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  #1  
Old 12-31-2018, 01:07 PM
frankmcr frankmcr is offline
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Default Can a banjo be beautiful?

Have a look . . .

https://bernunzio.com/product/fairba...ie-no-7-25128/
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Old 12-31-2018, 01:28 PM
Earl49 Earl49 is offline
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Absolutely they can LOOK beautiful. SOUND is a whole different issue....
(Sorry, but I usually cannot resist making a banjo joke if you set me up like that).
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Old 12-31-2018, 02:05 PM
SpruceTop SpruceTop is offline
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Originally Posted by frankmcr View Post
I bought my Eastman Whyte Laydie No. 2 from Bernunzio Upton Music, and, for me, it has just the right amount of bling. That available Fairbanks-Vega Whyte Laydie No. 7 looks nice too and not too gaudy.
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Old 12-31-2018, 05:04 PM
KarenB KarenB is offline
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I have a beauitful old timey banjo. Found it in a local store. It has a gorgeous rosewood rim. No name on the banjo. It sounds as beautiful as it looks. The sound of a banjo makes me happy. But then again, I also play the accordion. With both these instruments, it's like brussel sprouts...either you love them or can't stand them.
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Old 12-31-2018, 05:18 PM
Rudy4 Rudy4 is offline
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Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder. Banjos run the full gamut from spartan in decoration to being completely covered in shell inlay and engraving.

I make banjos and the longer I've made them the less I care for bling of any kind. With banjo design I've concentrated my efforts in the (many) shortcomings in design, working to refine the minimalist concept.

There are lots of contemporary builders who make the #7 look barren by comparison. Peruse the offerings from someone like Bob Flesher:

http://www.flesherbanjos.com/claw1.html
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Old 12-31-2018, 05:35 PM
LadysSolo LadysSolo is offline
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Of course they can be beautiful, and in the hands of a good player they can sound good too. In one of the jams I go to, the banjo player is EXCELLENT! And she sounds wonderful, and impressive. ALMOST makes me want to try the banjo!
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Old 12-31-2018, 05:48 PM
frankmcr frankmcr is offline
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Absolutely they can LOOK beautiful. SOUND is a whole different issue....
(Sorry, but I usually cannot resist making a banjo joke if you set me up like that).

If there's one thing I've learned on the AGF, it's the importance of a good setup . . .

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Yowza!!!
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Old 12-31-2018, 09:15 PM
Earl49 Earl49 is offline
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If there's one thing I've learned on the AGF, it's the importance of a good setup . . .
Frank, great retort! I apologize for making light of your serious post. Mea culpa, and Happy New Year. I'll go to my corner and think about what I've done now....

I have seen some amazing banjos over the years, with decoration and carvings that put almost any presentation grade guitar to shame. A friend owns an OME Silver Magician, and that is way more banjo than I have any right to touch. It also sounds wonderful.
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Old 01-01-2019, 12:01 AM
frankmcr frankmcr is offline
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Frank, great retort! I apologize for making light of your serious post. Mea culpa, and Happy New Year. I'll go to my corner and think about what I've done now....

I have seen some amazing banjos over the years, with decoration and carvings that put almost any presentation grade guitar to shame. A friend owns an OME Silver Magician, and that is way more banjo than I have any right to touch. It also sounds wonderful.
Nonono. All in fun! Hey, if a banjo ain't about fun, what is?

Happy New Year!
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Old 01-01-2019, 08:05 AM
guitararmy guitararmy is offline
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We own a few Stelling banjos from the Bird Of Prey series, as well as one from the Scrimshaw series. Beautiful work on the resonators, as well as engraved rims and armrests...
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Old 01-01-2019, 08:12 AM
J Patrick J Patrick is offline
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...for some beautiful banjos check out these

https://www.docsbanjos.com
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Old 01-28-2019, 08:26 AM
J. Scott J. Scott is offline
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Beautiful, yes
Tuned, NEVER
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Old 01-28-2019, 08:51 AM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KarenB View Post
...The sound of a banjo makes me happy. But then again, I also play the accordion...
I'm assuming you live well off the grid - please be advised, however, that New York State has severe penalties for wanton cruelty to indigenous wildlife...
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Old 01-28-2019, 01:10 PM
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Always loved the Gibson Mastertone look with the resonator and neck detail. More bling than I usually want on a guitar
but to my eye it works on a banjo.
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Old 01-28-2019, 07:31 PM
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Bob Womack Bob Womack is offline
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I'm surprised no-one has mentioned banjos by my old bud and bandmate David Ball.



An example, HERE. An interview, HERE. I was there when he picked up first mountain dulcimer and then hammered dulcimer construction and then went to luthier school to build guitars. He eventually settled on open-backed banjo construction and has become a pretty big name.

I enjoyed going over to talk to his dad, a musicologist at the University of Tennessee, and lusting after his gorgeous MGA



and cool vintage Epiphone Electar amp.



(generic pics of items he had better examples of)

He was the kind of guy who built his first hammered dulcimer and could play it flawlessly within a couple of weeks. Seriously frustrating to someone as ham-fisted as me.

Bob
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