New Backing Track For “Peeler's Jacket” (Dave Hum Style)

I just made a new backing track for the Irish reel, Peeler's Jacket, in Dave Hum style. Here is the TablEdit tablature that I made, which I think is pretty close.

I also made a backing track the best I could. I am still learning how to make backing tracks like Dave Hum did. His musical and technical skills were nothing short of amazing. I love that man! I followed Dave's YouTube video to make the track as close as I could. I will explain later how I made the track, in case you'd like to make some of your own. Believe it or not, it is 100% MIDI. I didn't play any musical instruments to make the backing tracks. Here they are at various speeds:

• Peeler's Jacket - 60 BPM
• Peeler's Jacket - 80 BPM
• Peeler's Jacket - 100 BPM
• Peeler's Jacket - 120 BPM

My bass playing is okay, but not the greatest. Sadly, MIDI bass sounds better than my own bass playing, so I used it instead...lol. Hey, whatever works! I think you'll like what I made. And as always, I encourage you to freely share anything I make with others. I do this because I love music! So enjoy.

This is a tricky song to master, but well worth the effort. I really like playing it.

How I Made This Backing Track

I discovered something this week about Dave Hum's backing tracks, that he sets the tambourine and piano padding about 1/64th beat after of the kick drum (at least that is what it seems to me). I'd appreciate any comments if someone has any. You can also email me. I kept wondering why my tracks don't sound as good as his. Well, one reason (I humbly think) is that my timing was wrong. I made a couple examples for you to hear what I am talking about. The difference is subtle, but you can hear it.

First, here is a track with plain timing (the tambourine is set equally between the kick drum beats).

Now, here is the same piece, but with the tambourine and piano padding set slightly after the kick drum beats.

And here is the second track with some added effects. 

I used MixCraft Studio Pro 10, which I enjoy using. I added a preset for the drums called called, Punchy. For the piano I added a preset called, Saloon. For the Peeler's Jacket backing tracks I used Punchy for the percussion, Bright Grand for the piano and Smooth & Warm for the bass. I really like the built-in effect presets that come with MixCraft, that with the click of a button you can add to enhance your recordings.

I entered all of the bass and keyboard notes with the MIDI editing window. You can also use a MIDI controller if you have one. I find it easier to just use a mouse to enter the notes.

I honestly think that MixCraft is highly underrated as a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). God willing, I hope to make many more tracks. I apologize that it has been so long since I worked on my Banjo Heaven blog. I have an old neck injury from 1992, and I fell down at work in 2004, which accidents misaligned my neck. I was diagnosed in 2004 with Cervical Degenerative Disk Disease. I cannot express in words the suffering that I endure on a daily basis. I have burning nerves throughout my upper body (neuropathy). The neck pain is close to my head, which stifles my ambition to do much of anything.

One Day At A Time

I am a Christian but at most only get to church about half the time because I simply don't feel like going. I don't want to be around people when I am suffering in pain, burning nerves and related bodily afflictions. So, I live a lonely life. Thankfully music is a friend that brings some happiness into my life. I love the steel guitar and the banjo. Right now I am focused on learning the banjo. It is a wonderful instrument and the music is happy.

I admire Dave Hum so much for recording hundreds of banjo videos despite suffering in horrible pain. I read his biography online. Dave was put into a life support machine around 2009, when he learned that he had Myeloma cancer. My heart goes out to Dave and his beloved family. I pray for them all the time, whenever I think about Dave. His music is a cherished blessing to the world. By God's grace I intend to promote Dave's music and legacy for the rest of my life. Music makes the world a better place!

I am about the same age as Dave. I was born on March 5th in 1967, a few months after Dave was born in 1966. Like Dave, I suffer with numerous health issues, but none as severe as what Dave contended with. Life is not fair! Why do the best people sometimes pass off the scene so young? Anyway, as my health allows I want to do a lot more with the banjo, and make more backing tracks to freely share. 

My first backing tracks in 2021 weren't too great. They didn't have piano padding, which I've noticed that Dave uses a lot. Now that his family has gratefully made some of his backing tracks available for anyone to purchase (which you should definitely go get), I can better hear how he made them. I've noticed that he uses piano padding in almost all of his backing tracks, so I will start doing the same. It helps you follow along with the song better on the banjo. $10 a piece is very standard price for backing tracks, which is what they charge for Dave's tracks. I'd gladly pay double that price! Good backing tracks are worth more than gold for a home musician like me.

