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13 Apr 00 - 12:45 PM (#211219) Subject: Help: Wildwood Banjos From: GUEST,Kaleb 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. Thanks. |
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13 Apr 00 - 12:59 PM (#211224) Subject: RE: Help: Wildwood Banjos From: catspaw49 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 |
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13 Apr 00 - 03:39 PM (#211295) Subject: RE: Help: Wildwood Banjos From: Jim Krause 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. |
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13 Apr 00 - 04:12 PM (#211306) Subject: RE: Help: Wildwood Banjos From: catspaw49 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 |
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13 Apr 00 - 10:43 PM (#211486) Subject: RE: Help: Wildwood Banjos From: kendall 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... |
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14 Apr 00 - 03:26 AM (#211561) Subject: RE: Help: Wildwood Banjos From: fox4zero 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 |
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14 Apr 00 - 03:52 AM (#211567) Subject: RE: Help: Wildwood Banjos From: Lady McMoo Just a though: if the sound's too bright for old timey why not try a natural vellum head? mcmoo |
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14 Apr 00 - 04:54 PM (#211860) Subject: RE: Help: Wildwood Banjos From: Jim Krause 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. |
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03 Feb 10 - 11:55 AM (#2828890) Subject: RE: Help: Wildwood Banjos From: GUEST,KingFish Tweedy 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 |
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03 Feb 10 - 12:22 PM (#2828915) Subject: RE: Help: Wildwood Banjos From: GUEST,stew 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 |
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03 Feb 10 - 01:41 PM (#2828998) Subject: RE: Help: Wildwood Banjos From: Mark Ross 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 |
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07 Feb 12 - 01:57 AM (#3303516) Subject: RE: Help: Wildwood Banjos From: GUEST,Anne 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. |
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06 Jun 12 - 10:38 PM (#3360321) Subject: RE: Help: Wildwood Banjos From: GUEST,Burl Howden 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 |