banjo players

Let's hear from the banjo and mando players out there. C'mon, Dred. I know you're one.

I couldn't afford a Pete Seeger, so I got a 1960's Boulder ODE (before they were bought by Baldwin) and liked it, so now I have five of them: 3 longneck 5-strings, a 6-string, and a 12-string. And then when I went looking for a good mando, I couldn't afford an F5, so I bought one of the first F5 copies. It was made by Givens when he worked for ODE (after Baldwin bought ODE).

Hans says that Guild studied ODE banjos in designing their prototype (which never went into production). And Jay Pilzer said he heard that the Guild banjo wasn't very good. I'd guess using an ODE as a guide would be a mistake because they are weird and most people don't like them. Anybody know whatever became of Guild's banjo and mando prototypes? Now that would be some rare instrumentation.

And speaking of rare old instruments, Coastie.... Oh, never mind.

Being one to rest myself 'neath the strength of strings, I do have one of each - a cheap but nice looking, playing and sounding A-style mando - I try to play it at least once in a while - before my arthritis spreads to my fingers and the little frets become too cumbersome.

I also have a nice Goldtone banjo I bought over 20 years ago. I'm getting to old to remember the different tunings and chords for these things - maybe I should look into a 6 or 12 string banjo. Darryl - do you like yours - or do you prefer the 5 string?

I can play the banjo a little. I never really took off on this instrument. I can play basic rolls and GCD songs all night long, but not much beyond that. Built my first banjo in 1980 from a Saga Musical Instruments kit, nice banjo, Brazilian mahogany I believe. Had someone else do the wood finish, wanted it done right. I still play it when I play the banjo which is rarely. Bought another one off an old guy who makes instruments around here, real nice one, weighs a ton like all real good banjos because it has a solid cast brass tone ring and a rock maple rim. Sweet, but again, relatively unplayed.

This same old boy had a batch of 40 mandolins going when I was there checking out the banjo. He walked me right down the line: "this one's walnut, this one is michigan maple, this one is birdseye maple, this one is..." well, I went back and bought the birdseye maple one when he finished it. "A" style, he hand carved the back and used some real old tight grained spruce on the top, this thing screams. Now it's no Lloyd Loar Gibson, but its a nice machine nonetheless, this guy is no slouch. "Whaddya need for that one, Martin?" "Oh, I'll give it to you for $250.00," he says. :shock: (No one's ever seen Dred extract cash from his wallet so fast.)

Anyway, I love the mandolin, I did take off on this instrument. After playing guitar for so many years, the mandolin just felt real natural to me, and the scales and runs seem to be laid out in a logical fashion. Hardly anything sounds as nice as a guitar or piano playing melody with a sweet mandolin tinkling out some harmony

Now I'm the mandolin player in my bluegrass band, "Pickin' Grace". I ain't no Ronny McCoury, but I can pick a few licks I also play the mando a fair amount in my other band "Mere Image" which does 50's, 60's, and 70's music (did they make any good music after that?)

One song we love to do is the Stones "As Tears Go By", I've got that violin lead nailed on the mando. There's a great mandolin part in Zep's "Goin to California" too, that blends very nicely with my F-512.

By the way, Jimmy Page had some awesome mandolin licks - check out Zeppelin's "Live BBC Recordings". He's playing an old Gibson mando.

So yeah, the mandolin is my 2nd musical love, but its still seriously in 2nd place behind my Guilds...

I've always wanted to try my hand at a Deering B-6.

West

I seem to recall modern banjo's are based on an African instrument. Came to the US with the slave trade.

Be interesting to know if they are common in Europe ,GB, & third world places like Australia & New Zealand.

the 5 string banjo is a uniquely American adaptation of the 4 string instrument introduced into this country by the African slaves.

If I could have only one banjo, it would be a longneck 5 string. For bluegrass, you can snap on a resonator to a longneck, but for folk you can't snap on 3 extra frets. (By the way, have you heard that Hillary is a rep for Snap-On Tools?) I think of the 4, 6, and 12 string banjos as luxuries. A 4-string is kind of neat for Irish music. For 20-s and 30s jazz, I think a 6 cuts better than a 4. A 12 is almost a gimmick.