I hope you will join me in making more backing tracks. I couldn't find a backing track for Alan Munde's beautiful Peaches & Cream song, which surprised me. I only want to be a blessing and share my music with others. I am a member of the Banjo Hangout (my account name is: BanjoFret12). I haven't done much of anything since 2021, but am excited about getting back into the banjo. It's been a difficult time for me moving from the island of Guam to Pensacola in 2021. I'm finally feeling like I am getting adjusted. I cope with neck pain continually. My maple neck 12.5 pound Recording King Elite-85 banjo aggravates my neck, so I ordered a lighter 7.5 pounds Goodtime Special from Amazon. This will be my banjo for learning. I also have horrible pain radiating down my right arm, which hurts so bad that I just cannot go on working at my computer, or picking the banjo, so I have to stop sometimes and go rest. Still, I am excited about learning more banjo songs. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

I recently told Dave Hum's family in an email how much he inspires me in so many ways. I keep thinking that if Dave can play his banjo and record videos while knowing he's dying of cancer, I can keep going and not allow my disability to discourage me from playing.

I was delighted this week to discover another big Dave Hum fan in the Netherlands named Anurakt Scheepers. He's a fabulous musician and a great guy. Anurakt is a member of the Banjo Hangout. He has backing tracks that he made for all his YouTube songs, and they are excellent. He was gracious to freely share them all with me, which I cherish. I am now working on his song, Fun On The Wabash (tabs by Parka Hunter). If you contact Anurakt through the Banjo Hangout forum, you can ask him about his backing tracks. They are well made.

I am surprised that many more banjo players don't make their own backing tracks. Everything I needed to make Peeler's Jacket came with MixCraft. If anyone has any suggestions, ideas or questions, I'll do what I can to be helpful. I struggle to get through each day, so please don't be offended if you post a message, or I somehow miss your contact, I promise you I didn't do it on purpose. You can email me here. God bless and have a good evening.

World's Greatest Banjo Player - Dave Hum

Get Your Dave Hum Backing Tracks!

I thank God for Dave Hum (1966-2012). He is an inspiration to banjo enthusiasts everywhere. It was Dave's banjo playing that rekindled my desire to start playing the banjo again several years ago. I am going to do everything I can to promote Dave's website, tabs, CD's and backing tracks to help support his family, whom I pray for regularly. I know that is what Dave would want.

It was an early Christmas for me today when I saw these backing tracks available from Dave Hum's website. THANK YOU to Dave's family for making these tracks available. I love that man dearly for his music! I have his tabs and YouTube videos to learn from, and now best of all his quality backing tracks. I encourage everyone to go purchase Dave's backing tracks, they are top notch quality!

These are Dave's actual backing tracks as you hear on his YouTube videos. I ordered all four backing track albums. They are well worth the money when you consider all the hard work that Dave invested in making them. If you've followed my Banjo Heaven blog for any time, then you know that I have tried to recreate Dave's backing tracks with little success. When I make my backing tracks, and then listen to his, I get discouraged because mine don't sound right...lol. My technical skills are not nearly as good as Dave's.

I had installed Reason software on my computer but it is irritating to me. I much prefer MixCraft software, which is more limited as far as available sound patches, but the software is much easier to use, unlike Reason which is more difficult (in my humble opinion). What I love about MixCraft is that you can input ("add a track") in the sequencer, and then slow the tempo down for any song. So if you purchase Dave Hum's backing tracks, you can slow them down as much as you need to to comfortably play along. I am not nearly as fast a player as Dave is, so to learn songs like Mason's Apron I need to slow the song down to about 75%. MixCraft is worth the price of the program for this feature alone.

You can also change the song's key if you'd like. MixCraft is a full blown recording studio, with included virtual instruments. By adding an "audio track" into the sequencer you can record your own instruments. I'm using a Focusrite Scarlett USB interface. I used MixCraft last week to add my own pedal steel guitar playing to a song by Eddie Ray Arnold. Here is the original song. Here's some more of my steel guitar recordings, and also more recordings here if you'd like to hear them. Here is my music website. My main instrument is the steel guitar.

