dmiller - Posted - 07/07/2013:  19:16:54

I offered my Nechville Nuvo up to a poster here on the BHO in trade for the banjo he had for sale.  He didn't like the looks of the peg head of mine, so he politely refused.  

Denton - Posted - 07/07/2013:  21:29:28

Dmiller you have a one of a kind. Keep it.

dmiller - Posted - 07/07/2013:  23:30:08

Hey there Denton.  I didn't offer my Necvil for trade without

considerable thought.  I felt the other (also a "one of a kind")

banjo was worth it.  Ideally I'd like to have both, but I don't

have the $$$ to realize THAT scenario!   

Debbiej - Posted - 07/08/2013:  04:20:41

Dmiller, don't make the mistake I made and get rid of your nechville only to miss it and have to buy another one to replace the one you had. There's nothing like the tone, the playability, the ease of adjusting a banjo as the nechville.

Debbie

Guy - Posted - 07/09/2013:  12:14:24

Great review just posted from a very happy and discerning new owner!

banjohangout.org/reviews/searc...edir=true

pick1936 - Posted - 07/18/2013:  11:01:22

You  guys  are  right.  If  I  traded  My Nechville  off,  I  would   to  buy  another  one.  Tom  makes  nothing  but  the  best.   How  many  banjo's  are  there  that  You  could  change  head,  and  adjust  neck,  and  be  pickin   in  45  min.  OR  less.   My  wood  ringed  beauty  is   playing, and  sounding  GREAT.   Just  Do  Not  Loose  Your  steel  Balls.

Nechville.  In  Higginsville.

Lee  Kelso

 

Edited by - pick1936 on 07/18/2013 11:02:46

Denton - Posted - 07/19/2013:  03:13:59

I have been playing the snot out of mine. It fits all styles well.

jbanjoist - Posted - 08/03/2013:  08:03:46

Got together with some old band mates last night and had a great time.

The Vintage was rock solid in tune all night and sounding fine as only a Nechville can.

Truly amazing banjos.

David Cunningham - Posted - 08/05/2013:  11:53:02

The reason I haven't bought one is because 1) I'm not that good a player to buy one.  2)  I want to build a better one.  (:  I hope that's where you began.  BTW, yours is the first truly innovative banjo in 80 years.  Thank you.  Now - fire away everyone...  

Crusty - Posted - 08/05/2013:  13:03:39

There's a Nechville Atlas hanging on the wall at my local music shop that I play every time that I'm there.  If I won the lottery that would be my first purchase.

Guy - Posted - 08/06/2013:  11:56:39

David

It's pure fallacy that you have to be a "good" player to own a decent instrument. The only person you deprive is yourself. Also, there's nothing like having a good instrument to 'up the ante'.

Go on, go and enjoy yourself. Life is too bloody short!

Guy

steve davis - Posted - 08/06/2013:  12:39:03

A good instrument will make you a better player.

RandyZ - Posted - 08/06/2013:  13:21:08

i dont buy that at all. a good instrument wont make you play better....you'll just sound better. The great lew stiver played my piece of junk asian bottle cap, and it sounded like a million bucks~

jbanjoist - Posted - 08/06/2013:  15:51:16

It won't make you play better but it will help you play better especially if it has a good neck and good fret work and a bridge height that lets the strings fall right where your fingers are without being forced somewhere else..

And these things Nechvilles have.

Denton - Posted - 08/06/2013:  21:53:06

All true. My experiance with the Excelsiir is:
1. The neck feels right to me. The only other neck that comes close in my experiance is an early 70's Fender Artist.
2. The ability to change the sound characteristics easily is cool.
3. The lighter weight makes it easier to play for longer stretches of time. And the longer I play the better I get.
4. A couple pros played on it an comments were. "Where have you been my whole life" and "this neck makes me feel like this banjo belongs to me.
5. Tom and Al listened to me and made it happen. In fact the whole Nechville staff treated me as if I were the most important customer they had.
Hard to compete with that.
Just my .02 cents.

