Greetings and thanks,

Sometime agao I posted a request for information on Electric banjos, and received several replies - thank you all, I have now purchased one after looking at the few choices available and I'm so impressed I wrote the following for our local folk mag,

Good news for Banjo players, sick of feed-back when playing amplified? Having to keep the volume of the banjo low and missing out on those lead breaks? Well the answer could be at hand with the arrival of the Swan electric "mellowtone" banjo.

I have just had the privilege of visiting the maker of the Swan banjo range for a look around his work shop and a play on the various models he manufactures, I was so impressed I walked away with one of his fine instruments, the only regret being that I only walked away with one but I'm sure I will be back for more.

Terry Swan lives near Nottingham in England, the home of the famed Robin Hood who stole from the rich to give to the poor and righted many a wrong, well Terry has done much the same for Banjo players by using his craftsmanship and lateral thinking to make what I think is a superb working banjoist tool.

I play with several bands, ranging from Ceilidh, through Folk and Bluegrass to 50's Rockabilly and Goodtime music. My biggest problem (like most banjoists) was how to amplify the banjo to compete with fellow musicians and singers and to boost the sound for those lead instrumentals without the dreaded feed-back or loss of that all important "Banjo sound". Contact pick-ups have been used, mikes both on and off the banjo have been employed but problems still occurred especially in those tight venues when you're "sitting" on top of the speaker cabs!

Then I came across the Swan Banjo Web site whilst surfing around the internet (thanks to our friends at Mudcat.org)- which heralded the solid body electric banjo - good idea I thought but won't it sound the same as an solid electric guitar tuned like a banjo? So I sent Terry Swan and email which resulted in an invitation to visit him and try them out. We travelled down to Nottingham on a bright sunny Saturday arriving around noon to be met by Terry and his two dogs - all three greeting us like old friends, coffee was made, and left to get cold whilst I played on the various models he had set out for perusal.

The models were, a 8 string banjo/mandolin (Terry also make a 4 string version), 6 string guitar banjo, 4 string tenor banjo, dobro guitar and 5 string banjo, several variations being available to appreciate. The first thing that struck me was how much better they looked in "real life" to the pictures I had seen on the internet, the next was how much they sounded like a banjo when they were plugged into the amp, this being down to Terry's patented "tone module", OK not 100% like an acoustic instrument, but as near as I have heard and with a bit of equalisation and the possibilities of adding special effects, the versatility of this instrument greatly excels that of the humble acoustic banjo without dispensing with its natural charm. Terry eventually dragged me away from his instruments to show me his work shop, the woods he employed and how he assembled the instruments, plus his magic "Tone module". Then back again to the instruments, by the time I'd played the banjos again it was mid-afternoon and as we were due at a folk festival later that afternoon, it was time to bid Terry and his banjos a fond farewell, but not before I'd purchased one, this was not and easy decision as I, if not my bank manager, would have loved to have filled the car with them!

I'm sure like myself other banjoists will have heard of other electric banjos on the market, but they are not readily available in the UK and command a high price, when imported (usually pound for dollar price tags) and of course you can't try it before you import it! So what I suggest is if you play banjo with an amplified band and want a new and inspiring experience, try one of Terry's Mellowtone Electric banjos. I have now had the chance to play the instrument at a couple of venues, and can honestly say that I am more than happy with my purchase, it's bright and fun to play, does its job well and has also gained a lot of admiring attention not only from other musicians, but from members of the audiences as well, and one other thing, it's a lot lighter than my acoustic banjo so maybe it'll even cure my back and neck ache.

For more information on the Swan range of electric banjos contact:

Terry Swan. E-mail: terry@swanbanjo.com Website: http://www.swanbanjo.com