After spending hundreds of hours trying to make my own Dave Hum style backing tracks to play along with, when I found Dave's actual backing tracks for sale on his family's website, I praised God and can't express in words how happy I am to have the tracks to play along with. Each backing track album has 10 songs. So if you buy all four albums you'll get 40 songs (that's about $10 each, a fantastic deal if you ask me). I sure hope we'll see more of Dave's backing tracks available in the future, but if not I am glad to have these 40. GOOD STUFF!

Music makes the world a better place. THANK YOU!

Great Backing Tracks And Tabs By Anurakt Scheepers

I was searching YouTube yesterday for the song "Big Sciotia" by Dave Hum and found this beautiful version by Anurakt Scheepers in the Netherlands. Particularly, pay attention to the last half of the song. Wow! ...

Big Sciotia

Then I found Anurakt's forum page with a few other songs, and best of all, free backing tracks and tabs! These are brilliantly done in Dave Hum style...

Timour The Tartar Backing Track | Video | Tabs

Tim Lam Backing Track | Video | Tabs

Raggle Taggle Gypsy/Drowsey Maggie Backing Track | Video | Tabs

More Songs By Anurakt Scheepers

All of these song backing tracks are also available at Dave Hum's website, and many more. I was playing along yesterday with Dave's track for Arkansas Traveller. Wow, I am amazed how he arranged the percussion on that track, it is impeccable.

Like Anurakt, I first discovered Dave Hum's music in 2018, and I've been smitten with learning the banjo since.

Enjoy!

Don't Buy Direct From Deering

Most people don't know that the Deering banjo company will rip you off if you buy directly from them. But don't take my word for it, see for yourself...

• Goodtime Special from Amazon.com = $1,099.00
• Goodtime Special from Deering = $1,219.00

That's sad. Not only that, but Deering doesn't even bother to include a case. If you order from Amazon.com you'll also get an included banjo stand, gig bag and a pick bag. And you'll save $120!

I've been reading customer comments on Deering's website and some of them are upset with Deering for taking advantage of them. I don't blame them! It is unethical for Deering to charge people an extra 10% without telling them. I have some issues with Deering's business practices.

Something else that bothers me is how they falsely advertise their Sierra banjos. In 2021 I ordered a Deering Sierra because I read on their website that the Sierra has all the SAME guts as their most expensive banjo, which is misleading. It gives a potential buyer the false impression that the only difference between the Sierra and their most expensive $63,000 banjo is aesthetics.

The ugly truth is that the neck on the Sierra is inferior. It feels cheap, like it was made in a third world country. That is my humble opinion. The neck on my Elite 85 Recording King is superior to Deering's Sierra neck, although the pot with the 06 tone ring is excellent on the Sierra. I loved the responsiveness and tone.

However, when I received the banjo from banjo.com, the intonation was way off. I live in Pensacola, which is one reason why I decided to order from banjo.com, since they are only a few hours away from me in Wedowee, Alabama. There is no excuse for the intonation being way off when I received the banjo. Also, there was a bad buzz on strings 4 and 5. I put new strings on the banjo, adjusted the truss rod and did what I could to get rid of the buzz and correct the intonation, but couldn't. It's just a cheap banjo structurally. I will NEVER do business with Banjo.com again!!!

I do not recommend the Deering Sierra to anybody. Let's face it, the ONLY reason that anyone would buy the Sierra is lack of money to pay $5,700 for a Golden Era. They do have some banjos in the $4,000 price range at Deering, which would be a MUCH better choice than the Sierra. Spend the extra $1,500, you won't regret it.

Stay Away From Banjo.com

I am so frustrated with Banjo.com. Please do not do business with Barry Waldrep! It took me 20 MONTHS to get my money back from him. I had placed an order for a banjo with them on May 2, 2022. Everything from that point on turned into a nightmare! I will explain the details in this blog, but as an introduction I'd like to warn everyone to avoid this guy. He lied to me, plain and simple.

I firmly told Barry before I ever gave him a penny that I DIDN'T want to wait several months to get a banjo. That was on May 2nd, 2022. Barry lied to me, misleading me to believe I'd receive a banjo in 4 to 6 weeks, or sooner. It took 5 months and no one from Banjo.com ever bothered to contact me to let me know what was going on. Barry blamed Deering, and even encouraged me to call them to verify that the delays were not his fault. Yet, it is his fault because he misled me from the very start, by telling me that it would only be "4 to 6 weeks, or sooner."