A lot of people knock the 4, 6, and 12 banjos as inferior substitues and imitations, but I don't. They are just different, like 4 and 12 string guitars, 5 string mandos and violins, and a lap steel versus a pedal steel.
Like Dred's deal, these days there are a lot of great deals on banjos, guitars, and mandos. I don't know which is best, but I don't think you could go wrong with a Deering.

There's a good book on the early banjos by Philip F. Gura.

In addition to Zep's version of "Goin' To California," there's another great one, but I can't remember who did it.

soon you'll be able to get a 5-string Saga kit from Don Its a real nice starter.

I have a Deering B-6 and love it!

A six-string banjo was used by Glenn Campbell on the Kingston Trio's original recording of "The Reverand Mr.Black."

HoboKen

I love the A-style mandolin my family gave me for Christmas 2 years ago. It's just the in-house brand at Sam Ash (Carlo Robelli, on sale for $90) but I've had it looked at by one mando-playing friend of mine who gave it his shrug-nod of approval. And the setup appears to be bang-on from what I've been able to learn. So I keep messing with it. So far I got the rhythm part down to "Lukey" by Great Big Sea, and that's it.

Love 5-string banjo, but not finger picks, so I leave it to those who can.

I like the way 4-string banjos have been melded into Irish music. I think they just tune it like a mandolin and play what they would ordinarily play.

Hey, Dred! Where are the mp3's or CD's, Man?

Should we take a poll of favorite banjo and mando players?
I'll start:
Banjo: Bela Fleck
Mando: Chris Thile

[quo Hey, Dred! Where are the mp3's or CD's, Man?[/quote]

Yeah, no kidding!! I almost have my debut music video ready. Just need to resolve a couple issues with the dancers.

Seems, according to the Redhead, there ain't gonna be no dancers.

HoBoLee (WestRKen)

Favorites:
Banjo--Earl forever
Banjo--Tiny Moore

Glenn played a 6-string Gibbon on several Trio albums, which inspired Deering to make 6-strings. Also, Glenn is the one doing the 12 string guitar flatpicking on Back in Town. I met him a few years ago, and he looked so young and healthy that I thought about getting drunk and calling Tanya Tucker

Have you ever played one of the Deering 6 banjos Darryl? I almost bought one for the heck of it about a year ago. I've always been a fair guitar fingerpicker and Ken told me that they are simple.....you fingerpick guitar, and it comes out banjo. Sounds relatively easy.

West

My Alzheimered gourd is confused. It seems like I did, but I can't actually remember it. Sorta like trying to remember if I ever got laid.

I have an Ode 6, and I think they're a kick. But then I don't have the knowledge to be very picky. I also have an Ode 12, but I haven't received it yet. It's being restored by an Ode collector in Idaho. Ode is my other geezer group. Also the steel guitar forum. Sometimes I go to the Kingston Trio forum, but I don't admit it. That really IS geezered.

Darryl,

Sounds like your collection rivals the Guilds of Grot. Where do you guys keep all this stuff?

West

Wester,

To save space, I keep them in their cases and line them up against the wall with the handle side facing out into the room. I leave the cases slighly open so the humidifier can do its work.

The disadvantage is that the instrument is not there in a stand, ready for me to pick up. But I don't play as much as the rest of you guys. Too busy visiting all the chix in the neighborhood.

Live near a chicken farm do you Darryl? 8)

West

Better than laying eggs with my playing.

:lol: You guys must eat a lot of oysters or something.

West

Well ive dabbled in the banjo and mando both. My Grandfather gave me a "taterbug" which is what they played around here before Big Mon came along. The taterbug is the old italian style bowl back mandolin. Ive since bought the cheapest Kentucky mando and really like it. Ive also owned a ummm...coughfender...umhh..banjo. It was a starter for me. I really love the banjo but it needs time and investment to get good at. It did help me with my finger style guitar though! I guess I just couldnt decide which player in the bluegrass band I wanted to be, thats prob why im learning travis style thumbpicking...so i can play bass, rhythm and lead.