Comment by Jody Stecher on April 3, 2014 at 3:01

"Florida Cracker" is a Joe Morley composition that I have never heard played. I learned it this week from the notation. 

After inquiring of the forum a few days ago as to when and how often I should play the C7 chord, once the video camera was on I forgot to play it all.  As usual (with me) this is not a perfect rendition but good enough to convey the flavor of this tune I hope. I never did get the D7 passage correct in the second part. A bit later in the same second part the A natural in the notation sounds odd to me so on the repeat I play A flat which is maybe better (?)

The banjo is 1907 Bacon Professional FF that was made in the Vega-Fairbanks factory when David Day was still foreman. I've had this banjo a good long time. And it has a good story to it.  It's in fabulously clean condition and I think it sounds great.  I've got it set up with a Will Fielding tailpiece, a Eric Stefanelli bridge, a Fiberskyn head, and some light gauge gut strings.

Comment by Trapdoor2 on April 3, 2014 at 3:45

I like it! Well done, Jody. I like my FF Pro a lot (even though it started out as a tenor and has a repro neck...for clawhammer work).

Comment by Jody Stecher on April 3, 2014 at 4:05

Thanks. Yes it's a cracker of a tune. 

Comment by Jean-Marie van de Laar on April 3, 2014 at 11:58

Certainly a good composition, it has me humming along. That's going on the to learn list.

Well done, Jody

Comment by Jody Stecher on April 3, 2014 at 14:46

My Pro FF has always been a five-string.  I got the banjo almost by accident. About 10 years ago I had a banjo student who had played banjo in the 1950s and who had had a nice Whyte Laydie #2. His wife approached me to see if I could find one like his old one, as she wanted to surprise him with a Christmas present of a replacement Whyte Laydie. I did find a nice one in a shop in Massachusetts and while looking I came upon this Bacon in a shop in Vermont. I had always wanted one and never could afford one but this was going for a third of the Whyte Laydie price so I decided to buy it. The two banjos arrived within a day of each other. When looking at the backs of necks it was impossible to tell them apart. They were obviously made of the same piece of timber, both in 1907, the shape and finish was the same. Twins. The fingerboards and inlay were of course different. David Day was making banjos for Fred Bacon back then. But that's not the end of the story. After my student played the banjo for a week or so he asked me how and where I found it because it was uncanny how much it resembled his old Whyte Laydie, right down to some little dings and unusual scratches.  We both did some research on where this banjo had been. It was his old banjo, come home again. We wrote a song about it.

Comment by Jody Stecher on April 5, 2014 at 0:16

Jean-Marie, yes, one cannot help humming along. Fortunately I like this melody because it has grabbed ahold of my mind and will not let go. 

Comment by Jackie Cook on April 8, 2014 at 23:32

I liked your video. Also, that's a great old banjo you have.

Comment by Jody Stecher on April 9, 2014 at 0:16

Thank you, Jackie. The Bacon Pro FF is my "go to " everyday banjo. Always reliable, always tuneful and sweet. Usually when a banjo gets that old it starts developing problems. Not  this one. 

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