Edited by - Denton on 08/06/2013 21:59:46

dpete210 - Posted - 08/07/2013:  08:48:46

quote:

---

Originally posted by randyz714

i dont buy that at all. a good instrument wont make you play better....you'll just sound better. The great lew stiver played my piece of junk asian bottle cap, and it sounded like a million bucks~

---

My take on it is one of the most important elements regarding  what will make one a better player is putting in the time playing the instrument, that is practice.  However, a good instrument will make practice more appealing and pleasant in more ways than one.  Fighting high action and other issues of a sub par banjo will do little to motivate someone to go through the unpleasantries associated with playing the instrument.  A quality built instrument will be more stable so one can spend more time playing instead of heading down the road of replacing parts in an effort to search for ways to make a subpar banjo sound better.  My experience with playing instruments is a poor instrument will dampen my enthusiasm for playing it.  I look for quality built instruments that play and sound great.    There is no doubt that my Nechville Classic fills that bill perfectly.   

A great musician can pull sound out of a subpar or el cheapo instrument due to his/her gift to get good sound through technique and ability.  Set up is crucial to any banjo and a bottle cap banjo can be set up to sound decent.  If one is happy with the bottle cap banjo and feels no need to step up to a better banjo, so be it.   One thing I've noticed about those great musicians, however...........there aren't many who play entry level banjos when performing.  

David Cunningham - Posted - 08/08/2013:  10:05:53

quote:

---

Originally posted by Guy

 

David

It's pure fallacy that you have to be a "good" player to own a decent instrument. The only person you deprive is yourself. Also, there's nothing like having a good instrument to 'up the ante'.

Go on, go and enjoy yourself. Life is too bloody short!

Guy

---

I do own several decent instruments.  However, I bulit three of them for what the Nechville would run me.  Nechville however has the monopoly on easy head changeouts and tensioning, among other innovations.  It is a brilliant design.  One of the best players I know in this area has one, known here on BHO as Professor Banjo, one of the best, most likable, and most knowledgeable of pickers I've seen or known.  Still, it is for me a ways off to own one of Tom's creations.  I'm still a bargain basement, build-your-own type, even if it includes other's parts.  Eventually, I do believe I'll build my own completely, including hardware, if for nothing else but academic justification.

JasonM - Posted - 08/11/2013:  11:53:28

I just ordered a maple Midnight Galaxy Phantom from Banjo.com and I'm looking forward to it arriving on Tuesday.  It's way more banjo than a novice like me needs but my instructor (Fiddlin' Al) convinced me it was time to move up to a better one and after all who doesn't like playing good instruments (I have an East Greenwich era Guild acoustic, PRS Custom 22, and 70's American Strat for my gee-tars)?  The Nechville looks amazing and I'm completely stoked to start picking it.

As an aside I was really hoping to drive down to Turtle Hill and pick up one from him,  I spoke with him on the phone and he was extremely pleasant and helpful.  Unfortunately it seems he no longer has a storefront and only does online/mailorder now.   Even more unfortunately he doesn't take credit cards so I had to move on to Plan B with Banjo.com since there are no other Nechville dealers in Maryland that I'm aware of.  So this is all a bit scary and new for me: 1) blindly buying an instrument I've never played and 2) buying one online which I've never done before.  After reading this thread here though I'm optimistic that I've chosen well.

Beardog - Posted - 08/11/2013:  14:02:38

quote:

---

Originally posted by JasonM

 

I just ordered a maple Midnight Galaxy Phantom from Banjo.com and I'm looking forward to it arriving on Tuesday.  It's way more banjo than a novice like me needs but my instructor (Fiddlin' Al) convinced me it was time to move up to a better one and after all who doesn't like playing good instruments (I have an East Greenwich era Guild acoustic, PRS Custom 22, and 70's American Strat for my gee-tars)?  The Nechville looks amazing and I'm completely stoked to start picking it.

