Your Thoughts On Open-Back Banjo Choices Welcomed!

[pjheff]

Originally Posted by SpruceTop

Thanks! I've been thinking of a Cedar Mountain Jubilo in cherry. I like the design simplicity and the company's good reputation. Definitely on my radar.

There’s a nice looking maple one on consignment at Elderly:

https://www.elderly.com/collections/...-rim-c-2012-13

There also at least was one believed to be available here:

https://www.tempomusicwnc.com/

[pjheff]

Originally Posted by SpruceTop

The Canadian-made Rickard Maple Ridge 12 features an aged-brass 12-inch Dobson Tone Ring, aged-brass hardware, and EVO frets. Its tone is deep with a pleasing metallic ring and with its 25.5-inch scale length, a joy to play!

Originally Posted by SpruceTop

Well, it ain't the ODE Long Neck of my younger dreams, but from ODE and OME founder, Charles Ogsbury, comes my OME North Star Walnut 5-String Banjo featuring aged-brass hardware including its Vintage Brass Tone Ring. Other playing comforts include its scooped fretboard and walnut armrest. This banjo is effortless to play and will be with me for the duration!

How would you compare and contrast the Rickard with the OME? Both builders seem to employ small teams utilizing CNC technology to produce consistently excellent looking, sounding, and playing instruments.

[pjheff]

Originally Posted by Rudy4

There are a whole bunch of small shop open back builders who do standard designs and provide banjos similar to Ozark that aren't operating by taking "non-refundable" deposits and then doing nothing for 3 years.

Like Will Seeders Mosheim for instance?

https://www.elderly.com/collections/...n-special-2019

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by pjheff

Like Will Seeders Mosheim for instance?

https://www.elderly.com/collections/...n-special-2019

Will certainly ranks among the several dozen small shop builders who have integrity.

Many of those builders are documented and interviewed by Craig Evans in his "Conversations with North American Banjo Builders" series available through Smithsonian Folkways on video.

If anyone is thinking about having a custom instrument done by any of the builders represented in the series then it's probably worthwhile to watch their particular interview.

[Special K]

Hello, just a couple thoughts.

Banjo Hangout or as members refer to it BHO is an excellent resource, like AGF but for banjos. When I checked today, there are 101 openback banjos for sale on BHO.

Bart Reiter is an excellent openback maker. I believe Bart retired. If you're interested in one of Bart's, you might want to grab it.

Other excellent makers include Pisgah, Kevin Enoch, Brooks Masten.

I have a Nechville Atlas DLX and a Chuck Lee Ovilla. Both have 12" rims, frailing scoops and wood tone rings. Both are excellent.

A word about Chuck Lee. You can check him out on his website. If you look at reviews and search threads about Chuck on BHO, you will see nothing but glowing comments about his openbacks.

I used to live in Ohio and some years ago, I made the 4.5 hour drive (each way) to Elderly to check out openback banjos. Chuck's are different. The necks on all of the other banjos at Elderly at the time, new or vintage, were about the same profile. Chuck's are unique in that they are much deeper and meatier than the rest. And a little heavier. But the deeper necks may be the "secret sauce" to the great sound. A used Chuck Lee in excellent condition without a tone ring should go for about $2k. With a tone ring, add roughly $750-$1,000.

There isn't a lot of demand for long neck banjos. Pete Seeger and John Hartford played them because they had deep singing voices and the long necks are tuned lower, so the long necks helped with their singing. They also had long arms. Lol.

Hope all goes well for you and hope you enjoy your banjo journey.

[pjheff]

Originally Posted by Special K

A word about Chuck Lee. You can check him out on his website. If you look at reviews and search threads about Chuck on BHO, you will see nothing but glowing comments about his openbacks.

I used to live in Ohio and some years ago, I made the 4.5 hour drive (each way) to Elderly to check out openback banjos. Chuck's are different. The necks on all of the other banjos at Elderly at the time, new or vintage, were about the same profile. Chuck's are unique in that they are much deeper and meatier than the rest. And a little heavier. But the deeper necks may be the "secret sauce" to the great sound. A used Chuck Lee in excellent condition without a tone ring should go for about $2k. With a tone ring, add roughly $750-$1,000.

A simple but elegant used Chuck Lee has been languishing on the wall of the The Music Emporium:

https://themusicemporium.com/product...ee-custom-used

[Special K]

Here's a link to Molly Tuttle playing a Chuck Lee lone Star model.

