Submitted by RBagoly (see all reviews from this person) on 4/11/2011

Where Purchased: Direct mail

Year Purchased: 2011
Price Paid: 2800 ($US)

Sound

Arnold Clayton designed this banjo around his repro Pyramid tone ring. As such it has a fairly unique sound. Very well-defined attack with fewer overtones than a flathead, but with good sustain. Not as punchy as an archtop.

Sound Rating: 10

Setup

The banjo was set up well, with a perfect action for Scruggs-style. There was a slight buzz on the 5th string that was easily cured.

Setup Rating: 9

Appearance

Absolutely, beautiful. Very understated, taking design cues from the Gibson style 2 banjos of the 1920s. This was the first banjo of this model that Arnold built, and he played it before selling it to me. VERY minor play wear is apparent, with the exception of the wear on the original TB-2 armrest he provided with the banjo due to his awaiting patent approval of his new armrest design. The simple inlays are very well executed in the ebony fretboard and peghead. The diamond-hole flange really sets it apart from the "masterclone" design. A fancy banjo it is not, but it is very well-executed in its simplicity, and is very appealing.

Appearance Rating: 9

Reliability

This is a very well-built banjo and I will not hesitate to gig with it. The unique use of Steinberger guitar tuners, though a little odd looking, allow rock-solid, reliable fine tuning. Arnold offers standard Gotoh banjo tuners on request.

Reliability Rating: 10

Customer Service

Arnold was an absolute pleasure to deal with over the phone. As I had no way of "test driving" a pyramid tone ring, he offered to send me the instrument for a one-week approval period. We did not discuss warranty, but my conversations with him lead me to believe that he stands by his product.

Customer Service: 10

Components

As mentioned above, the Steinberger tuners are a little weird to look at, but do the job remarkably well. This model departs from the original design in that it uses a 22-bracket tube-and-plate flange with a grooved hoop and flat hooks. I don't think that's something Gibson ever did, but it combines the charm of the diamond flange with the solidity of a rim without all those bracket shoe holes drilled in it. Arnold's other Pyramid model uses the traditional bracket shoe design, along with "normal" tuners, for the purists out there.

Components Rating: 10

Overall Comments

I Love this banjo. It's a little lighter than a regular Mastertone-type banjo, looks great, sounds great, and stands out from the crowd.

Overall Rating: 10