Ramsey Bacon submitted 4/17/2006 Submitter Road Dog Where Purchased Elderly Instruments Year Purchased 2002 Price Paid 975 ($US) Sound I've been playing bluegrass banjo for 28 years. This banjo is a real departure for me. I've just started to learn some clawhammer banjo. I don't really have knowledge of the vocabulary to describe open-back banjo tone. This banjo has a Bacon-style tonering without the internal resonator. I would say the tone leans toward the "bright" end of the clawhammer tone spectrum -- it is sufficiently "plunky" for my bluegrass ears. I like the way it sounds. Sound Rating 9 Setup Setup was excellent. I purchased the banjo long distance, but the folks at Elderly had pencil marks on the head to help with correct bridge placement. I've made no setup changes. If I ever need to, I'll need some help. The neck attachment is with a dowel-stick - I'm used to coordinator rods. Setup Rating 9 Appearance It's a beauty. Flamed maple, two-piece neck, there's a thin ebony or rosewood strip (maybe it's not even wood) where the two pieces are joined. The peghead face and heelcap are ebony. Maple rim with rosewood cap. The maple is unstained with a non-glossy lacquer finish. Grained ivoroid-bound ebony fretboard. Engraved MOP position markers (diamond-shaped) with the Ramsey shooting star at the 5th fret. Ramsey states the peghead inlay is an engraved dragon - actually it's their interpretation of the old Fairbanks mythic lion's head. The banjo has a frailing scoop. Appearance Rating 10 Reliability The hardware is nickel-plated. It seems slightly more susceptible to tarnish than the plating on my Deering Hartford. The Deering is a year older than the Ramsey and has basically been exposed to the same conditions. The top edge of the rim on the Ramsey showed some tarnish this summer which required attention. Reliability Rating 7 Customer Service I've had no dealings with Chanterelle. Elderly Instruments are always great to deal with. The banjo has a 5-year warranty. Customer Service 9 Components Tuners (5-Star) are top quality. Buttons are cream colored plastic - Ramsey's specs indicate ivoroid - don't know what happened there. No-knot tailpiece. I added a Vega-style armrest. Has a Fiberskyn head - considering a change to Renaissance due to the rave reviews out there, but like the tone of the Fiberskyn just fine. Components Rating 9 Overall Comments Great banjo for the price - highly recommended. If it was stolen, I'd probably get another Chanterelle (might opt for the Tubaphone pot with Bacon model inlays). I like it alot. Overall Rating 9

Osborne Chief Chief submitted 10/8/2004 Submitter Road Dog Where Purchased Sonny Osborne Year Purchased 2004 Price Paid 3850 ($US) Sound I play Scrugg's style BG banjo. This banjo was designed by Sonny Osborne (and built by Frank Neat) to be as close a copy as could be made of his 1934 Gibson Granada. IMO, this banjo has got THE sound. Amazing sustain up-the-neck, and a monster 4th string. As close to a pre-war as I'm ever going to get (or need). Sound Rating 10 Setup This banjo was set up just the way I like it. Action was at 5/32" at the 12th fret. The only change I've made is the strings...I use Bill Keith bronze (11, 22, 15, 11, 11). Feb 5, 05 - I switched to Bill Keith stainless (same guages) - I like the tone of these alot better. In June 2005, I switched back to the GHS strings (Sonny's set - 11, 22, 13, 12, 11) that came with the Chief. Much better. Setup Rating 10 Appearance It's a beautiful banjo. I really don't care much for gold-plating, but I've gotten used to it. The hearts & flowers inlay is perfect. Rosewood fingerboard, curly maple neck and resonator, great sunburst finish. The finish is removed from the back of the neck on the Chief - great feel. The neck on this Chief (#82) has the least amount of "curl" of any Chief that I've seen. That's the only appearance disappointment with this banjo. Appearance Rating 9 Reliability So far, so good. Have used it without a backup from day one. In fact, just sold my Stelling Bellflower Top-tension. I think the Chief will last. 6/1/06 - The Chief is more than holding its own...gets better every day. 6/10/08 - More of the same...a very good banjo. Reliability Rating 10 Customer Service Sonny was extremely helpful/friendly during the purchase process. No need for repair or other service so far. I attended the NashCamp Fall Banjo Retreat in 2006 and took my Chief and the Mahogany Neat banjo that I purchased in June '06. I asked Frank Neat to give the Chief the 'once-over' and he replaced the first four frets. He refused to take any money for it. Now, that's customer service. Customer Service 10 Components Everything is top quality. The Blaylock tonering is said to be just like a Sonny's original (gold-plating over copper flashing). 5-star tuners, Cox rim & resonator, pearl nut and 5th-string nut. The Chief comes with a Calton Deluxe case, an Elliott capo - designed just for the Chief, and a Dogwood Designs strap. Components Rating 10 Overall Comments This is a great banjo, and worth every penny. If it was stolen, I'd have to get another. I love it - the tone is IT - and it's purty. Overall Rating 10