As an aside I was really hoping to drive down to Turtle Hill and pick up one from him,  I spoke with him on the phone and he was extremely pleasant and helpful.  Unfortunately it seems he no longer has a storefront and only does online/mailorder now.   Even more unfortunately he doesn't take credit cards so I had to move on to Plan B with Banjo.com since there are no other Nechville dealers in Maryland that I'm aware of.  So this is all a bit scary and new for me: 1) blindly buying an instrument I've never played and 2) buying one online which I've never done before.  After reading this thread here though I'm optimistic that I've chosen well.

---

You chose well. Don't sweat. You will be pleased. Tom Nechville and his crew stands behind their banjos. If you have any questions after your banjo arrives, give them a call, or send an e-mail. Don't be surprised if you drop them an email and Tom himself calls you to make sure that everything is good. I have owned two Nechville banjos, and they are great. My current Nechville is a custom XXV Phantom that I bought directly from Tom. I love it.

RaYhOLio - Posted - 08/28/2013:  00:05:48

I dunno.. I believe my nechville did indeed make me a batter player.

Not thru any feat of magic.. but the fact that the sound was so compelling to me, and the fret board so comfortable that I actually ended up craving practice time. I had been playing for about 5 years.. Not enough skill to jam a G,D,Em,C song.

While practicing, The tone and dynamics of the instrument are a lot more withstandable to family in the house as well.. Learning an instrument can be a lot more painful on bystanders within earshot than on the student.. and my wife was able to stand the practice for a lot longer without asking me to stop. She's commented several times on what a great sound it has.

I started on a Johnson.. Played a couple different gold tones.. one was a CC model.. the other a 250f.. but I was never really 'proud' of the instrument that was 'the best I could afford.' (that was an excuse.. not a fact.)

so.. less than 3 years ago I decided IF I was to be serious about learning the Banjo; I needed a serious instrument. Tom and Al assisted me in building the banjo of my dreams, and it's now my ONLY banjo. (save for a solid body electric Tranjo) I couldn't be more happy. My skill is now such that I play in a band, and I still feel inspired to keep learning when I throw that strap over my shoulder.

Yes. It was very expensive. But my other banjos were always a struggle to play. Trying new tailpieces, parts, etc... at the end of the day I was never happy with them... so I didn't play them.

IMO, a great banjo has made me a better player, and as such It has offered me experiences that I value over the purchase price.

Don't buy an expensive banjo if you're 'on the fence' about playing banjo for the rest of your days... but if you're dedicated; Do it. Get EXACTLY what you want. It's highly unlikely that you'll regret it.

-Ray

Brevabloke - Posted - 08/28/2013:  13:41:09

Well I'm aiming for a Nechville for my 50th birthday in 2 years and 9 months time.... I have had my 1970 Japanese Washburn B16 23 years now, and its been improved and refretted and tweaked, but I have always fancied a Nechville as my one and only banjo, and I hope I can make it happen.

alprice - Posted - 08/28/2013:  20:56:50

banjohangout.org/global/ckedit.../icon.png) center no-repeat #ff0000;cursor:pointer;top:-1px;-webkit-border-radius:0px 0px 2px 2px;border-radius:0px 0px 2px 2px" title="Insert paragraph here">↵

Are

you

going

to

Cornwall

Bluegras

Festival

?  

If so, be sure to say hello to Tom Nechville there.  And yes, he will

have

banjos

you can try

out.

quote

:

---

Originally posted by Brevabloke

 

Well I'm aiming for a Nechville for my 50th birthday in 2 years and 9 months time.... I have had my 1970 Japanese Washburn B16 23 years now, and its been improved and refretted and tweaked, but I have always fancied a Nechville as my one and only banjo, and I hope I can make it happen.

