Tenor Banjos that you have owned

[Reverend]

I was thinking back to all the banjos that I have owned over the last several years. (I think I need counseling!)   ;-)  

I have bought quite a number of banjos.   Most of them were bought, fixed up, and sold again.   Although, I pretty much always tried playing them in sessions, just to get a feel of their character.

I thought it might  be interesting to list the banjos that you have had, so that people could ask you questions about any particular model that they might be interested in.   

And besides, it's fun to know what everybody is playing...

For me, the list is pretty long:

Ome - Juggernaut

Paramount - Style C ("special")

Orpheum - #2

Orpheum - #1 (two of them)

Weymann - Orchestra #2

Bacon - Peerless

Vega - Wonder Tenor (1960s)

Vega - Style M (tubaphone)

Lange - Triple X

Langstile - unknown

Kay Kraft - "Orpheum"

Gold Tone - CCIT

Various no-name banjos

I'm sure I'm forgetting some...   Jeez, I need help!

[Dick Glasgow]

Hi Reverend,
An impressive list alright.
However, with so much personal experience, with so many different models, you must have a pretty good idea by now what, for you, is the best model for playing Irish Music, so if you could only have ONE BANJO .... which one would it be?
Cheers
Dick

[Chris Youlden]

As I mentioned elsewhere (lol) I have a 1926 Vega Model M. It's my first banjo and currently my only banjo.

[Reverend]

Ha! You think the process has an END?

As with most Irish players, i would really love to get my hands on a Paragon. And would really like to get an old Bacon and Day Silverbell. And I wouldn't mind owning a Clareen or Boyle.

If I had to choose one that I have owned, it would be the Ome (which is based on the Silverbell's tone system and resonator). It is by far the most comfortable, best sounding banjo I have ever had. But that doesn't mean the quest is over! LOL

[Tim Smith]

Wow, that's a very impressive list. I've only had two: an inexpensive Kay whose neck bowed severely, and my current Gold Tone. Had a couple of five bangers that I've used for Irish folk songs.

[Sjoerd van Ravenzwaaij]

Nice list man.

I'm currently playing a Clareen Elite Gold. Before this one I played Aria banjos.

And I'm currently saving up for a Pietsch Banjo.

Cheers!

[Reverend]

Wow, those Pietsch banjos look sweet. I had never heard of them. What kind of tone ring do they use? They look fairly similar to a number of the Ome models, which generally use a "Silver Spun" tone ring, that is hand made, and modeled after the B&D Silverbell.

There comes a point when a banjo becomes a little too ornate to be taking in to Irish sessions, though ;-)

[Sjoerd van Ravenzwaaij]

Hahah, yeah, kinda true ;). I think I'll keep the clareen for sessions :).

Norbert models on old B&D style tonerings and is currently working on his own style tonering.

Reverend said:

Wow, those Pietsch banjos look sweet. I had never heard of them. What kind of tone ring do they use? They look fairly similar to a number of the Ome models, which generally use a "Silver Spun" tone ring, that is hand made, and modeled after the B&D Silverbell.

There comes a point when a banjo becomes a little too ornate to be taking in to Irish sessions, though ;-)

[Damir Ban]

Strunal Tarpan (CZ) - big and ugly, frets all worn out, my current banjo
Musima (DDR) - my first banjo, flimsy and pretty much useless, you could play a tune by just moving the neck back and forth he he he

I'll get Clareen Special later this year, and that will be just the thing for years to come.

[Greg O'Neill]

(1) PacRim cheapie - started with this for a few years. Wasn't that bad for the price, really. Donated to charity auction.

(2) Weymann Keystone State (open back, 18 frets) - nice banjo, very light to hold. Still use as my fallback.

(3) Ludwig Kingston - Had for a year or so, sold a few months ago. Meh..
.
(4) Paramount Model A (~1925) - My main and probably final banjo. Arrived from Elderly in amazingly good condition for its age. Original calfskin head which is holding out nicely. Mike Keyes put me on to this, for which I'm eternally grateful!

[Reverend]

Ahh, Greg, you're a better man than I. I thought my Paramount was going to be my final banjo, too! :-P

Mine had the original skin head as well. Amazing that they can last that long! I actually put a skin on the Ome for a while. It sounded great, but it wasn't quite loud enough for most of the sessions I play, and it wasn't as well aged as the vintage ones, so it developed a little tear when I was tightening it once. Oh well, sounds better with plastic anyway!

[Will Thorne]

Reverend - with such an extensive list I'm wondering what differences, good or bad, you found between some of these models. Were there any tonal qualities that really stood out for you? What were some of your favorites and why?

My humble list includes two; Gold Tone IT250 and a 1925 Gibson TB2

[Reverend]

Didn't you have a no-name open back 17 fret that was a bit of a cannon, Will? (or is that the Gibson?)

Well, here's a brief impression of each:

Ome - Awesome. Not quite as bright as some of the Silverbells, but a lovely, complex tone, and the best neck I've ever played on an instrument.

Paramount C - Complex, nice tone, adjustable neck, but not nearly as responsive as the Ome

Orpheums - Great tone. The only 17 frets I have ever *really* liked the tone of. (One of the #1s is still my "around the house" banjo)

Weymann - Nice player. Great physical features, like neck adjustment, etc. Too much reverb for my taste.

Bacon Peerless - Solid 17 fret, very playable, but not particularly complex tone

Vega Wonder - Kind of cheaply made. Don't like the tone much. Carty made it sound good though!

Lange Triple X - Nice, complex tone, but not very loud. Similar tone system to the Paragon, with holes through the pot.

Langstile - Very playable 17 fret. Not loud enough for a noisy session, but was a great "around the house" banjo, until I sold it to a student.

Kay Kraft - Krap. It was playable, but nothing interesting about it at all. Entry level banjo that looked OK, but didn't sound good at all.

Gold Tone CCIT - Not worth much, other than a beginner banjo to see if I liked playing.