Deering John Hartford #1 submitted 1/12/2002 Submitter Road Dog Where Purchased Elderly Instruments Year Purchased 2001 Price Paid 2069 ($US) Sound Loud, rich/full sound. The Grenadillo wood tonering gives this banjo a "vintage" tone (sounds good and old) - to my ears anyway. Check out the review of my Stelling Bellflower Top-Tension. Sound Rating 10 Setup Excellent setup. The guys at Elderly do a great job. Action is 1/8" at the 12th fret. I haven't made any changes (none required). Setup Rating 10 Appearance This banjo is too beautiful for words. Flamed maple (neck and resonator) stained a rich brown. Hand rubbed finish - great vintage look - not glossy. Inlays are described as "Steamboat Gothic." Very elaborate, multi-color pearl headstock inlay. Unique inlays at frets 1, 8&9 (inlay covers 2 frets), and 21&22. Small pearl dots at the "usual" frets. Appearance Rating 10 Reliability So far so good. The finish on the wood is described above. Nickel plating on the metal parts is flawless. I'm trying to do my part - diligently wiping the plated parts down after each use - to hopefully prevent (or at least delay) tarnish. Reliability Rating 10 Customer Service Deering has been great to deal with...so have the folks at Elderly Instruments. Lifetime manufacturer's warranty. Elderly has a 90-day to one year new instrument warranty in addition to the manufacturer's. Customer Service 10 Components Excellent components. This banjo has a wooden tonering - Granadillo wood - same wood used on marimbas. Amazing tone!! It also has a zinc flange...makes for a very light banjo...probably 6 or 7 pounds lighter than my Stelling. It's said that because of the wooden tonering, the Hartford will "play in" like a violin (become louder and develop more presence the more it is played). Components Rating 10 Overall Comments Well worth the money. It doesn't sound like a pre- war Gibson or a Stelling, so it's probably not for everyone, but it's perfect for me. I love the sound (loud, not clangy, lots of mid-range), and the great vintage look. It's a unique banjo, and has all ready become my favorite. I'd have to say my 21+ year old Stelling is a much more "modern" banjo - and it has never let me down - but I'm really liking the Deering. Overall Rating 10

Stelling Bellflower submitted 1/12/2002 Submitter Road Dog Where Purchased Direct from Manuf. (when Stelling in Calif.) Year Purchased 1980 Price Paid 1475 ($US) Sound Classic Stelling sound. Powerful, Loud, Bright, Kick-Butt sound! Can be somewhat brittle sounding, if you dig in real hard. Check out the review of my Deering Hartford model, too! Sound Rating 10 Setup Setup was excellent at time of purchase. Action was low-to-medium. I replaced the orig. bridge with an 11/16 Stelling bridge. Setup Rating 9 Appearance It's a beauty...Black walnut, gloss finish, standard Bellflower inlays (Geoff Stelling's version of Hearts & Flowers). In 1980, Bellflowers had a bound headstock, which I really like. No custom work on this banjo. The fingerboard on this banjo is made of a synthetic material - Ebonol - which Stelling used from late '77 through Aug. '80. Mine looks like wood - have had no problems with it. The banjo arrived with one flaw... the pearl in one of the hearts in peghead inlay is broken (I assume during the inlay process) - the pieces were just inlaid in broken form into the peghead. The hardware has (after 21 years) tarnished quite a bit. In addition, a portion of the flange is heavily oxidized - the result of the way I've stored the strap. Appearance Rating 9 Reliability It has lasted...like I said some oxidation/tarnish on the metal - some places on the resonator where the rivets on my jeans have left some dents. Reliability Rating 10 Customer Service They were very friendly during the order/purchase time. Have not had to have repairs or service. Have run into Geoff Stelling at festivals doing field service on banjos, and he has always been friendly and helpful. Manufacturer's warranty was 2 years. Customer Service 10 Components 5-Star pegs, Stelling's unique approach to tone-ring/rim fit accounts for the powerful Stelling sound. Also, the nut is compensated for intonation. No upgrading necessary. Components Rating 10 Overall Comments You couldn't get a new Stelling for what I paid for this one. Stellings are worth what you have to pay for them. If this banjo were stolen, I'd replace it with a Stelling - the hard part would be deciding which model. I love it...especially the sound and looks. I had a 1976 Gibson RB-250 when I bought the Stelling. The Gibson sounded great. The Stelling sounds great, is prettier than the Gibson. My new Deering Hartford is prettier than either one. Overall Rating 10