---

Edited by - alprice on 08/28/2013 20:57:35

Guy - Posted - 08/29/2013:  01:54:05

Al's right and Plymouth is just up the road! You should definitely get down to Cornwall. I'll be there too but don't let that put you off ;-)

rfrizzle2 - Posted - 08/29/2013:  08:57:02

quote:

---

Originally posted by alprice

 

banjohangout.org/global/ckedit...png") no-repeat center rgb(255, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-radius: 0px 0px 2px 2px; top: -1px; width: 17px; height: 17px; right: 17px; color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 0px; font-size: 0px; display: block; position: absolute; z-index: 9999; cursor: pointer; -webkit-border-radius: 0px 0px 2px 2px;" title="Insert paragraph here">↵

 

 

Are

you

going

to

Cornwall

Bluegras

Festival

?  

If so, be sure to say hello to Tom Nechville there.  And yes, he will

have

banjos

you can try

out.

quote

:

---

Originally posted by Brevabloke

 

Well I'm aiming for a Nechville for my 50th birthday in 2 years and 9 months time.... I have had my 1970 Japanese Washburn B16 23 years now, and its been improved and refretted and tweaked, but I have always fancied a Nechville as my one and only banjo, and I hope I can make it happen.

---

Hi Al, Rich Freeze here from Plymouth, WI. Where is the Cornwall Bluegrass Festival at, Dates, Times.

Thankyou  

Rich Freeze 

---

Brevabloke - Posted - 08/29/2013:  12:22:19

Ah yes!!! Forgot about that - been here 4 years and never gone, in fact never been to a bluegrass festival in the UK. I will look it up and try and hatch a cunning plan......

Guy - Posted - 08/30/2013:  02:02:10

It's a great friendly festival with great facilities. There's some fantastic banjo players there this year, notably Lluis Gomez (Barcelona) and Steve Louvat (Belgium).

Lluis is a great friend and another fine advocate of the Nechville banjo.

Here's a link: cornishbluegrass.co.uk/

Guy

JasonM - Posted - 08/31/2013:  15:38:48

Hey guys, have any phantom owners ever had any issues stringing the fifth string? This is my first time stringing it and the fifth string just doesn't go through the tunnel from end-to-end. The odd thing is that according to the length of string that I put through before it gets "stuck", it should have come out the other side. For the heck of it I've tried threading the string through either end of the tunnel and the same thing happens regardless of which end of the tunnel I string it through - it gets "stuck" and doesn't come out the other end of the tunnel. I had to send the neck to the shop after I received it so while it had strings when I first received the banjo I removed them when I sent the neck back to Nechville, hence this is the first time I've tried to string it.



Back story... I somewhat recently received my new phantom. I am a banjo n00b for the most part but after playing awhile I wanted to ditch the beginner banjo to get a "real" one that rivaled the quality of my guitars. I blindly chose the phantom after some research. I bought it though banjo.com, who were great to deal with. When the banjo arrived there was what I'll call a "blemish" on the fretboard near the tunnel. After working with Mark from banjo.com, he spoke with the nice folks from Nechville and they had me send the neck back for them to take care of this blemish. Everybody has been very nice and helpful and they turned it around very quickly and got it back to me. It looks great. So today I finally get some time to put everything back together and string it up and now I've run into this issue.



This has all been so frustrating after dropping over $4k and not even being able to play the thing yet after getting it on the 13th of August. You just want to buy an instrument, fall in love with it, and have everything be perfect from the time you receive it but unfortunately that hasn't worked out for me so far. I'm hoping maybe I'm doing something stupid that others have run into and that maybe there's a quick solution. If not I guess I'll be back on the phone to banjo.com after the holiday weekend.



Thanks and sorry if I'm coming off as whiny.

Edited by - JasonM on 08/31/2013 15:39:20

jswkingsfield - Posted - 08/31/2013:  20:02:41

Jason:  I don't have a Phantom, but suggest you try contacting either Al Price ("alprice") or Tom Nechville ("nechville"), both have BHO pages.  If you have Skype, maybe they can see what's up at your end.  Hang in there & good luck!  (I know how you feel, I'm the klutz who broke 3 strings the first time I removed all the strings and dealt with the Price tailpiece.)

jbanjoist - Posted - 08/31/2013:  20:03:09

Check the contact information at the bottom of this web page. No better person to ask than the maker.

nechville.com/phantom.php

dmiller - Posted - 08/31/2013:  22:11:10

Jason - - - from page five of this thread:

"Having been a Nechville owner, retailer, and passionate player every chance I get, I can only say that I have had several banjos come and go during my ownership phase of my Vintage. Some banjos had better workmanship, some banjos had prettier plating, some banjos even came with an expensive name, but none of them has yet to equal the playability and sound of the Vintage.