The following was written in August of 2023...

This is crazy! It was one year on May 2nd, 2023 that I have been waiting for Banjo.com to ship me the Golden Ere Banjo that I paid $4,899.00 for. Barry Waldrep is the owner of Banjo.com. I humbly DO NOT recommend that anybody order a banjo from them. I have been very kind, patient and understanding with Barry, but he has avoiding giving me a timeframe twice when I asked.

I ordered a Deering Sierra for $2,799.00 from them May 2nd, 2022. Barry's exact words to me in the email was "hopefully it will be four to six weeks for the banjo to arrive." We'll, those 6 weeks passed, and then 2 month, 3 months, 4 months, and nobody bothered to tell me anything from Banjo.com. That is no way to run a business! The banjo finally arrived in late September. It had a bad buzz on the 4th and 5th strings. The intonation sucked royally on strings 2 and 3, especially on the first few frets. It was unplayable.

I have been a musician for 30 years and know how to set up stringed instruments. So I replaced the strings with some thicker ones. I loosened the truss rod a bit to distance the strings further away from the fretboard. I also tried adjusting the bridge position. Nothing worked, not even helping a bit. I hated the cheap feel of the neck on the Sierra. Deering in my humble opinion falsely advertises that the Sierra has the guts of the really expensive banjos that they sell, it just lacks the aesthetics (nice looks). That is false! The Sierra's neck is crap and it feels cheaply made, in my humble opinion. Also, Barry's technicians install the railroad spikes 50% close to the 4th string, which was ridiculously too close.

So I kindly told Barry Waldrep that I didn't want the Sierra. I appreciate that Banjo.com has a 30-day return policy, no questions asked. So I spent $100 of my own money to ship it back to Banjo.com in Wedowee, Alabama. Barry recommended that I upgrade to the Deering Golden Era banjo, which I agreed upon, for $4,899.00. I kindly asked him the time frame for delivery, but he refused to give me a straight answer. I asked him twice, but he wouldn't tell me, and I didn't push him because I am a  nice guy and I figured he was worried that I might get upset if he told me it would be another 5 or 6 months (which it was). I left it alone and waited patiently.

Then when I asked Barry (because no one at Banjo.com told me a darn thing) in February 2023 what was going on with the Golden Era, he tells me it should arrive in April. So the banjo comes in and Barry asks me to tell him where to install the railroad spikes. I sent him these two photos to show him exactly where I'd like the railroad spikes installed...

How To Install Banjo 5th String Spikes
(by Banjo Ben Clark)

To my dismay, Barry Waldrep got upset with me and blamed me that the new Golden Era has a bad buzz on the 5th string, because they installed the spikes where I asked them too. That is bullcrap!

First, they do this for a living and should have told me upfront before installing the spikes, in a place that would cause a buzz, if they knew it would. I mean, they've done this thousands of times, right! Banjo.com advertises that they are the largest Deering dealer in the United States. What that really means is that they are out of banjos all the time, and you will need to wait one year or more for a new banjo. I will NEVER order from these people again, and I kindly suggest that you don't either! I am so disgusted.

Second, I sent them photos of where Banjo Ben installs them, where THEY SHOULD be placed. So it is total bullcrap from Barry that I am asking them to do something out of the ordinary or strange. Barry needs to run his business much more professional, or he will lose customers. Banop.com has lost my business!

I have told Barry repeatedly that I don't mind waiting, and I don't. But I do mind him not giving me a straight answer twice, when I kindly asked him when the banjo was anticipated to arrive. If it will be 6 months, I have a right as a customer to know. Barry has my money, paid in full.

I also do mind that he blamed me for their shoddy workmanship. You can look at the preceding photos for yourself. Would placing the spikes in these positions really cause the 5th string to buzz? If so, why does Banjo Ben install the spikes there? I didn't get these screenshots from some bozo on YouTube, I captured those screenshots from Banjo Ben Clark (which is where I should have bought my banjo from in the first place). Damn it! Please do not order a banjo from Banjo.com. I am being your friend. I regret that I ever did business with Banjo.com!

The following was written on March 28, 2024...

