Huber Lancaster Custom Reviews

Huber Lancaster Custom submitted 7/18/2008 Submitter lestermatt (see all reviews from this person) Where Purchased Private collector Year Purchased 2008 Price Paid under3000 ($US) (bought USED) Sound I like hard driving Early Bluegrass and this Banjo brings the tone home for me, I can feel it as much as hear it.Deep dry growly lows and great bells up top and the middle is loud with perfect action that wont slow you down Sound Rating 10 Setup I made a minor truss rod adjustement to cure a bow buzz ,otherwise nothing Setup Rating 10 Appearance This Lancaster is special in that it's got a curly maple resonator with a sunburst stain ,Mahogony neck and flawless inlays Appearance Rating 10 Reliability I'd say it is highly reliable Reliability Rating 10 Customer Service A new Huber is warrantied for life to the original owner ,as the second owner I dont know what if any warranty is offered.However Ive worked with Steve in the past and can say he is very generous with his time ,Jim too! Customer Service 10 Components I think Huber has thought of everything, nothing cheap,nothing compromised Components Rating 10 Overall Comments Im very vocal about the instruments i have played and have played some great ones including 2 original flathed pre-wars and several fantastic conversions(one used to be Steves)and this ones my favorite post war Banjo.I just wish other folks would discover the wonderfull world of Huber banjos .At last my search is over! Overall Rating 10

Huber Lancaster Custom submitted 3/21/2005 Submitter BillyH (see all reviews from this person) Where Purchased Accutab Year Purchased 2005 Price Paid 4400.00 ($US) Sound The sound was pretty good right out of the box but I cant believe the difference just 3 days makes. It has a deep rich warm sound that is the result of Mahogony and gold. The bottom D is deep and boomy. The newness of the banjo has it sustaining a bit more than I prefer but a few months of playing will take care of that. The sound is there. Sound Rating 10 Setup The banjo came with a little higher action than Im used to. My first instinct was to have the action lowered but Ive gotten a little more used to it. The radius neck is not as big an adjustment as I thought it may be. Its a very subtle radius at best Setup Rating 9 Appearance This is one great looking banjo. The brown stain mahogony is just gorgeous compared to the reddish stains so many use. The satin gold finish with the antique binding really is wonderful. Instead of the two white concentric rings on the back of the resonator, I went with the two wood marquetry rings which really stands out and makes the banjo unique. There are no flaws of any kind in the wood or metal. All is perfect. This banjo honestly looks more like the Jim Mills model than it does a Lancaster Appearance Rating 10 Reliability this banjo is solid as a rock top to bottom, inside and out. The fit of all components are exellent. The specs on tollerance must be tight at Huber. Perfect neck fit. Reliability Rating 10 Customer Service Everyone knows what a gentleman John Lawless is. And Steve Huber is a pro player/builder/engineer. You just cant find a better team as far as Im concerned. They are great folks to deal with, no doubt. Steve even goes as far as to set your banjo up and play it a couple of days before He ships it. This allows him time to find the best torque setting for the head. He then ships the torque wrench He used to set the banjo up with along with the settings He found to be best. Customer Service 10 Components stand out components? Id have to say the satin gold finish I went with really stands out. Theres no engraving anywhere and it really looks great...Oh,, and the top of the peghead does say "Huber"....... Components Rating 10 Overall Comments I played several other banjos and for me, none compared to the Huber Lancaster. I really love this banjo and it has cured my itch for a pre war flat head. If this banjo was stolen Id get Steve to make another just like it. This dude is the Mac Daddy!!!!..... and its still just a baby!!! If theres one area thats a little lacking, it would have to be the case. It just feels a little flimsy to me. Id like to see them offer a Calton as an option. Overall Rating 10