It is the only banjo I play EVERY day, even though I might also play another. I still get people asking me why my banjo doesn't go out of tune and why it sounds different from other banjos (it's the only banjo my wife lets me play in the house at 6:30 in the morning). The comfort factor alone, the incredible neck, the awesome armrest, and the fact that it weighs less than my other banjos, (a significant factor when I'm on stage for 3 sets) are enough to make me a Nechville zealot. Did I mention the sound?

Are they perfect? No, I don't think the Nechville is perfect, especially in the fit/finish department (of course, mine is 4 1/2 years old and I think Tom's gotten a lot better at it). I'm not a big fan of the tunneled 5th (sticks when tuning). I can't think of anything else negative to say about your banjos, Tom. You know what a big supporter of yours I am and the fact that I've sold probably a dozen of your banjos in my store (outselling anything else 2:1) should speak firmly about my feelings about your instruments.

Keep up the great work, the innovation, and, most importantly, the willingness to listen to all of us for constructive criticism." 

dmiller - Posted - 08/31/2013:  22:21:27

I can't answer your question about the string not going through the tunnel.  I thought (originally) about getting one of those (Phantoms), but a Nuvo came up for sale that has the fifth string that goes all the way to the neck and I opted for it instead.  Part of the reason I opted for the 5th string all the way to the neck (with no fifth string peg sticking out of the neck), was from the post I quoted above.  Not all tunneled 5th string players experience the problem you are, so something (imo) needs to be addressed so you don't have to deal with this in the future.

Yes - -  I hear your frustration.  4K for a banjo, and it needs to be looked over immediately for it to be playable?  Tom N. has always treated folks right. Hopefully he'll stick true to form, and have you (and your banjo) up and running immediately (if not sooner).

JasonM - Posted - 09/01/2013:  07:53:48

Thanks so much for the replies. It sounds like I'm going to have to either get in touch with the Nechville folks or get back with banjo.com and work out a plan B.

I did want to take the opportunity to correct a misstatement in my last post. I said that I couldn't thread the string through the tunnel in the opposite direction (from pegboard towards tail) but it seems I was mistaken there - I am able to thread it through the tunnel in the opposite direction (don't know why I thought I couldn't yesterday but it worked this morning). That said, the string will not thread through the tunnel in the direction it is supposed to. It feels like it's getting hung up right around the exit from the tunnel on the pegboard. The string is brand new and perfectly straight and smooth, so there doesn't seem to be an issue there.

Thanks again folks!

Mike Rowe - Posted - 09/01/2013:  08:09:23

Have you tried doubling it over on the end before you feed it through? That way you're not trying to feed a sharp "end" of string but a "loop" of string.

alprice - Posted - 09/02/2013:  06:00:10

banjohangout.org/global/ckedit.../icon.png) center no-repeat #ff0000;cursor:pointer;top:-1px;-webkit-border-radius:0px 0px 2px 2px;border-radius:0px 0px 2px 2px" title="Insert paragraph here">↵

Rich

, its in England.

Al

quote:

---

Originally posted by rfreeze

 

quote:

---

Originally posted by alprice

 

banjohangout.org="" z-index:="">↵

 

 

Are

you

going

to

Cornwall

Bluegras

Festival

?  

If so, be sure to say hello to Tom Nechville there.  And yes, he will

have

banjos

you can try

out.

quote

:

---

Originally posted by Brevabloke

 

Well I'm aiming for a Nechville for my 50th birthday in 2 years and 9 months time.... I have had my 1970 Japanese Washburn B16 23 years now, and its been improved and refretted and tweaked, but I have always fancied a Nechville as my one and only banjo, and I hope I can make it happen.

