps in tune and feels great in the hand. i like it with the black suede head, but it sounds good with a renaissance and frosted top as well. enjoy the pics Last edited by darylcrisp; 12-22-2021 at 12:54 AM. 
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#2
12-10-2021, 04:27 AM
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I started learning Clawhammer banjo last year and bought and traded around for at least a dozen. I'm now down to 5, 3 open backs and 2 resonator; thinking about selling a resonator to fund more guitar(s), lol.
1. Stone Banjo Co, open back #21045X 2. Stone Banjo Co open back #20024-X 3. Rover RB45 4. Gibson RB 250 5. Nate Calkins open back Numbers 1,2,3 are not and never will be for sale. Both Stone's are custom and have 12" rim, 25.5" scale, and 1.34" wide nuts(wider than standard). #21045X was Steve's first tunneled 5th, my teacher loved it so much she had him build one for her, his 2nd one with a tunneled 5th. Last edited by jacot23; 12-10-2021 at 04:34 AM.
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#3
12-10-2021, 09:05 AM
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That copper rim is stunning, especially with the black head (which I have on all my banjos BTW)...
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"Mistaking silence for weakness and contempt for fear is the final, fatal error of a fool" - Sicilian proverb (paraphrased)
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#4
12-11-2021, 12:04 AM
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thanks for posting d
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#5
12-11-2021, 01:06 AM
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#2 Bishline Oakie
so #2 is the first Bishline i've had in hand. always heard very positive comments for any Bishline. Rob is known for high quality build, smooth excellent playing action, nice tone, and top shelf service after the sale.
this Oakie came about as a used unit. i grabbed it quickly as i like Dobson tone rings a lot and i did not have one at the time. maple 2 ply rim, one piece mahogany neck, smooth operating Gotoh tuners, 1 1/4" nut, C shape neck profile that is a little deeper and thicker feeling than a Deering-very comfortable. 26 1/4" scale. Rickard raw brass hardware and tone ring. 6.2 lbs quality everywhere you look. i like how the fretboard scoop is deep enough and the neck is set to there is more than ample room for clawhammer at both areas, but the string action all along the fretboard is low and easy to play. rings clear and clean along the entire fretboard. an added bonus, although not designed as such(but many Dobsons can be used this way), slip the tone ring off and because the hoop of the head is below the skirt cut you can set it up as a woodie. i have a white suede medium head on right now and like that. came with a renaissance embossed with the Bishline label and thats good also. in time i usually try out clear, top and bottom frosted, black suede , white suede, and amber(renaissance) on every banjo to see what i prefer. the top frosted heads i will sand lightly for about 2 minutes all around with 800 grit on a firm foam block with the head mounted and under tension. it breaks the scratchy noise from touching those heads, and just slightly mellows the tone to a sweeter disposition, imo. the rough texture is knocked off a lot as well. the bone nut was cut perfect, fit was tight with no glue so removal is easy. the fret ends were a little sharp and i found a few areas of high frets on the flat fingerboard. i don't think it left Robs shop this way. the fretboard, headstock veneer and whole banjo had a very dry look/feel to it. i think the previous owner let it acquire that state. a little work and everything quickly and easily returned to that "good" place that wood likes. i rounded the edge of the fretboard scoop ,thumb side, since i had the strings off and "because it was there". something i always do on any scooped board. this is a very nice banjo. nothing to not like or to complain about. has an especially rich tone on the fretboard scoop. feels very comfortable when playing and has an excellent tone overall. i have rarely seen a used one for sale. i think there are two people that build at Bishline, Rob and another man. Small operation but putting out some top end banjos. They teach banjo also, and Robs daughter is a great player. Lots of videos on his website, instructional as well. Some good Christmas tunes to learn if you want one. oh, Danny Barnes used an Oakie for the entire "got myself together" album. Speaking of Danny Barnes, i really like the looks, tone and specs of his Bishline resonator signature model. shortscale, wood tone ring and around 7 lbs! has a darker earthy tone that works with any music. excuse the shop photos, all i have and its raining hard outside all day. Last edited by darylcrisp; 12-16-2021 at 10:38 AM.
