Your Favorite Banjo Maker

Subject: RE: Your Favorite Banjo Maker
From: Spot
Date: 02 Nov 05 - 06:03 PM

Hallo GuyWolff
               Yep..I have a Bellflower and wouldnt swap it for anything...I've tried loads over the years( Mastertones etc etc etc )and nothing comes close for me!! The inlays are perhaps best described as tulip heads and longish leaves, beautifully made and fitted.I put a Fishman on the rods, which works fine, and have had no probs miking it up.Gorgeous black walnut and quality nickel metal bits..slick and positive machines and Stelling's lovely, elegant headstock...It growls, it's crisp...it's bright ..it's all I ever wanted!! the only criticism is a relatively poor fit of the neck to the body - not quite perfect!! Oh,it's a heavy bastard,too!!
                  
                      Regards to all....Spot

Subject: RE: Your Favorite Banjo Maker
From: Guy Wolff
Date: 02 Nov 05 - 04:41 PM

George Wunderlich makes a great historical banjo and is very popular amoung the Civil War reanactors here on the east coast . His website is very intertesting . http://www.wunderbanjo.com/

Subject: RE: Your Favorite Banjo Maker
From: GUEST,Martin Gbison
Date: 02 Nov 05 - 04:32 PM

It's true. Martin guitars and Gibson banjos are played by virtually every bluegrass player because they are the standard of quality and what is expected by the best.

that's not to say that there aren't other good instruments.
Only one though can be the best, and I will go with the majority obviously chooses.

Richard Bridge, loudmouth lawyers need to find a mute much more than the joyous sound of a banjo.

Subject: RE: Your Favorite Banjo Maker
From: Guy Wolff
Date: 02 Nov 05 - 04:26 PM

Spot ,do you own one of Geoff's Stelling's banjos? What are the inlays like. <>><>< the tone . finger-board ? How is it on a mike . Any additional conversation on WHY you like an instrument adds a lot to the disscution and helps people thinking of getting a banjo to look further . Thanks . There are no wrong answers here when your talking about a banjo you love ..

Subject: RE: Your Favorite Banjo Maker
From: Guy Wolff
Date: 02 Nov 05 - 04:21 PM

Cool here's Lo Gordon's link . Sorry i didnt put these all in the first note . Slow on the up take here. All the best , guy
http://www.cedarmtnbanjos.com/

Subject: RE: Your Favorite Banjo Maker
From: Guy Wolff
Date: 02 Nov 05 - 04:18 PM

James Hartel's historic banjos. ! http://www.minstrelbanjo.com/index.htm

Subject: RE: Your Favorite Banjo Maker
From: Guy Wolff
Date: 02 Nov 05 - 04:11 PM

http://www.stellingbanjo.com/

Subject: RE: Your Favorite Banjo Maker
From: Guy Wolff
Date: 02 Nov 05 - 04:10 PM

Geoff Stelling is http://www.stellingbanjo.com/
THanks everyone for making the blue thingys above. Im not there yet .

http://www.stellingbanjo.com/

Ill try some more .

Subject: RE: Your Favorite Banjo Maker
From: Mary Humphreys
Date: 02 Nov 05 - 02:57 PM

I love the prototype Griffin banjo that James made when I was living in West Yorkshire. He brought it along to a session one evening and I didn't want to let him take it home with him. I bought it the next day and have been playing it ever since. It is a lovely instrument for accompaniments. He also does fantastic bluegrass models and small banjos too, called Grifflets. James can be found on the web using Google, but for those in the UK here are his details as advertised:

Griffin Banjos

New Banjos combining the best of hardware with fine craftmanship

James Bowen, 34 Lydbury North, Shropshire. SY7 8AU Tel [phone]
Mary Humphreys

Subject: RE: Your Favorite Banjo Maker
From: kendall
Date: 02 Nov 05 - 02:33 PM

I find Stellings a bit "Stringy" and not enough bottom.