She is so darn good!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pOPMQWHze8

[pjheff]

His son Nate has an unfair advantage:

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by pjheff

How would you compare and contrast the Rickard with the OME? Both builders seem to employ small teams utilizing CNC technology to produce consistently excellent looking, sounding, and playing instruments.

Hi Patrick,

Both OME and Rickard are of excellent quality and given the currency exchange, the Canadian-made Rickard banjos are excellent values. The two banjos I have, the OME North Star is an 11-inch head with walnut construction, and the Rickard Maple Ridge is a 12-inch head of maple construction. The OME is fancier-looking than the Rickard and it has shop-installed railroad spikes and armrest. Both banjos came with good-quality hardshell cases included in their price. If I remember correctly, the OME was about $800 USD more than the Rickard and were purchased within a year of each other.

The OME has a regular-type brass tone ring whereas the Rickard has a brass Dobson tone ring. Okay, we all know that tone rings kinda/sorta shape the tone of a banjo by the underlying construction of their various forms that support the banjo's head. The Dobson tone ring, given its fairly thin thickness and overhang into the banjo's underhead chamber, is the only tone ring I've heard that I can honestly say adds a noticeable, pleasant, metallic ringing aftertone to the banjo! Yes, other styles of tone rings do their thing but the Dobson tone ring in my Rickard delivers in a readily audible but not over-the-top way.

My Rickard being a 2017 model has 4:1 ratio tuners but the latest Rickards have their 10:1 ratio tuners which should help pickers tune easier. Older Rickards, according to an email I sent them are readily adaptable to the 10:1 ratio tuners without any modification.

OME banjos have a rich history going back to 1960 and the ODE banjos of the "Folk Era." Both companies were started by Charles Ogsbury, although the ODE company was taken over for a while by the Baldwin Piano Company. Rickard banjos are of more recent history.

Ken

Current Banjos:
Vega No. 2 Tubaphone
OME North Star Walnut
Eastman EBJ-WL1 Whyte Laydie
Vega 12" Old Tyme Wonder
Rickard 12" Maple Ridge Dobson
Pisgah 12" Walnut Tubaphone
Bart Reiter Regent Whyte Laydie
Deering Sierra Flathead Resonator

[pjheff]

Originally Posted by SpruceTop

Hi Patrick,

Both OME and Rickard are of excellent quality and given the currency exchange, the Canadian-made Rickard banjos are excellent values. The two banjos I have, the OME North Star is an 11-inch head with walnut construction, and the Rickard Maple Ridge is a 12-inch head of maple construction. The OME is fancier-looking than the Rickard and it has shop-installed railroad spikes and armrest. Both banjos came with good-quality hardshell cases included in their price. If I remember correctly, the OME was about $800 USD more than the Rickard and were purchased within a year of each other.

The OME has a regular-type brass tone ring whereas the Rickard has a brass Dobson tone ring. Okay, we all know that tone rings kinda/sorta shape the tone of a banjo by the underlying construction of their various forms that support the banjo's head. The Dobson tone ring, given its fairly thin thickness and overhang into the banjo's underhead chamber, is the only tone ring I've heard that I can honestly say adds a noticeable, pleasant, metallic ringing aftertone to the banjo! Yes, other styles of tone rings do their thing but the Dobson tone ring in my Rickard delivers in a readily audible but not over-the-top way.

My Rickard being a 2017 model has 4:1 ratio tuners but the latest Rickards have their 10:1 ratio tuners which should help pickers tune easier. Older Rickards, according to an email I sent them are readily adaptable to the 10:1 ratio tuners without any modification.

Ken

Current Banjos:
Vega No. 2 Tubaphone
OME North Star Walnut
Eastman EBJ-WL1 Whyte Laydie
Vega 12" Old Tyme Wonder
Rickard 12" Maple Ridge Dobson
Pisgah 12" Walnut Tubaphone
Bart Reiter Regent Whyte Laydie
Deering Sierra Flathead Resonator

Hi Ken—

Thanks for the thoughtful reply! Do you find that these banjos — due to their different constructions — lend themselves to specific applications, accept alternate tunings, or handle certain material more successfully? How do you rotate your instruments or choose the right tool for the job?