Barry finally refunded my $4,899 in January of 2024. He mailed me a Cashier's Check because he said it had been so long since the initial credit card translation, that their system wouldn't recognize the charge. After all was said and done, I got absolutely nothing out of the whole 20-month long ordeal except hundreds of pissed off days, waiting endlessly, being totally ignored by Banjo.com the entire time, and super frustrated. IT'S NOT WORTH IT!

I have read similar complaints online about Banjo.com, that they take forever to send what you ordered. All I know is that if Barry hadn't lied to me in the first place to get my money, none of this would have happened. He can blame Deering all he wants, but he lied to me, period.

I'm Still Waiting For My Golden Era Banjo

Hey banjo enthusiast friends! I apologize for not spending much time on this blog. I have been really busy with stuff. My heart's desire is still excited about making a bunch of Dave Hum backing tracks, so please keep visiting my blog. I had originally ordered a Deering Sierra mahogany neck banjo on May 2nd, 2022. I didn't get it until the end of September. I think it was the 22nd of September. I didn't like the Sierra, so I called Barry Waldrep at Banjo.com and told him the the neck feels cheap, like it was made in Mexico. He understood. I like their return policy at banjo.com, which is that if you are not satisfied with your banjo, they will take it take for up to 30 days, no questions asked. That's peace of mind to someone buying a banjo.

It's not Barry's fault that Deering is backordered for 6 months. Anyway, I ordered a Deering Golden Era banjo instead, and paid the difference. Unfortunately, I probably won't receive my new banjo until spring 2023. Deering has a national waiting list for banjos. So if you do decide to order a new banjo, you might need to wait up to a year to get it!

Just 6 weeks ago my landlord told me that I could rent from him as long as I want. He's been charging me a low amount of rent, since the place I am renting is all dilapidated. I live in Pensacola. The house I have been living in for the past year was a fish cleaning house down at Pensacola Bay from the 19th century. The fishing industry was a major source of income centuries ago for seaside towns like Pensacola. This house was relocated from the bay to a residential area. My bathroom is no bigger than a closet. But to me it is a 5-star Hilton hotel, since my rent is cheaper.

Sadly, we lost our home after my beloved wife divorced me in 2006. We had been married for over 18 years, since 1987. There is nothing in this world as inexplicably painful as going through a divorce, especially if you are not the one who wanted it. Due to the unwanted divorce, I had to sell our home to pay the outrageous ungodly attorney fees. But God is always good. My wife leaving cost me $64,000. That's a lot of high end banjos!!! I am sure I'm not the only one who thinks of wealth in terms of banjos...lol. Banjo players think of value in terms of how many banjos could I have bought. I really detest and loathe lawyers, who take advantage of people in the darkest hours of their life. I wouldn't want to prey upon hurting people for a living. It's an ugly business! It doesn't help that our nation has literally millions of rules, codes and laws on the books. We are becoming a police state in America, just wait and see.

Our population in Pensacola in 2022 is about 54,000 people. I have lived here now for a little over a year, since 2021. I had lived on the tiny island of Guam, out by the Philippine islands, for 17 years. Guam is an okay place, but it's hard to get into banjo playing on a tropical island...lol. Playing my lap steel guitar was surreal and awesome on an island. I still love to play Hawaiian steel guitar (mostly C6th tuning, and some B11th) on my aluminum 8-string Jerry Byrd, short-scale, frypan guitar. It was made in Japan. It cost me about $1,700 with the case, fifteen years ago. Anyway, Florida is a much better place to get into playing the banjo, since this is the deep south. But there's not much banjo venues here. An elderly man in our Baptist church plays acoustic guitar in their local Bluegrass band. They are really good. I went down to Pensacola Beach in September to watch them perform a concert, which was great. I love the banjo so much! I thank God for such a beautiful musical instrument.

Since my landlord has told me to vacate the residence by March, I racked my brain out for weeks trying to figure out my best next move. Should I keep renting? Should I purchase a home in Pensacola? Should I move to another city? I seriously considered moving up north to Chattanooga, Tennessee. I've always liked the state of Tennessee. I also considered moving to Knoxville. I miss and love the fall season. I have an old neck injury for which I receive disability. So for a guy like me who suffers in constant pain, burning nerves and fatigue, Pensacola is a good place to live. It rarely ever snows here. The record annual snowfall for Pensacola was 2.5" in 1977. The streets rarely ice up. So life in general is easier in Florida. So I think I will stay here and purchase a home, God willing, for the foreseeable future.

