John Boulding

Submitted by J e f f on 4/19/2010

Overall Comments

I had John do some work on my mandolin.
High quality work, prompt service, great price. Can't ask for more.

Overall Rating: 10

Gold Tone: Maple Classic MC-150R

Submitted by J e f f on 12/16/2009

Where Purchased: ZEPP Country Music, Inc.

Year Purchased: 2009
Price Paid: 525 ($US)

Sound

Without any modifications it has a pretty good sound. It's not a bright sound, but it's not a mellow sound - kInd of in between. I installed a Snuffy Smith bridge and it made a very significant difference in sound. It is now very bright and it sounds excellent up and down the neck. I enjoy listening to this banjo.

Sound Rating: 9

Setup

Banjo was setup by Zepp Music. It was setup perfectly. It has a nice low action.

Setup Rating: 10

Appearance

The banjo looks beautiful. However there are some minor manufacturing flaws on my banjo. There are some minor blemishes on the fingerboard at the 1st fret and also near the 3rd fret dot on the side of the neck. The blemishes don't bother me.

Appearance Rating: 9

Reliability

Overall it appears to be reasonably reliable.

Reliability Rating: 8

Customer Service

I called Gold Tone once to ask a question and they were very helpful.

Customer Service: 10

Components

The guitar tuners work surprisingly well - easy to tune and stay in tune. The neck is nice but it's a little too bulky for me near the higher frets. The tailpiece isn't very good - mine is bent. I installed a real Price tailpiece. The stock bridge subdues the sound too much. I installed a Snuffy Smith bridge. I don't know if I had the option but I wish I asked for a brass tone ring. I have the steel alloy ring. The brass ring would probably give it an even better sound.

Components Rating: 8

Overall Comments

The MC-150R has it's flaws, but it's a very good banjo for the money.

Update Dec 2009: After getting a new tuner for Christmas '09, I now check the tuning more frequently. It stays in tune very well. Only slight adjustments are needed every so often. Is it because I installed a high quality tailpiece? I don't know. I also still like the guitar tuners.

Update: July 2012: I still like this banjo. It crosses my mind every once in a while to get another banjo but there is no reason to.

Update: Oct 2013: Still works fine. Play it (mostly) every day.

Overall Rating: 8