Subject: RE: Your Favorite Banjo Maker
From: Spot
Date: 02 Nov 05 - 01:20 PM

Hallo everybody..
                   Geoff Stelling   ...end of conversation...

                   Regards to all...Spot

Subject: RE: Your Favorite Banjo Maker
From: BanjoRay
Date: 02 Nov 05 - 12:34 PM

These people are all extremely Googleable, even if they don't have websites. I found Dave Stacey's and James Bowen's addresses and phone numbers first try.
Ray

Subject: RE: Your Favorite Banjo Maker
From: Dave Swan
Date: 02 Nov 05 - 12:04 PM

This link will take you to a page of contact information for Hendricks Banjos. It's a pity there's no website, but if you're serious about a beautiful banjo with a great ring, you should talk to the Hendricks brothers. I'm not much of a picker, but I get a lot of enjoyment out of mine. Folks who really know what they're doing have a great time playing it.
D

Subject: RE: Your Favorite Banjo Maker
From: GLoux
Date: 02 Nov 05 - 11:49 AM

Kevin Enoch Banjos

Bart Reiter Banjos

Wildwood Banjos

Mike Ramsey Banjos

-Greg

Subject: RE: Your Favorite Banjo Maker
From: Shiplap Structure3
Date: 02 Nov 05 - 11:29 AM

I love bacon banjos with tomato, has to be a good breadcake though

Subject: RE: Your Favorite Banjo Maker
From: Guy Wolff
Date: 02 Nov 05 - 10:34 AM

Ray and everyone else if you can get perrmition for contact information or if these makers have websites please put link information in this thread. I think we can make this dialauge a real useful tool for like minded banjo crazed players here at mudcat .
          I am waiting for contact information from Jim and Judith at Griffon and will add it well given the go ahead. all the best , Guy

Subject: RE: Your Favorite Banjo Maker
From: kendall
Date: 02 Nov 05 - 07:59 AM

The days when the two top makers of guitars and banjos are long gone.

Subject: RE: Your Favorite Banjo Maker
From: GLoux
Date: 02 Nov 05 - 07:55 AM

There are so many fine banjos out there. I play a Wildwood Troubador that suits me just fine.

A number of folks I know play Bart Reiter banjos. A close friend plays a Kyle Creed, another loves his Kevin Enoch.

-Greg

Subject: RE: Your Favorite Banjo Maker
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 02 Nov 05 - 04:38 AM

I play a short scale Vega ' Fairbanks Whyte Laydie ' tenor, it's 91 years old and it still sounds amazing.

eric

Subject: RE: Your Favorite Banjo Maker
From: kendall
Date: 01 Nov 05 - 08:58 PM

Jim Cox of Brunswick Maine makes some of the best bluegrass banjos I ever heard. Equal to any Gibson.

Personally, I like my Vega Faibanks.

Subject: RE: Your Favorite Banjo Maker
From: BanjoRay
Date: 01 Nov 05 - 08:08 PM

I have one of Lo Gordon's Cedar Mountain banjos, and loads of people have told me without prompting that they love it's tone. It's the best buy I've ever made.
We have some good banjo makers in the UK. As Guy said James Bowen of Shropshire makes lovely banjos (Griffin) - I've played many of them at our festivals, as James really likes people to play the ones he brings. We also have Dave Stacey of Letchworth, Hertfordshire who makes lovely banjos. I'm looking after the banjo Debby McClatchy uses when she comes to the UK, which was (re)constructed by Dave. It has an old Bacon body, with one of Dave's necks, with beautifully copied Bacon inlays, heel carving and internal resonator, as near as dammit a Bacon FF professional - it sounds like heaven, and I wont want to give it back when she comes in March. Debby says if she ever sells off her banjos, that's the one she's keeping! Dave Bing, a wonderful West Virginia musician and fiddle maker was given one of Dave's banjos when he came over last year, and in a couple of weeks will spend time with Dave learning some banjo-making tricks.
Cheers
Ray