The crime rate in Chattanooga is 3.5 times higher than the national average. In contrast, Pensacola has a low crime rate. I feel safe living here, and I'm in what's considered the rougher west side of Pensacola (along Mobile highway). I also looked at Aberdeen, South Dakota. I like tax-free states. There is no state tax on Guam. I considered moving to somewhere in Texas. But property taxes are about double in Texas compared to Florida. There is no state tax in Florida, nor estate or inheritance taxes. So far, I love governor Ron DeSantis. I think he is doing a great job. His campaign slogan is: “Keep Florida Free!” I like that.

Anyway, I am busy right now with my website ministry. Here is one of my websites. God willing, when things settle down I plan to continue working on making some quality backing tracks. I have stenosis and radiculitis damage in my spinal cord, which makes doing anything more difficult. Fortunately the weight of my banjo doesn't aggravate my neck, as long as I don't push it by playing for hours at a time. Sometimes I need to put the banjo down. I usually switch to my mandolin, which is featherlight. I really like the MD-315 Eastman mandolin. From all that I have read, the matte finish doesn't suppress the sound as other gloss finished model of mandolins do.

I tried to play along with some of the Dave Hum style backing tracks that I made, but realized that they are too fast. So I will be adding some slower backing tracks when I get time. At least that is my plan. Right now I need to get my housing situation settled, once and for all, so no one can throw me out like this. Besides, I'm tired of paying rent. One of the reasons why I moved to Pensacola is because there are always a couple dozen homes priced at $100,000 or under (even though the median house price in Pensacola is $319,000 in 2022).

I've been working lately on learning Dave Hum's arrangement of Tobin's Jig on Double C. Once you learn the basic melody, Dave repeats it dozens of times in the song (meaning that the song is fairly easy to learn). Dave is truly amazing on his banjo! ...

Tobin's Jig (by Dave Hum on 'Double C' tuning)

I was thinking this past week about his daughter River, who turned 16 years old this year. Dave died in 2012 of cancer, when their daughter River was just 6 years old. Life is not fair. It truly isn't. I keep Dave's family in my prayers. They have a beautiful musical legacy that Dave Hum left to them all. 

I will let you all know when the Golden Era banjo arrives, and if I remember, to take some photos of it. I want to make some banjo recordings sooner than later, with the backing tracks I am making. I know that I am not Dave Hum and never will be, but my goal is to learn things from him and then be myself. That is what Dave does, he plays by ear. He just follows the melody and sticks to the chord patterns.

I have humbly noticed that some of the banjo pickers who limit themselves, to say for example the Earl Scruggs's style of playing, quit the banjo after several years because they lose interest. Dave Hum is very creative, thinking outside the box. I think it is a mistake to limit one's self to a certain style of playing. Variety is what makes any musical instrument interesting and fun to play. One of my favorite songs by Dave Hum is Devil's Dream...

Dave Hum - Devils Dream / Blackberry Blossom (2)

One of the things that brings Dave Hum's music to life is his driving backing tracks, which have energy to them. He uses a tambourine in many songs, which drives the song. I asked Dave's family if they still had his backing tracks, but I guess all of Dave's computer stuff was disposed of. That is sad and tragic. I think the biggest encouragement to any banjo player is having quality backing tracks, which are hard to find. Most backing tracks have too much clutter which competes with the banjo. But if you listen to Dave Hum's backing tracks, he generally only uses a bass and some percussion (with some exceptions, depending on the particular song).

Thank you for visiting my Banjo Heaven blog. One day at a time.

Why Buying A More Expensive Musical Instument Is Worth The Money

If you are like me, you like playing a variety of different musical instruments. Dave Hum was well skilled at mandolin, bass, guitar, banjo, percussion, harmonica, keyboard, et cetera. I am focusing on buying a better banjo right now. But after that, God willing, I have wanted to buy a nice Dobro for a few years now. I have often considered buying a cheaper Gretsch Bobtail G9230, or the Regal RD-40, or the Recording King RR-60-VS. They all cost about $700 each. I've read that the Recording Kings are the best of the three, but I don't know.

