Help: Wildwood Banjos

Subject: RE: Help: Wildwood Banjos
From: GUEST,Burl Howden
Date: 06 Jun 12 - 10:38 PM

Should any of you come across a Wildwood five string, Snowflower model gold plated, hearts anf lowers inlay let me know.
Wildwood only made four of these banjos. I will pay top dollar if you should have one to sell.

Burl

Subject: RE: Help: Wildwood Banjos
From: GUEST,Anne
Date: 07 Feb 12 - 01:57 AM

I have a Bart Reiter and a Wildwood- I love both these open-backs (and there's nothing wrong with that). However, you will certainly be mocked if you try to pass off your Wildwood as old-timey- it's too bright and (and visually blingy) to pass for old-time. Its a beautiful sound- both sweet and bright- but just not dull enough for the purists. If you play both bluegrass and old-time mix, it sounds great. Fabulous in double C.

Subject: RE: Help: Wildwood Banjos
From: Mark Ross
Date: 03 Feb 10 - 01:41 PM

Wildwood has moved to Bend, Oregon. I hope to be able to get over there and check out their stuff one of these days.

Mark Ross

Subject: RE: Help: Wildwood Banjos
From: GUEST,stew
Date: 03 Feb 10 - 12:22 PM

I owned a Troubadour,
And loved it well
Terrific sound, and,
Loud as hell.
I finally had to sell it though,
It seemed to weigh a ton or more.

Now play a Ramsey Standard
Light as a feather with that plunky
old timey sound.

Stew

Subject: RE: Help: Wildwood Banjos
From: GUEST,KingFish Tweedy
Date: 03 Feb 10 - 11:55 AM

I THINK THEY ARE VERRY GOOD SOUNDING BANJOS I OWNED 2 AND WAS VERY
HAPPY WITH HOW THEY SOUND.BUT I PLAY 3 FINGER STYLE AND THEY REALLY
KICK SOME BOTTOX

Subject: RE: Help: Wildwood Banjos
From: Jim Krause
Date: 14 Apr 00 - 04:54 PM

I s'pose it wouldn't hurt. Another clawhammer banjo player suggested I loosen the head quite a bit. I neglected to tell him that I played the thing for years with a loose head, and I still didn't care for the sound much. So why the heck did I buy the thang anyways? Well, at the time, I wanted any old open back banjo for accompanying my voice so I could sing all those Appalachian Darlin' Corey ballads I liked so well in this loud college bar I used to play in. The price of the banjo was right, and it was about the only quality instrument available in my area at the time, ca. 1980. Maybe the vellum head would help.

Subject: RE: Help: Wildwood Banjos
From: Lady McMoo
Date: 14 Apr 00 - 03:52 AM

Just a though: if the sound's too bright for old timey why not try a natural vellum head?

mcmoo

Subject: RE: Help: Wildwood Banjos
From: fox4zero
Date: 14 Apr 00 - 03:26 AM

I bought a Wildwood many years ago from the Mandolin Brothers in Staten Island. It was a thing of beauty! However, my experience was that its sound was far too bright for Old Time music. I tried a fiberskyn head and foam rubber stuffed between the head and dowel stick to no avail. I was delighted to sell it for what I paid for it. Larry Parish

Subject: RE: Help: Wildwood Banjos
From: kendall
Date: 13 Apr 00 - 10:43 PM

Sandy Paton used to sell small banjos with wood frames and a small head. They have a really old fashioned sound. He told me where they were built, but, I forgot...

Subject: RE: Help: Wildwood Banjos
From: catspaw49
Date: 13 Apr 00 - 04:12 PM

No rain fallin' here.........Its like I said, there are an awful lot of fine banjos out there and when you get into these kind of price ranges, it pays to play before you buy.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Help: Wildwood Banjos
From: Jim Krause
Date: 13 Apr 00 - 03:39 PM

Umm, I rather hate to rain on your parade, Kaleb & catspaw, but I don't really like Wildwoods for old-time music anymore. I have been playing a Troubadour model for almost twenty years, and nothing I do can make it sound fat and tubby enough to suit me. It is ok for solo work, but much too bright for string band playing, I think. I put towels in the back, all I got was a banjo that sounded like it was stuffed with terrycloth. I put a no-knot tail piece on it replacing the original Waverly. Not much difference there, either. I put a Fiberskyn II head on it, nothing there either. I took it to a repairman and had the neck scooped out above the neck, and all I got was the same loud tone with the clop-clop-clop on the brush stroke. If I had to do it over again, I think I'd get a Bart Reiter banjo, if I couldn't find an original Vega, or Bacon & Day, or some other such banjo.

Subject: RE: Help: Wildwood Banjos
From: catspaw49
Date: 13 Apr 00 - 12:59 PM

Very nice instruments. Highly recommended by many and featured at Elderly.

Their web site is HERE=Wildwood Banjos and your best pricing is probably HERE at Elderly Instruments.

Lots of other good banjos out there too.

Spaw

Subject: Help: Wildwood Banjos
From: GUEST,Kaleb
Date: 13 Apr 00 - 12:45 PM

Hello all,

Does anyone out there know anything about Wildwood Banjos, who makes them, where they are made, different models, etc? I bought a Wildwood a couple months ago at a festival and I absolutely love it. It has a great oldtime sound, lots of volume but with a very mellow tone. I've been playing a Deering Goodtime for a while and I really like it but the sound is a little brighter than I like for oldtime.
If there is anyone who knows where I can find information about Wildwood I would be very grateful.

Thanks.
Kaleb