Rickard: Maple Ridge

Submitted by KS_Mike on 4/16/2017

Where Purchased: Elderly Instruments

Year Purchased: 2017
Price Paid: 1585 ($US)

Sound

This is the 12" model w/ a Dobson tone ring. The sound is what sold me on it. Deep full-sounding bass, clear high notes. It has what I call a "throaty" sound with a lot of depth. Minimal overtones - and they are clear and clean, not "jangley" or harsh.

Sound Rating: 10

Setup

Setup was done by Elderly. Action is great - an exact 1/8" at the 12th fret, close and clean down the neck. Consistent intonation. One of the easiest playing banjos I've seen. I've had the banjo over a month and don't see any need for changes in the setup.

Setup Rating: 10

Appearance

It's a work of art. No inlays other than a simple star at the 5th and dot markers on the fingerboard and side of the neck. Maple neck, ebony fretboard, black pot, antiqued brass hardware, gold fretwire, paddle head. Sounds silly, but the colors really go well together (hey, it should be as fun to look at as it is to play!). The fit and finish on this banjo are as perfect as can be.

Appearance Rating: 10

Reliability

Again, the fit and finish are top of the line. Everything about the banjo suggests it will last as long as I will

Reliability Rating: 10

Customer Service

Elderly was great to deal with. Very quick setup and shipping on the order. I have also purchased parts directly from Rickard - great service there as well.

Customer Service: 10

Components

Hardware is high quality as expected, since Rickard makes all the everything but the tuners. Gotoh tuners. Frets are dressed perfectly, all other hardware has a great finish and feel. The bridge is a Rickard design and is thinner than other bridges I've had. I think this is part of the clean, clear sound. The neck is a bit wider at the nut than my other banjos and I love it - really easy to play w/ fat fingers!

Components Rating: 10

Overall Comments

I love everything about this banjo, especially the sound and ease of play. Think this is my lifetime banjo.

Overall Rating: 10

Art Rosenbaum: Art Rosenbaum's Old-Time Banjo Book

Submitted by KS_Mike on 4/4/2017

Where Purchased: Amazon

Overall Comments

This book/DVD set is dedicated to exploring different tunings for old time banjo. Forty seven in all, although a few are variations on each other, like double C / double D. Each tuning is covered in the DVDs and in the book. The book includes at least one, and sometimes two or three, song or tune tabs for each tuning. Clawhammer, index lead, and thumb lead tunes are interspersed throughout. The DVDs include about four hours of video of the tunes and brief overviews of the picking styles and licks used by the tunes. While it's not really an instructional book, I've found it to be a great tool for learning the up-picking styles. The tabs are relatively simple and easy, thanks in part to the tunings themselves.

All in all, this has become my favorite banjo book. I've been having a blast with both the book and DVDs. Highly recommended!

Overall Rating: 10