Most of us don't have $20,000 to go out and buy the top name brands of our favorite instruments. Most Bluegrass players play a variety of stringed instruments, which I think is a good thing. So my humble opinion is to but a top name brand of your main instrument, which for me is pedal steel guitar. Ironically, my single neck Rittenberry cost me $3,000 and has over 100 parts to it. But a top end banjo will cost you roughly $5,000. Go figure. I am not sure the reason why, but I think instruments are way overpriced. I am absolutely amazed what luthiers in China are manufacturing. I've seen inexpensive banjos with Mother of Peral inlay for $500. So why do top end instruments cost so much? Since I am not the maker, I cannot say. Albeit, it is what it is and I think it is worth investing in a higher end instrument, IF you like how it sounds and feels. I played an $8,000 Martin guitar many years ago at Guitar Center. The strings were hard to press down and I hated the feel of it. So getting a great instrument has less to do with cost and more to do with the individual's preference, although as a general rule you get what you pay for. 

I almost purchased the Gold Tone PBS (Paul Beard Signature) solid body Dobro for $1,499 from Gold Tone (and that's without even a case), but then I saw this video and it turned me off completely. Listen to all that horrible metallic chirping! When I listen to Greg Booth's awesome Dobro videos from Alaska on YouTube, I don't here any of that awful chirping noise. I think it is the cheap materials that the builder's use. Remember, Gold Tone gets all their parts from China. ...

Listen to the Chirping of the Gold Tone PBS Dobro

It sounds like metal-to-metal chirping from the metal finger picks, but it is noticeably awful. I just can't help but feel that the Gold Tone dobro is still a cheap compromise from the more expensive ones. We get what we pay for! A Paul Beard Model E Dobro (really nice) will cost you about $4,500 (at least that does comes with a hard shell case). Then I read this, which confirmed my suspicions about cheap Dobros...

Well I had an education. I visited Ralph Luttrell who is one of the better Dobro builders I have ever met. He studied under some of the greatest builders such as Scheerhorn and owns his own operation in Atlanta. He's a really nice guy and spent some time with me last night on Dobro construction good, bad and different.

We first examined a commonly known brand mentioned here on the forums a lot that was in for repair.

First off he removed the cone and then placed it on a metal rod and held it up and tapped it with a metal object. It clanked like an old hubcap. Then he held up an IDENTICAL good cone from one of his Dobros which are hand spun Quarterman cone and tapped it. It rang like a bell and even sustained a little. I am talking night and day difference and they looked the same to the naked eye.

Next he showed me where the cone housing area was basically the only real support in the guitar and how they had taken shortcuts in the design and internal bracing that saves money, wood and labor. He showed me how the cone area was already starting to become oval shaped instead of round which will eventually render the entire guitar trash , he said sooner than later.

By the time he was done I realized exactly why buying a cheap Dobro was a total waste of money.

One thing to beware of. People and players know very little about these instruments and there are no shortcuts when building one that will last and have great tone.

Ralph showed me a handful of various ones he had in for repair that were ruined. It was interesting to see how some of them fail. All usually due to cheap construction. There is a lot of cruddy brands making models that look great but wont last or sound good. SOURCE

If I do get impatient because it is taking me forever to save enough money to buy an expensive Dobro, I am just going to buy a $500 Boxcar Dobro for now to learn on. I dare say about 80% of musicians cannot afford $6,000 for a professional mandolin, banjo, ukulele, dobro, et cetera. It seems that $6,000 is about the average price now for a professional American made musical instrument.

By the way, this is a really cool video on the Jerry Douglas Aura effect pedal for the Dobro. The pedal works with the Paul Beard Nashville Spider Pickup Kit. Great stuff!

The same can be said for buying more expensive banjos. I had ordered a $2,799 Deering Sierra (mahogany neck) banjo back in April 2022. I just received it in September. I hated that darn thing from the moment I played it! The neck is cheap. The intonation was way off! The 3rd G string was so sharp that I couldn't play an F chord in the first fretted position. The bridge was placed just right. The D note on strings 1 and 4 were in perfect tune, both open string, as well as at the 12th fret. But the chords were way off! If I tuned the banjo's open strings to be perfectly in tune, then I couldn't play a useable fretted chord, because the G string was so out of tune (too high).

