banjo players

[Guildmark]

The fiddle/mando player in the Irish band I was in played a taterbug. He used it on our recording of the Oop Pik Waltz, a tune by the late, great Kentucky fiddler, Art Stamper. (I'm a Kentucky native, myself.) It's also in the photo on our first CD.

Here's a device (don't know what else to call it) that might help you in the banjo/mando decision:

http://www.shopgoodwill.com/viewItem.asp?ItemID=2319497

... or maybe not.

They are very attractive works of art.
[IMG:490:800]http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l189/Guildmark/mandolin24.jpg[/img][IMG:640:480]http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l189/Guildmark/640x480d.jpg[/img]


















[IMG:491:799]http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l189/Guildmark/mandolin06.jpg[/img][IMG:500:793]http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l189/Guildmark/mandolin02.jpg[/img][IMG:497:800]http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l189/Guildmark/mandolin33.jpg[/img]

 

[Mr. P ~]

If any of you out there would like to get the feel of banjo or want some banjo sound without learning banjo chords, then try this instrument from Dean.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Dean-BW6-Backwoods-6String-Banjo?sku=519798

[IMG:700:252]http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/MrP_at_Large/Ganjo.jpg[/img]

As you can see it has a guitar neck and a banjo body with banjo strings. The good banjos have dual support rods in the pot to keep the neck aligned correctly with the pot. This being a low cost instrument, it only has one rod, which makes it very sensitive to pressure between the neck and pot.

Our guitar club got one and when we tried our hand at the local fiddlers convention we got the sound of a banjo without a lot of learning curve.

 

[HoboKen]

One the fellows in our bluegrass group bought a Dean 6-string Banjo and we compaired it to my Deering B-6 banjo. Not bad for an entry-level banjatar! But I do love my Deering.....as I told Wes...you finger pick guitar and it comes out banjo! If you get on the Elderly Guitars list, they will contact you when the get a used one in now and then. I bought mine used at Reed's Music in Mechanicsburg, PA about 7 years ago.

You heard the story of the banjo player who left his banjo in his car and the car was unlocked? He came back five hours later and found two
banjos in the car!

A banjo player has two modes....Tuning and Playing out of tune.

Keep smiling!

HoboKen

 

[West R Lee]

Ken,

Are they that tough to keep tuned? I have enough trouble with a six. Tuning my 12 is a minor project. Ah, not really that bad.

I do know that when my wife surpised me with my 12, I literally had to get online to learn how to tune it. Now, if someone comes over to play, I just move my 6s to wherever the 12 is. :roll:

When you comin' over to play Hoboken?

West

 

[Darryl Hattenhauer]

Speaking of banjos, what is the definition of perfect pitch?

Throwing a banjo down a mineshaft without hitting the sides.

Anybody play a 12 string banjo? I bought a 12 string Ode a while back, but I haven't seen it yet. I loaned it to the guy who is restoring it.

Speaking of weird old instruments, how's Coastie?

 

[Darryl Hattenhauer]

http://www.folkofthewood.com/page2530.htm

Above is a site where you can hear samples of 6- and 12-string guitjo/bantars.

 

[john_kidder]

A friend lent me th DVD of Neil Young's "After the Gold Rush" the other night - he plays a guitar-strung banjo on one tune, and there's an actual banjo on "Old Man".

 

[Darryl Hattenhauer]

Neil plays a 5-string banjo on that?

 

[john_kidder]

No - on "Old Man" there was a regulation banjo plucker paying a regulation long-neck five-string banjo. Young played the six-string (I presume it was guitar-type stringing) on another tune, can't recall the name,.

 

[HoboKen]

Did Glenn Campbell also play the 6-string Banjo on Desert Pete??

HoboKen
Other than regular guitar Instruments:

Paul Beard R Model Square-Neck '03 Resophonic guitar w/gold plated metal areas - Built by Paul himself for Bluegrass. (they don't get any better than this beauty!)

Gold Tone - Paul Beard Signature '05 Regular w/C Round-Neck Resophonic Guitar (Set up by Paul himself for acoustic Bottleneck Blues -
As good as it gets without being a full Paul Beard built Dobro.)

Deering B-6 Banjo (Its no old vintage Gibson 5-string Mastertone, but I do Love it!)

Morgan Monroe hand carved solid spruce wood top & flamed solid woods -'03 MMM-5 Mandolin (a nat's whisker away from a true Gibson F-5!.....as compared to a friend's '53 mint condition Gibson Loar F-5. (on bluegrass chops it's an equal!)

Blue Lion Cherry Mountain Lap Dulcimer (No better than this also!)

DeArmond Ashbory Bass (A just-for-fun mini electric bass that really does come close via a bass amp. to sounding like an acoustic full up-right bass - Don't forget to use powder on your hands when you play the rubber strings!)

Old Metal Kazoo! (Its the Rootie Kazotti Show!)

 

[West R Lee]

Kenster,

I don't speak banjo, but it all sure sounds impressive.

West

 

[Darryl Hattenhauer]

Twas Glenn indeed playing 6 string banjitar/guitjo on Desert Pete. He held a flat pick 'tween his thumb and first finger, and finger picks on his second and third. So he goes from bluegrass flatpicking to finger picking with no plucking around. So I use one of those big herco thumbpicks and fingerpicks on my first and second fingers so I can do the same. Now all I have to do is learn how to play.