Jubilee Music submitted 11/6/2008 Submitter robin jones Overall Comments Had a wonderful "buying" experience dealing with my new friends at Jubilee in Fairhope, Alabama. Fairhope is such a nice, laid back little town and Jubilee is just what you'd expect to find there. Wonderful staff. The owner, Eugene, cut me a killer deal on a new D-18. I don't know if they have any interest whatsoever in the mail order business but you'd do well to call them before you buy a guitar. Joe, the guitar tech, let me play all the Martins and Larrivees. No pressure. Other staffers, Susan and Matt, are as pleasant and helpful as can be. They do it right over there and they have a customer for life in me. Overall Rating 10

Don Reno Don Reno: Founding Father Of The Bluegrass Banjo submitted 10/26/2008 Submitter robin jones Where Purchased Elderly Online Overall Comments I'm somewhat hesitant to write this review because I know Mr. Reno is a hero to scores of banjoist. Nevertheless, it's an honest appraisal and hopefully will save somebody a little money. This is not a good album. It's unfortunate that I was introduced to Don Reno's playing through it. When I bought it I mistakenly thought it was a compilation of tunes from over the course of Mr. Reno's career. Actually all the tunes were re-recorded in the late 70s. I won't pick it apart. I'll just encourage you to invest your money in other Reno records that are representative of what this outstanding player was capable of. Since I bought this particular album I've downloaded several tunes of Mr. Reno's from the iTunes store and they are sensational. His playing on those older records lives up to and even exceeds all the accolades it has garnered. He was a monumental talent. His legacy is being done a disservice by "Founding Father Of The Bluegrass Banjo". I feel like I was ripped off, although I'm not sure by who, and am reminded of that most important of sayings in this day and age -- caveat emptor Overall Rating 3

Earl Scruggs The Essential Earl Scruggs submitted 10/26/2008 Submitter robin jones Where Purchased Elderly Online Overall Comments For my money this is an excellent compilation. It covers decades of Earl's playing, albeit sparsely, and includes excellent liner notes by Earl himself, and a nice tribute from Bela Fleck. If you're trying to cover Earl on the cheap for your music collection you could do a lot worse than this album. Overall Rating 8

Deering Deluxe submitted 10/12/2008 Submitter robin jones Where Purchased West Moble Music Year Purchased 2008 Price Paid 2369 ($US) Sound I love the sound of my Deluxe. I was on the brink of buying a Maple Blossom, which was set up a little better and was somewhat louder and brighter sounding, but I opted for the Deluxe for its mellower tone. It is plenty loud and can produce a variety of sounds/tones depending on right hand placement and attack. Sound Rating 9 Setup I played/considered three Deering models. The Sierra, Deluxe, and Maple Blossom. The more expensive the instrument, the better it was set up from the factory. I didn't care for the Sierra's tone and it had fret buzzes all over the place. The Deluxe had buzzes in the first five frets but they were "minor" to my way of thinking. The Maple Blossom's action was ultra-low but it still produced the bright/brassy tone so many bluegrass banjoist prefer and was deafeningly loud. Several of the bracket nuts were completely loose on the Deluxe I bought. Additionally, I had to loosen the truss road approximately 1/4 turn over several days to eliminate fret buzzes. I haven't had to do anything since but change the strings occasionally. Setup Rating 6 Appearance I prefer the plain appearance of the Deluxe. The only way it could be better would be if it had no fret markers a la Clarence White's flattop. The banjo is red mahogany and very pretty. Not as pretty as the maple models but not as brassy sounding either. The arm rest began to tarnish almost immediately. I don't remember cheap banjos I've owned in the past doing so so quickly but I probably wasn't oozing all the toxins back then that I am now (at 46). Appearance Rating 8 Reliability Sounds the same every time I take it out of the case. I can't imagine ever having to do anything to it other than periodically adjusting the neck, changing the head, and having it re-fretted when indicated. It's an extremely well made, heavy duty instrument. Reliability Rating 9 Customer Service The first two cases I had were faulty. Deering went the extra mile to get me new ones, as they should have. I got the impression from dealing with Carolina (concerning the cases) at Deering that they are running an absolutely first-class operation. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend a Deering to anyone. Customer Service 10 Components I'm not a banjo mechanic and this question would probably be better answered by someone who was and then after a year or two but from my point of view the parts are all high quality. UPDATED: Had tailpiece problems I'm deducting a point for. A fine instrument should have a fine tailpiece, at least in my estimation, and the stock Deering model leaves much to be desired. Components Rating 7 Overall Comments I love my banjo. The tone if my favorite feature. I highly recommend Deering. If something happens to it I'llalmost certainly replace it with a Deering and probably another Deluxe. Riding out the depreciation on a new banjo can be tough to impossible but sense I have no intention of ever selling it it's not an issue. Buying new I had a good idea of exactly what I was getting for my money versus a supposedly high quality instrument some joker had put an Alvarez tone ring on before putting it up on eBay. Overall Rating 9

Alan Munde Banjo Sandwich submitted 8/25/2008 Submitter robin jones Where Purchased Elderly web site Overall Comments A savory treat from beginning to end. Alan's playing is spectacular, as is the sound of the Stelling he plays. I don't know if it's Munde's masterpiece but it's a masterpiece. It's as fresh today as when I first heard it some 30 years ago. If you want to learn some cool tunes and killer chops get the album, get the tab, and go to work. Overall Rating 10

Gold Tone Banjo Mute Gold Tone Banjo Mute submitted 8/25/2008 Submitter robin jones Where Purchased Elderly web site Overall Comments I reside with people who sleep so I have to mute the Deluxe between 10 and 2. This little mute works quite well. Much better than one that sits on top of the bridge. It's a tad tricky to use. I scratched my head nicely when I first put it on. It doesn't have to go all the way on to do its thing. Not sure how it'll wear but new it does what it's supposed to and relatively painlessly. Overall Rating 7