Even using the slightest amount of finger pressure on the 3rd string (so that it didn't buzz), it still didn't help any. The 3rd G string being too high, was mostly noticeable below the 5th fret (which makes sense because the frets are spaced farther apart there). It had the same problem even if I put a Capo on the 2nd fret. But string 2 seemed okay. Go figure! Thankfully, Barry at Banjo.com took the banjo back, and I ordered a Deering Golden Era banjo for twice the price instead. So if you're thinking of buying a Sierra, you had better ask the seller about this issue, to make sure that you don't have the same problem.

Used ESS Gibson banjos sell for about $5,000. The Deering Golden Era is about as exact a replica to the ESS Gibson as can be made, according to Deering. It is a pre-war 1930's era banjo replica. Hopefully, it will play much better than the Sierra. I do not recommend that anyone but the Sierra banjo, because it feels cheap, like it was made in Mexico (I know they are made in California). The pot, tone ring and resonator are all excellent. But they are worthless because the Sierra's neck is so inferior, in my humble opinion. I am picky about my musical instruments. I never would have ordered the Sierra had I know that the neck is so cheap. I was under the wrong impression from Deering's website, that I was buying a professional banjo in every way, minus all the mother of pearl inlay, wood décor and looks.

In my humble opinion the Deering Sierra is an inferior banjo. It just doesn't feel like a professional instrument when I play it. The strings don't sound evenly when you pick them. It feels awkward at best. I spent 5 hours trying to get the intonation right, but then realized that it was useless, because something was wrong with the banjo. I do not know if the problem is confined to just the banjo that I received, or all of them. But the G string was way to high in pitch. It made playing the banjo annoying. I have a Recording King Elite-85 that I paid $1,750 for in 2018, that has never caused me the least bit of intonation issues. I love the RK, it just doesn't have that beautiful sound that the Deering 06 tone ring and pot has.

I took some photos of my Deering Sierra banjo before I returned it to Banjo.com, so you can take a look at what it looks like...

I Love the Deering 06 Tone Ring

I don't like the stain finish on the neck. I much prefer
ebony or other standard woods that are used for necks.

When considering purchasing a very expensive musical instrument, think of it this way—it is better to feel pain now by shelling out $5,500 for something truly professional, rather than feel the pain of regret every time you open the instrument's case for years and years to come. Just save the money, buy the darn thing when you can, and in a year you won't miss the money, but you will have something really quality that you will feel good about it when you play it.

I'm not trying to make any Deering Sierra owners mad, God forbid. Please pardon me if my opinion offends you, because that was not my intention. I am simply saying that I hated the Deering Sierra banjo! A banjo that won't play a chord in tune is totally worthless!!! The G string just couldn't be tuned to where it sounded right open, versus playing a fretted chord.

I am very curious about Arthur Hatfield's banjos. I have read nothing but positive reviews from THOUSANDS of Hatfield banjo owners, and their banjos look super nice (what great inlay work), at about $2000 less price than Deering for the same thing. In my humble opinion, the Deering banjos are overrated and way overpriced for what you get.

I have started to really appreciate the reasonable price and impressive quality of Recording Kings and Gold Tone banjos. I love my RK Elite-85 (maple neck with hearts and flowers inlay on the neck. It is a 27 3/8" scale, which I really like). The Elite-85 is a replica of a pre-war Gibson MASTERTONE 1930's banjo. You won't find a better bajo for $1,750. I have no regrets buying it. The banjo has a beautiful curly maple finish on the resonator.

Something that I liked better on the Deering Sierra, than my RK Elite-85, was the lower gear ratio tuners. The tuners are touchy on the RK, which causes them to wander out of tune more often. On the Sierra, you have to turn the tuning key a farther distance to adjust the string, which helps the banjo stay in tune better. So the Sierra wins as far as tuning keys go.

Dave Hum said that he puts some soft foam inside his banjo pots, to deaden the brightness a bit. I do the same thing on my RK. Since it has a maple neck, it is really bright (kind of empty sounding). So with the soft foam inside the head (I only fill half of the pot with foam. Foam window insulation from the hardware store works great), it gives the banjo a fuller sound that I like. Try it, you might like it too! Dave Hum said that he was always experimenting with how to get a better tone from his three banjos. I'd say that he succeeded!

I hope this blog has been interesting. I'll let you know when I get my Deering Golden Era banjo. At this point I am concerned, because the Sierra was a big disappointment. I hope Deering's higher end banjo necks are better than the Sierra's crappy neck.