---

Hi Al, Rich Freeze here from Plymouth, WI. Where is the Cornwall Bluegrass Festival at, Dates, Times.

Thankyou  

Rich Freeze 

---

 

---

alprice - Posted - 09/02/2013:  06:02:49

banjohangout.org/global/ckedit.../icon.png) center no-repeat #ff0000;cursor:pointer;top:-1px;-webkit-border-radius:0px 0px 2px 2px;border-radius:0px 0px 2px 2px" title="Insert paragraph here">↵

Jason, call our shop on this.  I am confident they can offer a simple solution.   The number is

952-888-9710.

Thanks

Al

quote

:

---

Originally posted by JasonM

 

Thanks so much for the replies. It sounds like I'm going to have to either get in touch with the Nechville folks or get back with banjo.com and work out a plan B.



I did want to take the opportunity to correct a misstatement in my last post. I said that I couldn't thread the string through the tunnel in the opposite direction (from pegboard towards tail) but it seems I was mistaken there - I am able to thread it through the tunnel in the opposite direction (don't know why I thought I couldn't yesterday but it worked this morning). That said, the string will not thread through the tunnel in the direction it is supposed to. It feels like it's getting hung up right around the exit from the tunnel on the pegboard. The string is brand new and perfectly straight and smooth, so there doesn't seem to be an issue there.



Thanks again folks!

---

mudlakesandy - Posted - 09/02/2013:  08:35:58

If you are too impatient as I am(have 3 tunneled necks, and another coming). Sounds like something in the tube. But rejoice the fact that you can string it backwards is a good sign. Go ahead and string it backwards again. Before you remove the string slide it back and forth a number of times and at the same time if you can blow at one end of the tube, the end furthest from where you think it is hanging.
I think that this may well clear whatever your problem is. Before re inserting the correct way dull the end of the string so it is not sharp. So in any case there is my 2 cents worth- I feel your pain but when you do get is strung up this will all be worth it.

mudlakesandy - Posted - 09/02/2013:  08:39:29

BTW Tom and his team WILL take care of you...........................................

Denton - Posted - 09/02/2013:  08:55:28

Sounds like a burr. Try stringing a thin wound string through there and run it back and forth to smooth it out. Then take compressed computer cleaning air with the little tube to blow the hole out.

mudlakesandy - Posted - 09/02/2013:  08:58:19

Denton you must have been reading my mind on this one, either a burr or the sharp end of that string catching the id of the tube.....................

vlawson - Posted - 09/03/2013:  17:07:28

Hey any of you know how wide the nechville is at the nut? I had a nechville and loved the neck width. I am having a neck made and would like to have it the same width as the nechville.

pick1936 - Posted - 09/06/2013:  19:55:50

Man  These  Nechville  banjo's  are  Just  GREAT.  The  heavy  thick  stable  tail piece  help  it  stay  in  tune  soo  good.   Tune  it  and  play.

Nechville. In  Higginsville.

Lee  Kelso

 

dmiller - Posted - 09/06/2013:  21:06:55

quote:

---

Originally posted by vlawson



Hey any of you know how wide the nechville is at the nut? I had a nechville and loved the neck width. I am having a neck made and would like to have it the same width as the nechville.

---

Mine is 1 and 1/2 inches wide at the nut but - - - mine is a Nuvo with all five strings going straight to the peg head, so it's probably wider than the "conventional" Nechville nut width.  Perhaps you could email Tom at nechville.com.  I'm sure you'll get a quick and accurate answer to your question.  

JasonM - Posted - 09/07/2013:  14:27:19

Thanks once more for the replies. With all of your help plus a call to Nechville as Al suggested the problem has been solved! It was, as some thought, something stuck in the tunnel. If I had to guess it was a tiny piece of wood with glue on it. I was finally able to punch through it with a guitar string but it took some work.

It's great to finally get to do a little picking on my new Nechville! And what a beauty it is.

