John Boulding submitted 8/30/2008 Submitter MoTomCat Overall Comments I had John level and refret a banjo neck for me. He completed the work in record time, doing a fantastic job, and even beveled the frets a little different like I had asked him to do. His charges were very reasonable and I am very happy with the work he did. I would not hesitate to have John work on any instrument that required attention. Overall Rating 10

John Boulding submitted 12/8/2007 Submitter MoTomCat Overall Comments I am very impressed with John as a teacher, and with him teaching the lessons online, he is available to just about everyone. He takes the time to find out where the student is in his banjo learning journey, finds out where the student wants to go, and then starts helping them toward their goals. He asked me what I felt my shortcoming were on the banjo, and what I felt I needed to work on first, and then proceeded to help me in the areas I had identified as problem areas for me. So far, I have not seen any "canned" lessons, but rather ideas and concepts that will help me become a better banjo player and reach the goals I have for myself on the banjo. After taking some lessons from teachers who only gave out "canned" lessons, or those who didn't take time to learn where the student was or what the student wanted out of the lessons, I was very pleased that John took an interest in gearing the lessons toward me personally. I gave John a 10 rating, because I believe he deserves it. Tom Overall Rating 10

Washburn B15 Limited Edition submitted 11/17/2007 Submitter MoTomCat Where Purchased Music 123 Year Purchased 2006 Price Paid Don't Remember historic exchange rates / currency converter Sound This is a great beginner banjo for 3-finger (Scruggs) style bluegrass. It has a rich full sound and is very clear up and down the neck. I rated it an 8 because it's not really a professional sound, but it does sound very good for a beginner level, or a little above beginnere level, instrument. It is as loud as most banjos and sounds very good with a decent setup. Sound Rating 8 Setup The setup wasn't bad when I received it, but I did have to tweak it a little. The head was a little loose, and the action was a little high. Tightening the head and a very small adjustment to the coordinator rods brought it into very playable condition. Since I was new to the banjo when I purchased this one, I had an experienced player help me set it up. A KatEyz bridge was added, and a couple of tailpieces tried, but went back to the original tailpiece and it sounds fine. When I learned more about the banjo, I replaced the plastic string nut with a bone nut and this helped the sound too. The action is about 3/32" at the 12th fret and it plays great. Setup Rating 8 Appearance I found no flaws in the fit or finish. The banjo was advertised as having a maple neck, but it looked like mahogany in the pictures and I believe it is mahogany. It has very nice wreath-style inlays in the rosewood fretboard and is a great looking banjo. Since this is a limited edition, only 144 made, there may not be many of them with these inlays, and it does make it a very pretty banjo. Appearance Rating 9 Reliability I see no problem with longevity of this banjo. It is built solid and the fit and finish are great. It is a typical import finish, some sort of polyurethane I believe, over nice stained wood and it seems very rugged. The banjo was on loan to my granddaughter for about 6 months and doesn't appear any worse for the wear after she returned it. I think it could be counted on to last a long time. Reliability Rating 9 Customer Service I have had no warranty claim or experience so can't rate this. Customer Service not rated Components Even though the tone ring is an imported "bell brass" ring, it has a very good sound. When I purchased this as a beginner, I wasn't aware the bracket shoes are not considered the norm for better bluegrass banjos, but they don't seem to detract from the sound. No parts seem weak or cheap at all, except for the generic bridge that was on it. I was really impressed with the neck as compared to other Washburns I have seen and played. The neck is as smooth and playable as any I've seen, even high-dollar banjos, and has a great feel to it. The banjo came with Washburn's BC-82 case in a beige color, looks very nice. Components Rating 9 Overall Comments Yes, I would recommend this banjo to anyone who wants to purchase in the ~$500 or less range. As I said, the neck is very playable and the banjo has a very good tone. If it was stolen, I doubt I could find another one to buy since it's a limited edtion, but I would consider replacing it if I could find one. In comparing it to some others: Tyler Mountain - this banjo sounds every bit as good as the Tyler Mountain TM5-80 model; Gibson RB-250 - after the Gibson was set up right, the Washburn doesn't sound quite as good, but that is to be expected; Recording King RK-80 - The Washburn is not in the same class of the RK-80, so I would not expect it to sound as good. It is nearly as loud though, and does have a good sound. I think the better Washburn banjos, B-15 and up, sometimes get a bad rap from those who don't like imports, but this banjo is solid and makes a great banjo for learning and well into intermediate playing. Overall Rating 8