Just got me a Model 33 Grade 1 banjo. I'm used to a whyte laydie style banjo so this one is seriously "plunky". I was not too sure how much I liked it to begin with, but it is starting to grow on me!
5 Comments |
 | BrittDLD1 says:
9/28/2011 6:49:43 PM
Phil -
You've got a great Essex banjo. So playing an ODE from that early '62 period is a bit like driving a Model T Ford, by comparison.
But the ODE will grow on you! It's simple, but
they play very well when setup correctly. Judging by the serial, I assume yours has the sand-cast 52-hole Archtop rim.
Chuck Ogsbury feels that was the BEST- sounding aluminum rim. Even though it didn't have the sophistication and finish of the later die-cast rims.
Of course, I think ALL the ODE rims sound great -- when setup properly. (They can get too 'screechy' if the head is too tight, and the tailpiece is cranked-down too low.)
The longnecks take some 'getting used-to' -- but that low, growly E tuning is like no other.
Enjoy!
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 | muzzlehatch says:
9/29/2011 3:11:49 PM
Ed-
Thanks a lot for your comments - very informative thanks! I believe you are right about the rim - its got 52 holes and the inside finish looks like how I would imagine sand-cast would look. I reckon you are also right about the head and tailpiece too. I put a new 5-star head on and then screwed everything tight. Since then I have slackened everything off a bit a couple of times and it has sounded better each time. Now I'll really slacken off though!
Sorry, but I've wimped out and capoed off at the 3rd fret. I don't really know what tuning to use with a long neck and whether any tab is available for it. I'm certainly not good enough (yet) to play by ear. The long neck looks pretty neat though although it does try to screw the banjo out of my grasp. The Essex banjo pot weighs a ton and with a short neck it just sits in my lap all nice, quiet and well-behaved.
You do seem to have a couple of really nice OMEs though. Bet they sound good. Correction - just seen you and Don busking - They DO sound good!
Thanks again for your comments.
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 | stanger says:
10/16/2011 8:55:19 AM
Hi, Muzzlehatch...
The longneck banjo was designed to be capoed. Almost all of the longneck players capo on the 3rd fret and tune the banjo there.
If you are playing in open G, sliding the capo down 2 frets puts you in the key of F. Playing with the capo off puts you in the key of E.
When you tune to the C tuning, you get B and A the same way.
The longneck allows a player to get great low tones in all these keys, whereas a regular length neck has to be capoed higher and higher to do the same thing, losing more and more of the low tones.
They all tend to be neck-heavy, but the Ode aluminum rim's weight balances them much better than longnecks with lighter rims. I always use a leather strap on mine that has a rough-out side. The rough leather creates enough friction against your body to keep the neck in place.
regards,
stanger
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| muzzlehatch says:
10/19/2011 5:35:51 AM
Thanks for that, Stanger. The tunings do make sense when you put them that way.
I started off using a strap (advice of Dear Old Dad!) but don't really need one with the Clifford Essex banjo, and it's nicer without it. But I do still have it, and its got a rough leather ouside too...
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Buffalo Sam says:
4/4/2012 8:58:08 PM
Well, I used to have an Ode long neck that I bought new in about 1962. Played it for years but finally let it go when I was just playing other instruments. Now 50 years later got inspired to learn clawhammer style, which my son plays, and started looking for a banjo. Had to do my exploration, but one found me. And guess what! Made by Chuck Ogsbury [well, his guys] just like my first one. This one's an Ome Jubilee Vintage Deluxe, made in 2010. Wow, evolution in action. As much as I loved that old Ode and wish I had it back, I'll take this new one any day. Beautiful and amazing sound. And Chuck is still at it, all these years later. I talked to Tanya, his daughter, today and then sent an email that she forwarded to her dad and I got a reply right back from him. So if you can't find an old one or want a new generation one, talk to the man who started it all for us.
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