Next question... I've been working through the setup based off of the videos on the Nechville site. They've certainly been helpful but what I'd really like to do is get a professional setup to give me a baseline (no doubt you old hands are shaking your heads at the newbie lol). Does anyone know of anybody in the Maryland region (I'm in central MD) who does pro-setup on Nechvilles? When I say "Maryland region" that probably includes PA and VA or anywhere else I can make a day trip out of.

Thanks again for all your help!

bluenote23 - Posted - 09/07/2013:  19:41:15

quote:

---

Originally posted by vlawson



Hey any of you know how wide the nechville is at the nut? I had a nechville and loved the neck width. I am having a neck made and would like to have it the same width as the nechville.

---

I have a Deluxe with a flat fretboard. Mine is 1 1/4 inches at the nut.

The great thing about a Nechville is that you can do the setup really easily by yourself. Crank the head up really tight.  String it up to tension. Then put a short ruler on the head running parallel with the neck. You will see that the bridge makes a small depression in the head so there is space under the ruler at that point. If the the head is really tight, you should just about be able to fit a dime in that space.

I never set the neck on mine but that's easy to do as well if necessary. Just remember that, unlike a guitar, the action at the 12th fret is pretty high so if the fourth string (the wound D) is about 1/8 inch from the freth at the 12th fret, that's pretty normal.

Edited by - bluenote23 on 09/07/2013 19:56:15

bluenote23 - Posted - 09/07/2013:  19:58:38

Sorry, I have a Classic (not a Deluxe, it is a discontinued Classic Plus).

alprice - Posted - 09/10/2013:  06:40:27

banjohangout.org/global/ckedit.../icon.png) center no-repeat #ff0000;cursor:pointer;top:-8px;-webkit-border-radius:2px;border-radius:2px" title="Insert paragraph here">↵

Jason,

I'd look up Mike Munford.

Al

quote

:

---

Originally posted by JasonM

 

Thanks once more for the replies. With all of your help plus a call to Nechville as Al suggested the problem has been solved! It was, as some thought, something stuck in the tunnel. If I had to guess it was a tiny piece of wood with glue on it. I was finally able to punch through it with a guitar string but it took some work.



It's great to finally get to do a little picking on my new Nechville! And what a beauty it is.



Next question... I've been working through the setup based off of the videos on the Nechville site. They've certainly been helpful but what I'd really like to do is get a professional setup to give me a baseline (no doubt you old hands are shaking your heads at the newbie lol). Does anyone know of anybody in the Maryland region (I'm in central MD) who does pro-setup on Nechvilles? When I say "Maryland region" that probably includes PA and VA or anywhere else I can make a day trip out of.



Thanks again for all your help!

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cbskibum - Posted - 09/16/2013:  11:09:04

Al and Tom,

I just wanted to say, I spent the better part of the day yesterday playing The new Walnut Meteor you just built for Dan Monte Calvo in Seattle. Not only was it beautiful to look at and the neck smooth as butter, but the tone and the sounds coming out of that thing were just plain amazing. It's the next day now and its still all I can think about. I kept turning the volume down on the amp because it was an acoustic setting and I didn't want to play over the top of anybody, but everbody else kept reaching over and turning up the volume because they liked it so much. What a masterpiece...

BR14 - Posted - 09/19/2013:  08:41:53

If one scrolls down the September 17 entry, there's a nice picture of Steve Martin with a gold Orion.

tedlehmann.blogspot.com/

JasonM - Posted - 09/19/2013:  11:29:43

quote:

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Originally posted by alprice

 

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Jason,

I'd look up Mike Munford.

Al

 

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Thanks for the suggestion, Al.  I met up with Mike Munford this morning to do the setup and it sounds and feels wonderful now. The banjo sounded better in his hands than it ever will in mine (have you seen the videos on YouTube of him with his band "Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen"?) but I am definitely happy with the results. If anyone is in the MD-PA area, Mike is a true pro and a heck of a nice guy as well.