I'm selling my first banjo, now that I have purchsed a new Buck Creek from Mr. Hatfield. This is a parts banjo with a couple of unique pieces. The banjo was assembled by Mr. Roy Sowers of Thomasville who has hundreds of parts in his shop. Here is what he told me the banjo consisted of:
3-ply Hard-Rock Maple Rim
1st quality no-hole flathead tone ring
Brass Tension Hoop
Brass Armrest
Clamshell Tailpiece
Abolone Inlays
Bone Nut 1 5/16 inch (It may have a slightly wider neck than some banjos. My paige capo will fit, but my Hatfield capo will not.)
From what I understood, the neck and resonator are from Asia. The neck has beautiful carvings on the heel and is very easy to play. The resonator is blue with an extremely intricate dragon on it. The banjo is currently set up with a .656 straight bridge (not the one in the photo. The fingerboard is not perfect with some frets that might be slightly higher than others as is often common with asian necks. However, it does not affect the playability. I had John Boulding take a look at it last week and he did a heel cut to shim the neck so that it makes a solid connection with the rim. It is a much more stable banjo than before. The fretwear is minimum. There is one chip in the headstock that I have tried to capture in the last picture. The main thing that I notice when I play it is that the banjo is LOUD (louder than my Hatfield)! Mr. Sowers likes them that way. The banjo really cuts in a jam. This banjo would be a great beginner/intermediate banjo because it has a full tone ring. It also makes a great backup banjo to take to jams and festivals. The dragon always sparks some great comments! It comes with a hardshell case (not the tightest fit) and it has spikes at the 7th and 9th frets. Please let me know if you have questions.
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