Man I was one who never bought into banjos being better than the player until one night me and a guitar player friend were playing at a bar and this guy tortured me to play this old Gibson he brought along. At first I declined then on the break he came at me again so I gave it a shot and man that old Gibson changed my life right there it was as if it was playing for me it was so effortless, it had a slinky feel but it appeared that every note I played exploded from just touching the strings lightly and the sound seemed to be coming out of it in surround and not from the head but deep inside.
Great video,guy,and stellar banjoing! I liked the sweetness of the second one better. But, both banjos would sound a little better if you didn’t anchor your ring finger and pinky on the heads. I know a banjoist of your caliber knows this,but give it a try! Thanks again for sharing this!
I like the first best. The second sounded a bit flatter in a way. My definition: A good banjo may have a life locked in a wardrobe, or hanging one some wall. A great banjo life's a life out playing to people.
#1 is my old Blackjack...good banjo, but not prewar tone. If you've held the old ones and played them long enough for the tone to really develop, you will hear the difference between them and most other banjos. There's a depth of tone they have, not in pitch but in richness. The sound overall is more assembled and tight-knit, and even with no dead spots or weak notes. Another key is the volume up the neck, which is actually louder than open strings. These things are difficult to capture on even a good mic, because no mic equals the human ear and the nuances it can detect. "Prewar" tone is something you can only appreciate live with the banjo in your hands. They sound bigger, vibrate freer, and possess a balance in the sound that no other banjo has. Most prewars actually sound very similar to newer banjos when first pulled out of the case. But keep playing one and soon the differences in tone become apparent. Really, a good prewar is a banjo that never reaches a sonic limit, either volume or tone. All banjos sound a little dry and dull when kept in the case for a time...but a great banjo snaps back to life quickly and responds to player input.
teakbridge101, thanks for clarifying that for me. I’ve heard about the pre war sound but really wasn’t sure what they were talking about as I’ve never played one. I have an Ome Sweetgrass banjo that I bought in 2007 from Zepps Country Music in Wendell, NC. I was playing the different banjos he had on the wall but kept going back to it because the sound was so full and, to my ears, complete. Ended up trading in two of my banjos to buy it because of that sound and have never regretted it! Maybe I was hearing a form of the pre war banjo sound? Anyway, thanks again for the explanation!
@@sf7708 yw Jim. Not all prewar banjos are stellar, in fact most are quite average. There are great ones, and they're the big flathead RB's. Most people do not realize what a banjo is capable of sound-wise, let alone just exactly how amazing some prewars are. They're just bigger and more alive than almost any other banjo.
The second one sounded much better and much more dynamic to my ear. I do not know which one was from the 1930's, but I can see which one had an older modern head.
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Man I was one who never bought into banjos being better than the player until one night me and a guitar player friend were playing at a bar and this guy tortured me to play this old Gibson he brought along. At first I declined then on the break he came at me again so I gave it a shot and man that old Gibson changed my life right there it was as if it was playing for me it was so effortless, it had a slinky feel but it appeared that every note I played exploded from just touching the strings lightly and the sound seemed to be coming out of it in surround and not from the head but deep inside.
2nd one is the great one. Both sounded great but I really enjoyed the tone of the 2nd.
Great video,guy,and stellar banjoing! I liked the sweetness of the second one better. But, both banjos would sound a little better if you didn’t anchor your ring finger and pinky on the heads. I know a banjoist of your caliber knows this,but give it a try! Thanks again for sharing this!
You needed to say which was the better banjo and why. Most people can’t tell…including me.
I like the first best. The second sounded a bit flatter in a way. My definition:
A good banjo may have a life locked in a wardrobe, or hanging one some wall.
A great banjo life's a life out playing to people.
Both sound great but I’ll be danged if I can tell which one is the pre-war banjo!?!?!
#1 is my old Blackjack...good banjo, but not prewar tone.
If you've held the old ones and played them long enough for the tone to really develop, you will hear the difference between them and most other banjos. There's a depth of tone they have, not in pitch but in richness. The sound overall is more assembled and tight-knit, and even with no dead spots or weak notes. Another key is the volume up the neck, which is actually louder than open strings.
These things are difficult to capture on even a good mic, because no mic equals the human ear and the nuances it can detect. "Prewar" tone is something you can only appreciate live with the banjo in your hands. They sound bigger, vibrate freer, and possess a balance in the sound that no other banjo has.
Most prewars actually sound very similar to newer banjos when first pulled out of the case. But keep playing one and soon the differences in tone become apparent. Really, a good prewar is a banjo that never reaches a sonic limit, either volume or tone. All banjos sound a little dry and dull when kept in the case for a time...but a great banjo snaps back to life quickly and responds to player input.
teakbridge101, thanks for clarifying that for me. I’ve heard about the pre war sound but really wasn’t sure what they were talking about as I’ve never played one. I have an Ome Sweetgrass banjo that I bought in 2007 from Zepps Country Music in Wendell, NC. I was playing the different banjos he had on the wall but kept going back to it because the sound was so full and, to my ears, complete. Ended up trading in two of my banjos to buy it because of that sound and have never regretted it! Maybe I was hearing a form of the pre war banjo sound? Anyway, thanks again for the explanation!
@@sf7708 yw Jim. Not all prewar banjos are stellar, in fact most are quite average. There are great ones, and they're the big flathead RB's. Most people do not realize what a banjo is capable of sound-wise, let alone just exactly how amazing some prewars are. They're just bigger and more alive than almost any other banjo.
@@teakbridge101, I think a friend of mine has a pre war. Guess I’ll have to bug him and have him drag it out for me to play!
@@sf7708 Nah, just get a torrefied rim for your banjo...the wood sound ok at first, but give it a year...oh my stars.
I guess you'd have to be there. Sound over the Internet apparently is not the proof of the pudding. Thanks for showing them, though.
The second one sounded much better and much more dynamic to my ear. I do not know which one was from the 1930's, but I can see which one had an older modern head.
That's because of the tone-ring in it.
Who makes the telemark?
Takes a keen ear to hear the difference in the way that multi thousand dollar banjo rings off tho
Fine. But for the rest of us, which one was it?