Hello

[Jody Hughes]

Just wanted to say hello to everyone as I just joined.

 

I've been playing bluegrass, jazz, old time banjo for awhile but just recently discovered classic style banjo.  I had heard Vess Ossman and Van eps but never sat down and worked on any of it.

A few weeks ago I strung up an old banjo with nylons and have been working on it a bit, lots of fun.

I dare say it's quite addicting to read and study about, and has me wanting a new banjo which is a bit unusual for me...lol

 

Anyways, I look forward to all the discussions on here.

 

Thanks,
Jody

[Trapdoor2]

Hi Jody,

 

Welcome to the fray! Lots of very nice and very informative folks here. You need music? You got questions? Somebody here will pop in and voila!

[Claude L. Medearis]

Welcome to the madhouse. We have a lot of fun.

[Jody Hughes]

Questions? Where do I start :)

 

My first question is about instruments. 

What is the general consensus about what is appropriate to the repertoire? I already have a couple of bluegrass/jazz banjos and I'm looking for something to completely dedicate to classic and classical material.

 

It seems I could get an old instrument from late 1800's to early 1900's such as a Fairbanks, Cole, etc?   Which I feel I don't know enough about to make any sort of informed decision at this point, but I've been reading.

However, I've seen some of the new builders as well like Romero that look absolutely amazing.

Perhaps a few of you that have already been through the process have some tips and insight to offer?  Is there a trade-off soundwise going with a newer instrument versus an old one?  I would like something of professional quality as I'm a musician by trade.

[Jody Stecher]

Any well built banjo  will work for classic banjo music. Open back, resonator, tone ring, none, all have been used by good players to good affect.  Non-metal strings are the common element. Gut, nylon, nylgut, are all viable. Jason Romero's banjos are well built but are designed to produce a sound consistent with the tastes of the old-time music revival. They might well sound good with soft strings ( I don't mean "quiet", in fact nylon/gut is often louder than steel) but were designed with steel in mind. The instruments from the "Golden Era" you mention were designed and built to play what is now called Classic Banjo music. If you can find one in good working order all is well. Old instruments however behave like old other things and sometimes restoration work needs to be done.  Farland, Bacon, Fairbanks, Vega, Stewart, Cole, etc banjos in good condition show up pretty regularly. Prices vary widely and wildly. The best value is often English banjos such as Clifford Essex and Windsor. They are under appreciated, even in the UK, and are sometimes priced lower than the equivalent  American model. For an old banjo I'd also recommend looking for a Lange built Farland in good working order. They also tend to be underpriced and are lovely banjos with a balanced sound, play easily, and look nice too. Bacons built by David Day's Fairbanks-Vega shop are great for classic banjo. Some Clifford Essex models are hard to beat. Eric Stefanelli in France is building new classic banjos that look and sound great. The revived Clifford Essex company in UK is also working on producing a new Weaver-inspired banjo that seems promising. 

best wishes from The Other Jody

Jody Hughes said:

Questions? Where do I start :)

 

My first question is about instruments. 

What is the general consensus about what is appropriate to the repertoire? I already have a couple of bluegrass/jazz banjos and I'm looking for something to completely dedicate to classic and classical material.

 

It seems I could get an old instrument from late 1800's to early 1900's such as a Fairbanks, Cole, etc?   Which I feel I don't know enough about to make any sort of informed decision at this point, but I've been reading.

However, I've seen some of the new builders as well like Romero that look absolutely amazing.

Perhaps a few of you that have already been through the process have some tips and insight to offer?  Is there a trade-off soundwise going with a newer instrument versus an old one?  I would like something of professional quality as I'm a musician by trade.

[Trapdoor2]

Jody,

 

I got nothing to add to the other Jody's recommendations. Good advice there.

 

However, if you ever get up into the Huntsville, AL area let me know. You can demo any of mine.

 

===Marc

[Jody Hughes]

Thanks for your help everyone.  I have yet to decide what I"m going to do.  I'm looking at older S.S Stewarts and a few Coles at the moment.