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#6
12-11-2021, 01:19 AM
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#7
12-11-2021, 06:08 AM
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I got a deering americana open back banjo for my 60th this year - while not nearly as stunning as these posted banjos, I am enjoying it. Thought I'd try some clawhammer, also trying out some rolls - after 40+ years playing guitar and being an almost decent finger picker, having the high string at the top messes with my head and muscle memory so it's been bit of a struggle. Guitar will always be my main instrument so maybe my current "claw hammerish random rolls" style will be fine for noodling on the couch.
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National Resophonic NRP 12 Fret Loar LH-700-VS Archtop Eastman E8-OM Herrmann Weissenborn Recording King RP-10 Recording King RG-35-SN Lapsteel Maton 425 12-string ESP 400 series telecaster Eastman T485 Deering Americana Banjo My Youtube
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#8
12-11-2021, 07:58 AM
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Couldn't attach photos this morning for some reason, but here's the banjo on Steve's site: https://www.stonebanjo.com/custom-gallery/21045x
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#9
12-11-2021, 09:22 AM
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#10
12-11-2021, 10:05 AM
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I got a hex-flange Gibson TB (1920s), and added an Eric Sullivan pyramid tone ring. I prefer the pyramid ring over all others. The pyramid is the first tonering advertised in the Gibson literature as "Mastertone". It's way lighter than the later rings, and to me the sound range and projection are at least as good as any of the later rings. I made a solid Brazilian rosewood 5-string neck for it, to get the max density and keep everything rock solid. Almost no damping from the neck.
I much prefer this massive wood body of the '20s "lug" rims. I also just got a '20s open-back Oriole (Gibson) with the same body. Gotta find a good fretboard blank; I already have some great maple neck sets in my stash. Last edited by H165; 12-11-2021 at 10:18 AM.
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#11
12-11-2021, 11:44 PM
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there's somebody out there that makes bridges where the 5th string is elevated(the bridge has a small rise area for the 5th string). i can't remember who is it. it helps if you want a little more thumb space when playing clawhammer on those models(where Deering uses a spike for the 5th string and that makes that string a touch low imo). Another option is to install, or have someone install a bone PIP for that 5th string. Opens up that string for easier use for clawhammer. love the light weight of it and how it rings all the way to the end of the fretboard-Deering makes nice banjos, even the lower end range, they just work really well. Mine had a full fret neck so i removed the last couple frets, turned it into a 17 fret neck and put a scoop on it. it has good tone when played on the scoop as well. you can change out the heads with different materials and it responds well and gives different tones. the 12" rim definitely adds and warms it up, Deering being a kinda bright tone usually. well made parts, hardware, easy to adjust and keep adjusted. the only nitpick for me were the tuners that came on mine. they were subpar for that banjo imo. i had a used set of 5 star and put those on and it was a positive improvement. d
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#12
12-11-2021, 11:46 PM
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thanks for the picture link. d
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#13
12-11-2021, 11:52 PM
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did you weigh this after it was complete? if so, how much? thanks, so much to learn with these d
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#14
12-12-2021, 01:43 AM
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#3 Ome Jubilee fretless
I checked Bob Smakula's site a few months ago around 3am. Wanted to order some heads and needed to look into something else. Bob always has a "new arrivals" list soon as the site opens. at the top of the list, "Ome Jubilee fretless, pics and info soon"
I emailed immediately and told him to hold it, will call you in the morning. He sent me an email before i awakened and told me about it, sent some photos, told me it needed cleaning up and going over but he had not had time. called him and told him don't worry with cleaning, send it on, i'll take it apart anyhow. I've been delving into fretless and really like it. It can be confusing and you feel unable to accomplish forward proficiency(at least i did). Tom Collins. I learn so much from Tom. Below are two excellent videos on fretless and these broke the barriers for me, almost immediately i saw progress and a lot of things i was doing wrong or had misconception about. Tom has more complete fretless instruction on his patreon site(a very reasonable $5 a month for all access). This Ome needed little attention, simply a good overall cleaning. Ome is known, for good reason, as a high quality instrument with regards to build, hardware, tone, and playability. Bob told me this was the first fretless Ome that he remembers coming thru his shop. I know i've seen only two for sale in past years(this being one of those). My favorite models that Ome makes are the Jubilee and Juniper, due to the inlay patterns, 26 1/4" scale, 1.28" nut width, C neck profile shape. maple rim, mahogany neck, wood tone ring. Since taking these pictures i've changed the head to a renaissance, the no-knot tailpiece to a Pisgah Hawktail Banjo Tailpiece( very nice, well built, nice heft, very fair price, and work with ease on string changes. https://www.stewmac.com/parts-and-ha...All%20Products Neck set was spot on. action all the way up the neck with a 5/8" bridge worked fine for me. I prefer coordinator rods for multiple reasons. Most of my banjos have these. i set them at neutral and keep the rims round without distortion. I usually aim for a G# tension on my heads. i haven't contacted Ome to see what date of build this would be, i'm thinking early 2000's, but could be wrong. Has a nice tone and "something good" going on. Fun classy banjo. Last edited by darylcrisp; 12-17-2021 at 01:07 AM.
