Banjos and Mandolin! 

There used to be a joke here about how I only have one banjo, so what's the big deal.  Guess that day is gone!

Gibson Blackjack (RB-75) J. D. Crowe model

This banjo was purchased on New Years Eve day, Dec 31, 2009.  I believe the SN represents a 2007 vintage of manufacture.  I had taken Jeri-Ann to the Gibson Gallery in Nashville to show her how the "Blackjack" banjo sounded, and this one was (luckily) on the wall.  Others were gawking at the new ES Deluxe (in flashy shiny gold plate), right next to this one, which made this one look old and dowdy.  This has the copper flashed, then gold plated tonering, and the tension hoop, flange, etc, are all gold plated and embossed.  Then the entire instrument is "antiqued" which dulls down the gold.  To me, it looks beautiful.  The sales person got it down for me, and I sat in the little play room with Jeri-Ann playing it and marvelling at its sound.  JA remarked as how it was so clear and clean that she could hear every note I was playing - not mushy like the sound on my other banjo.  Long story short, I bought it that day at a good price, and had it shipped to Texas so I wouldn't have to pay sales tax on it.  This has been my "buddy" ever since.  Nothing sounds like this one when it comes to sounding like an old Gibson flattop.  Beautiful tone.  Fun to play.  It's my first absolute keeper of a banjo!

Sullivan ~ Greenbrier  (2008)

The story behind this is detailed below on this page under the listing of the Sullivan Festival Deluxe banjo.  This instrument is one of Sullivan's best, and is upgraded with their historic "Old Factory Floor" rim.  Briefly, rim material is typically the hardest rock maple usually from the Canadian border of New England.  However, when Bill Sullivan heard of an old  New England factory building built circa 1830 that was to be razed, he requested the salvage rights to the maple flooring material that it contained.  This wood harvested at that time had grown for the two hundred or more years prior, meaning it was wood from the "mini-ice age" which is renowned for having extremely tight growth rings, making it very hard.  You can watch a video of it here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOfikgl8XsU    

There is another video that Sullivan has posted that takes you through the building of one of their banjos (a Festival, though the resonator they show is for one of the new Terry Baucomb models).  It's interesting to watch, and features Murrell Thixton, one of the super FQMS guys, playing the banjo at the beginning and  end:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Vs_EoGazks&feature=related  

I had to work hard to get this banjo to sound like I want it to.  When I found the Gibson Blackjack, I gave up for a while, and even considered getting the Greenbrier to a good setup man, and then selling it.  Well, no more.  I took the banjo to Charlie Cushman - what a terrific banjo player, setup person, and just an outstanding individual as well.  He did a number of things to the banjo, but, most of all, he turned it into a killer!  The Greenbrier now has a strong 4th string, and nice, bright tone that really sings out!  Now, with both the Blackjack and this one, I have two different banjo sounds that are outstanding!  The Greenbrier now is keeper #2.  

Gibson A-9 Mandolin

This one comes with a story.  It had hung on the wall at Guitar Center in Austin for two years priced at around $2100, and once I saw it on sale for $1800.  That was over my budget for a mando.  One day I walked in and saw it on the wall with a $890 price tag on it.  I asked the salesperson if it was marked correctly - yes.  I rushed home, called Eddie Collins and asked if any of his students was looking for a mando.  No.  Hey, I can flip it on Ebay.  So, I went back and bought it.  Well, the best laid plans . . . I came home and played it - wow.  Played my Eastman, hmm.  Played the Gibson, played the Eastman, sold the Eastman on Ebay for a slight loss on that instrument, but big overall gain in quality!  

But wait, this mando has another story attached.  I noticed the top of the bridge was badly leaning forward, had no idea how to remedy this, and didn't want to damage it.  So, when I was in Nashville on the next trip, I took it to the Gibson Showcase there.  I was sent to the back of the shop where a guy took a look at it, and yanked it into position - yikes!  He and I talked a while as he was retuning and playing.  Wow, the sound of that mando filled the entire warehouse area we were in with beautiful music.  He turned out to be Danny Roberts of "The Grascals," and he told me how they got discovered by Dolly Parton, etc.  Very interesting person, and can he ever play the mandolin. 

I look forward to other new stories that mandolin might bring my way! 

~ Other Instruments of Note ~

Gibson Mastertone ~ RB-250  (2004) (SOLD)

This is the third banjo I've owned.  The first was a Japanese one of a forgotten brand that was a long-neck version.  It was not very memorable, and was replaced by a "Kasuga" banjo, also from Japan (while I was there in the USAF).  Don 'Doc' Simmons got me started playing.  He played Grandpa Jones style - he actually looked like Grandpa Jones, and played a lot of his frailing banjo style.  He encouraged me to learn the Scruggs style that I liked to hear so much.  I started with the Pete Seeger book, and then moved to the Earl Scruggs book (I still have both books).  I would play an occasional set with one of the Airman's club (or NCO club) bands in Japan, and usually did Foggy Mountain Breakdown, Hot Corn, Cold Corn, and the Ballad of Jed Clampett (maybe Cripple Creek as well).  After leaving the service I had little chance to play with anyone, so the banjo playing fell by the wayside. After getting this new one, I found that some of those old pieces were still there in my memory, but in a very rusty version!  As of November, '07, I've been taking lessons from Eddie Collins here in Austin - he's a very good teacher, and I'm trying to be a good student.  Since I added the Sullivan banjo, the Gibson hasn't seen as much use, but I still like it's tone a lot, and is a nice contrast to the Sullivan.

Sullivan "Festival" Banjo (2007) (SOLD)

Driving back from Cincinnati to Nashville takes me right by First Quality Music Supply (FQMS) in Louisville, KY.  It's a wonderful dealership, and also happens to be where the Sullivan banjo is made.  (Bill Sullivan started FQMS supplying banjo parts to many of the major banjo makers in the USA).  I asked to play one of their demos, and, as luck would have it, they only had the "Festival", their entry level model.  I must have played it for 20 minutes, and loved it!  If they had had one in stock, I would have bought it on the spot, but they didn't.  When I got home, I checked the BanjoHangout and found this one, a used early-2007 model.  It is significantly different from the Gibson in tone, and is easier to play with normal frets instead of the tall ones on the Gibson (which makes slides more difficult).  I liked this banjo so much that I decided to order one of Sullivan's better banjos, the Greenbrier - the one listed up higher on this page.  This banjo was sold to a young Kentucky native who wanted a piece of KY with him to play in his current North Carolina home.  Enjoy it, Carter, it's a honey!  (Frankly, I should have kept this one...)

Eastman 815 Mandolin (SOLD)

In July of 2007 I felt a yearning to return to playing the mandolin.  I found an inexpensive "Morgan Monroe" mandolin on Ebay and played it for a few months.  Just long enough to know that (1) I wanted to pursue this some more, and (2) the MM, even professionally set up, wasn't going to work for me for very long.  I did some research, because mandolins, like banjos, can get very expensive very quickly.  I found a reasonably priced Eastman.  Eastman instruments are made in China, but, unlike some of the other brands being brought into the USA with mediocre quality, it has a reputation of high quality.  Their violins are very recommended, and mandolins are obtaining the same kind of reputation.  This one is unique in that it's in a "blonde" or natural finish.  However, like many Eastman instruments currently, the tone is highly variable.  This one and I never bonded, so when I found the Gibson A9, I sold this one.

The headstock face and back are laminated with ebony, and the hand carved back, sides and neck are all flamed maple.