Best,
Patrick

[darylcrisp]

somewhere in this thread i briefly encountered mention of someone wanting a Seeger/Longneck maybe, if so here you go, it will have been gone over with an eagle eye and all parts working in better condition than when brand new, Smakula is known for that.

check the photos within this list:
http://www.smakula.com/Banjos.html


1971 Vega PS-1, Pete Seeger Longneck. Pete Seeger - singer, banjo player, activist, and face of the American folk revival, thanks in no small part to his classic show, Rainbow Connection, which featured the likes of Elizabeth Cotten, Roscoe Holcomb, and . . . wait... Quest! The show was Rainbow Quest. Sorry. But I have to admit - a Seeger/Kermit co-hosted talk show would be nothing short of heavenly balm for the troubled world we live in today. But alas. Let us turn our attention to this dashing 1971 Vega Longneck. Built shortly after Martin Guitar acquired Vega, the parts of this banjo were made in Needham, MA and assembled in Nazareth, PA. It has a 32" scale, 10-15/16" diameter, Tubaphone tone ring with late period "dogbone" holes, maple neck, ebony fretboard, and Grover Rotomatic tuners. With the exception of an SFI fret job and new Remo frosted head, all parts are original. It also comes with the original Lifton "Built Like a Fortress" hard case. This instrument is in excellent condition and sounds fantastic, balanced perfectly from the rich low end to the clear, shimmery high end. Sent straight to your door for $2,500 plus shipping. Photos

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by darylcrisp

somewhere in this thread i briefly encountered mention of someone wanting a Seeger/Longneck maybe, if so here you go, it will have been gone over with an eagle eye and all parts working in better condition than when brand new, Smakula is known for that.

check the photos within this list:
http://www.smakula.com/Banjos.html


1971 Vega PS-1, Pete Seeger Longneck. Pete Seeger - singer, banjo player, activist, and face of the American folk revival, thanks in no small part to his classic show, Rainbow Connection, which featured the likes of Elizabeth Cotten, Roscoe Holcomb, and . . . wait... Quest! The show was Rainbow Quest. Sorry. But I have to admit - a Seeger/Kermit co-hosted talk show would be nothing short of heavenly balm for the troubled world we live in today. But alas. Let us turn our attention to this dashing 1971 Vega Longneck. Built shortly after Martin Guitar acquired Vega, the parts of this banjo were made in Needham, MA and assembled in Nazareth, PA. It has a 32" scale, 10-15/16" diameter, Tubaphone tone ring with late period "dogbone" holes, maple neck, ebony fretboard, and Grover Rotomatic tuners. With the exception of an SFI fret job and new Remo frosted head, all parts are original. It also comes with the original Lifton "Built Like a Fortress" hard case. This instrument is in excellent condition and sounds fantastic, balanced perfectly from the rich low end to the clear, shimmery high end. Sent straight to your door for $2,500 plus shipping. Photos

Thanks, Daryl! This 1971 Vega/Martin banjo has a strange-looking Tubaphone tone ring and it has the Grover guitar tuners (Pete sometimes used these on his longnecks). My goal would be to acquire a 1963 Vega Pete Seeger (when the company was still all-Vega) with planetary tuners and the traditional-looking Tubaphone tone ring. This 1971 Vega/Martin is likely a fine-sounding and well-built banjo but IMHO doesn't check all my boxes for being a desirable Vega Pete Seeger model.

[pjheff]

Originally Posted by SpruceTop

My goal would be to acquire a 1963 Vega Pete Seeger (when the company was still all-Vega) with planetary tuners and the traditional-looking Tubaphone tone ring.

Where could one find such a thing?

https://shop.gryphonstrings.com/prod...eger-ps5-60584

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by pjheff

Where could one find such a thing?

https://shop.gryphonstrings.com/prod...eger-ps5-60584

That Be It, Lad! Thanks, Patrick! Now, if I only had the bread. Another alternative to an original Vega Pete Seeger Longneck would be to buy a new Deering Vega Longneck for a couple of hundred dollars more (after asking for the best price from a dealer). The downside is that it no longer is designated a "Pete Seeger" model but is likely even better quality than the original.

[pjheff]

Originally Posted by SpruceTop

That Be It, Lad! Thanks, Patrick! Now, if I only had the bread. Another alternative to an original Vega Pete Seeger Longneck would be to buy a new Deering Vega Longneck for a couple of hundred dollars more (after asking for the best price from a dealer). The downside is that it no longer is designated a "Pete Seeger" model but is likely even better quality than the original.

If bread is an issue, there is this colorful alternative:

https://reverb.com/item/34101264-veg...bacco-sunburst

It can always be corrected with one of these:

https://www.deeringbanjos.com/produc...xoCJnAQAvD_BwE

For new with a discount, look here:

https://www.musiciansfriend.com/folk...20Neck%20Banjo