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#15
12-12-2021, 02:44 AM
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Nechville is the "Taylor" of the banjo world imo. He innovates and uses different woods and definitely has a style all his own. I have a custom Atlas open back that i picked up used(well it was considered new but had been a festival instrument taken around for demo-its in great shape). Its light at 5.2 lbs, very resonant and easy to play. very easy to adjust the action within a few minutes. no need to buy mult bridges to adjust action. tom does have different weight bridges for tonal change-he has videos on youtube regarding this. they build their own design bridge inhouse. pretty much anything is available that you might want done to a banjo, they do a lot of custom work, with regards to neck scale, width, inlay, tone rings, etc this neck design Tom has designed can be fitted on most any regular banjo rims so you can use a Nechville neck and have that ease of action adjustment with the one allen tool. its solid and pretty amazing. it can be adjusted with strings on-slacken tension and remove bridge, flip the banjo over, loosen the allen bolt, put the neck where you want it, tighten the bolt, flip over, replace bridge, tune, play. about 5 minutes maybe. they make the tailpieces inhouse, they adjust 6 directions and do not attach to the banjo, they ride on the rim and are kept with string tension. there are two small detents for two worm screws that adjust side to side placement, those worm screws fit in the detents and thats it. it doesn't budge under string tension. then you have up or down and in or out. the tone of Nechvilles to my ears are different than most other banjos-kinda like Taylor has its own tone. you either like it or you don't-i guess thats typical with any brand of instrument though. the ability to change out a tone ring in about 5 min is an amazing attribute. Nechville offers different tone rings. so you can have a totally different banjo in about 5 min. this moonshine has the lightest tone ring they offer, its wood and called the timbertronic. i think the next one that is wood but with maybe just a brass ring built in is called a hybrid which seems to give you a 7 to 8 lb full on resonator banjo vs 11 to 12 lbs for one of the full metal tone rings. the man gave me an arch top ring nechville made for him special order. i put it in one time at the start to see what it sounded like. its 2.6 lbs if i remember correct and gives that direct bluegrass tone. Nechvilles ring all the way up the neck and intonate really well. i don't care for "thunky" notes so thats what drew me to them in the first place. i traded into this Moonshine just for the experience of one with solid intentions of selling it after i'd had my time with it. that thought to sell hasn't been present in my mind much. i kinda dig this thing a lot. love the size, neck and that tunnel 5th string is so good. i want it on any forward purchase if possible. i'll be posting the Atlas in this thread soon. Its a great banjo, everything works so smooth and solid. take care, thanks for looking, if you've picked up something during this pandemic put it in here, the more the better. **billy flailing who plays in Billy Strings band uses a Nechville, not sure which model, tom did an online interview with him about a year ago on youtube. there's some other players that use them but i can't think of the names right now.** d Last edited by darylcrisp; 12-12-2021 at 02:50 AM.
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