Subject: RE: Your Favorite Banjo Maker
From: Guy Wolff
Date: 01 Nov 05 - 06:18 PM

In bringing up The Mastertone. Are these made in Mantana where the acustic guitars are made??? What style tonering are they using ? Which models are popular and why ? . Anyone have stories on craftmenship of the newer Gibsons. The guitars are great so I would expect the banjos to be wonderful as well.
             MARTIN GIBSON have you noticed any new mastertones in your travels that you could expound about or know why their owners chose that model ?? All the best to all here.

Subject: RE: Your Favorite Banjo Maker
From: Guy Wolff
Date: 01 Nov 05 - 05:45 PM

I think its great to talk about banjos made in the passed that we love but my interest here was to bring up and talk about makers still breathing and offering instuments in 2005 . . I love old bacon's and tubaphones too so bring them up all you want ..
          Ritchard Bridge they did invent a bridge clamp in the 1920's that almost silenced the thing but they didnt sell well . All the best , Guy

Subject: RE: Your Favorite Banjo Maker
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 01 Nov 05 - 05:38 PM

Has anyone invented a silent one yet?

Subject: RE: Your Favorite Banjo Maker
From: DonMeixner
Date: 01 Nov 05 - 05:27 PM

Ode, Fairbanks, Vega, Bacon and Day.

Subject: RE: Your Favorite Banjo Maker
From: GUEST,Stewart Bacon
Date: 01 Nov 05 - 05:17 PM

Most bluegrass players settle for nothing less.

At a local bluegrass festival, I wouldn't even to have heard any music or see anything telling what the festival was. The sheer proportion of Gibsons and Martin guitars was enough. Even people who could only play 3 chords had them. It used to amuse me but also make me glad that the music I enjoy most rather than being bogged down with that sort of "must have a ... " mentality is full of people open enough to make their own assesments and select the instruments that fit their needs and tastes the best.

Subject: RE: Your Favorite Banjo Maker
From: GUEST,Martin Gibson
Date: 01 Nov 05 - 04:48 PM

Why Gibson Mastertones, of course.

Most bluegrass players settle for nothing less.

Subject: Your Favorite Banjo Maker
From: Guy Wolff
Date: 01 Nov 05 - 04:37 PM

As always I apologize if this thread has already been started in a slightly different form .
                              I thought it would be fun to have a thread that talked about lots of different banjo makers and what they are up to . My interest is in clawhammer so I will talk in that area myself but I hope some bluegrass and Tenor players might add to this their favorites!! . My hope is for this thread not to be who is the "best" but just here celebrating that we have so many great people making great banjos   to talk about .
                
                              I have a wonderful banjo from Mike Ramsey's shop . His set up work has made me sound better then I ever thought I could.
http://www.ramseybanjos.com/

                                We had a thread started on Bob Fleshers work .      
Incredibly beautiful banjos :        http://www.flesherbanjo.com/
        
                                 I just found this incredible maker when I was looking for old John Ashborn banjos . Kevin Enoch's banjos are as Classic a looking banjo as I have ever seen !! Just beautiful .I cant wait to hear one .
http://www.enochbanjos.com/

                                 For the historian in all of us James Hartel's Banjos look perfect . I am hoping my local Historical Museum will get one of these great remakes of Ashborn's banjo .. http://www.minstrelbanjo.com/index.html

                                 With all the interest in Dwight Dillers teaching and his following I have heard a lot about Lo Gordon's wonderful banjo's . They look great and the few I have played they are great to frail .http://www.cedarmtnbanjos.com/
                        
                         In Harrogate Yorkshire England a year or two ago I tried a very beautiful banjo made by a man named James Bowen . Just beautiful work His banjos are called Griffon banjos .
                        
                           Anyway all the best for now . To support all these makers ,wouldnt it be great to buy one from each !!! Happy playing , Guy