Banjo builder Arthur Hatfield from Glasgow Kentucky shows us his Hatfield Feud banjo

www.hatfieldbanjos.com - A few months ago I ordered a Hatfield “Feud” banjo (which tells the story of the Hatfield and McCoy Mountain Feud through inlay and reinstate painting on the banjo). I drove 11 hours from Virginia to Arthur’s shop in Glasgow, Kentucky to meet Arthur and pick up the beautifully inlayed banjo).

[@gutbucket260]

Arthur makes some of the best banjos. Quality is second to none and he's an all round nice guy to boot.

[@TheVintage1935]

Awesome banjo!!

[@sylviahatfield4451]

That's some great pickin there Papa!! :):)

[@ProfileP246]

Monster banjo!!!

[@patriciahuggins3768]

I am kind to the Hatfield and the McCoy on my grandmother side of the family.

[@DaveC6th]

I regrettably bought a Buck Creek banjo from Arthur Hatfield in 2024 for $3,000. When I received the banjo in June it had shop dust all over the case. When I opened the case and lifted out the banjo, a part fell off on the ground. That made a mad first impression.
I removed the pot cover and saw that the nut came off the tailpiece bolt. Arthur didn't bother to adjust the tailpiece. I had to adjust it. No one should have to mess with an expensive new banjo. Even the cheap Chinese import banjos come in better condition than this troublesome Hatfield did. The intonation was so bad that the instrument was unplayable. I tried unsuccessfully for hours to adjust the bridge position to correct the intonation, but something was wrong with the banjo because the intonation couldn't be corrected.
Arthur had drawn pencil markings on the head to show where the bridge should be placed, but where he placed the bridge caused the banjo intonation to be way out of synch. Unfortunately, when I moved the bridge toward the tailpiece the intonation improved on the lower frets, but then all the higher frets were irritatingly way out of pitch. I couldn't find a bridge position that remedied the poor intonation because something was wrong with the banjo. The respectable thing for Arthur to do would have been for him to ask me what I wanted to make things right, or offer a solution, but instead he just told me to return the banjo for a refund, which cost me hundreds of dollars and wasted my time, which I don't appreciate. The guy wasted my time and money and it is a flippant matter to him. Arthur treated me like garbage as a human being.
The banjo had a bad buzz on the fourth string, so I had to loosen the truss rod, but I stabbed my hand on one of the 1/2" sharp strings that he carelessly left sticking out. Blood was everywhere. I took a photo of my injured hand and sent it to him, but he got upset with me and told me to return the banjo for a refund. I was so disappointed and deeply hurt that Arthur took my $3,000 and sent me a piece of garbage. The nicest sounding instrument in the world is totally worthless if it won't play in proper intonation.
I didn't want a refund, I wanted a professional banjo, but Arthur refused to work with me as a customer to remedy the problem. I lost over $200 in wasted shipping charges because Arthur was dishonest to honor my decision to buy a banjo from him. At the first sign of trouble he just decided to refund my money, wasting all my time and money, even though I offered to return the banjo for a different one with correct intonation. I think Arthur is crooked. He did me wrong!
Even worse, when I told him that I cut my hand open because of the sharp strings that he left sticking out, he refused to apologize. He never apologized for anything. I sent him a photo of my bleeding hand so he could see what he caused. He couldn't have cared less. You don't just take somebody's money, send them shoddy workmanship, and then get upset and merely refund their money when they complain. That is a coward's way out, not the ethical or manly thing to do. I kindly wanted Arthur to work with me to fix the problem, but he was too arrogant and rotten to do so. The guy has grown too big for his britches. I deeply regret that I ever ordered a banjo from this horrible man. RUN from this selfish man!

[@buxnmax]

I want want of these so bad but like all professional level banjos it's just too far out of my price range. Congrats dude on a fine instrument.

[@Northyorkspaul]

Wow some banjo that.....

[@laceyluvs4821]

That is my grandpa

[@dougshelton69]

Pine knob😅
Nice banger...fine

[@ulrichfriehe3459]

Great instrument, stupid t-shirt: it's banjos, not banjo's.

[@laceyluvs4821]

That is my grandpa you are talking about

[@michaelfarmer2661]

Great job love Kentucky made