New Backing Track For “Clinch Mountain Backstep”

“Clinch Mountain Backstep” is a Bluegrass banjo tune composed by Ralph Stanley (1927-2016), who until his passing was the last survivor of the great first-generation pioneers of Bluegrass music. This song uses only two chords, A and E (I capoed my acoustic guitar at the 2nd fret, so I played the G and D chord positions to give me the A and E chords, respectively). This song has a nice backwoods mountain feel to it. You'll need a capo on fret 2, and also for fret 7 on the fifth string on your banjo.

Although Dave Hum recorded this song, I chose to use this backing track on YouTube by Ted Lambert at BluegrassBackingTracks.com (a new website that I can't wait to be finished). I love collecting backing tracks...lol. I used this song as a template because it has a clear bass line for me to follow. So you've got my backing track, plus the one I just shared with you. Good stuff! Enjoy!

• Clinch Mountain Backstep (Faster)
• Clinch Mountain Backstep (Normal)
• Clinch Mountain Backstep (Slower)
• Clinch Mountain Backstep (Slow)
• Clinch Mountain Backstep (Woodshed)

I used a MIDI bass. I'm playing my Cort acoustic guitar. I used a tambourine audio loop at the end. One of my favorite banjo teachers, Bill Nesbitt, explains step-by-step how to play Clinch Mountain Backstep. Bill also has a backing track for this song at three different speeds to help learn the song. I feel comfortable using the medium speed.

Dave Hum (1966-2012)

I Made Some Recordings With My Deering Golden Wreath Banjo

I received the Deering Golden Wreath banjo from Fuller's Guitar on Monday. They gave me a 15% discount on it, which is a great deal. I've been wanting to buy a professional banjo for a long time. I've been saving my money. I absolutely love the Deering Calico banjo and if I had to choose to keep one banjo, hands down it would be the Calico. If you want a fantastic sounding banjo with incredible resonance, try a Calico, I think you'll love it.

But the Calico is a special sounding banjo, which someone accustomed to regular banjos may not want. That is why I also ordered the Golden Era and the Golden Wreath. I wanted to try them all out, and now I have. The Golden Era mimics the Gibson ESS with a maple neck, and the Golden Wreath mimics the Gibson RB250 with a mahogany neck. I love both the Golden Era and the Golden Wreath. Since I already have three banjos with maple necks (my Elite Recording King, Deering Goodtime Special and Calico), I wanted the Golden Wreath because it has a mahogany neck. I made these recordings tonight using Dave Hum's backing tracks. I used a Shure 57 microphone, so you are hearing the actual banjo...

• My Grandfather's Clock (Golden Wreath)
• Golden Slippers (Golden Wreath)

I really like the tone of the Golden Wreath. It doesn't have as much resonance as the Calico, but it still sounds great. Banjos are musical tools. You use different tools for different jobs. For recording I have the Golden Wreath. For just playing I love the Calico. I still have 10 days if I want to return the Golden Wreath for a refund. I'm still thinking. The Calico tends to sound metallic and thin on recordings, because it has so much resonance in the pot assembly. But for just playing it is superb.

I just had another cool shirt made with Dave Hum on it...

I went today to get my medications at the CVS pharmacy. I'm taking Mounjaro. I've lost 45 pounds so far since last year, and my Type II diabetes is all gone. I was wearing the above cool shirt. The lady asked me if I knew who the guy on the shirt was, and I told her “Dave Hum.” I briefly explained who he is, how he sadly died of cancer in 2012, and that he's my favorite banjo artist. She said at first she thought the photo was of me, because of my beard. I thanked her for the sweet compliment. She said I was handsome too. I told her to keep talking...lol. I was honored that someone thought I reminded them of Dave Hum. That is so cool!

Labor Day 15% Off Special On All Deering Banjos At 'Fuller's Guitar'

Fuller's Guitar in Houston is having another 15% to 30% DISCOUNT for their Labor Day Sale. For Deering banjos, they are offering 15% off. Just type the code “LABORDAY15” on your order page, and you'll see the discount applied before you check out. It looks like they are sold out of the Calico and Golden Wreath banjos. But they still have the Golden Era, Maple Blossom (it has a radiused neck), and several other Deering models. If anyone wants to buy a Deering Goodtime Special, now is a great time. It normally lists with Deering dealers for $1,099, but with the 15% discount applied you'd pay only $934.19, which is a great deal.

Fuller's Guitar

I don't receive anything for promoting Fuller's Guitar and their Labor Day Sale, I just like to help people, especially my friends. I've never seen brand new Deering banjos sold at this very reasonable price. If they don't have the banjo model you want, I'd email them and ask when they'll get more in stock, and when they might offer another 15% off sale. They seem to have sales quite often. The only caveat is that they won't install banjo spikes.

So far, I like Deering banjos. The intonation has been accurate on the Deering Goodtime Special, Golden Era and Calico banjos. They all came with a standard bridge.

In sharp contrast, that piece of crap Hatfield Buck Creek that Arthur Hatfield shipped to me a few months ago had such bad intonation that I had to return it. I spent a couple hours trying to fix the problem, but couldn't. The neck wasn't measured and cut right. The fact that the banjo came with a Compensator Bridge evidences that Arthur was already aware of the problem, but he did nothing to fix it. I lost hundreds of dollars in shipping because of him. The jerk didn't even apologize. I don't recommend Hatfield banjos!

I purchased the Deering Calico from Fuller's Guitars the last time they had a 15% discount and am very happy with it. It's the nicest sounding banjo that I've ever had the opportunity to play, having the resonance that I desire. But I learned that Deering banjos sound best with lighter gauge strings. That is also what I read on Deering's own website. Deering uses GHS light gauge strings. I had replaced the original strings on my Calico with GHS PF160 medium gauge strings (10, 26, 16, 13, 11). The fourth .026" bronze string sticks in the nut grove on the Calico. This causes the string not to adjust pitch when I turn the GOTOH tuning key, because the string catches in the narrow nut groove. If I keep turning the tuning key, the string will eventually “pop” in the groove and jump erratically in pitch. So, I realized quickly that I should just stick with lighter gauge strings. Deering's nuts were made to accommodate light gauge strings, not heavier gauges. A .026" gauge is definitely too thick to use on a Deering.

I had the same problem with the Golden Era when I changed the light gauge strings with PF160 medium gauge strings. I am not exactly sure what gauge strings that Deering uses, I just know they're light gauge. I just ordered some PF135 Medium-Light J.D. Crowe GHS light gauge strings (10, 20, 12, 11, 10) from Amazon. The medium gauge strings actually removed some of the resonance from the Calico. They still sound nice, but the banjo's tone noticeably changed a little bit with different strings.

I also ordered some PF175 Medium Sonny Osbourne (11, 22, 13, 12, 11) strings from Musician's Friend (FREE shipping). I'll try these Sonny Osbourne strings first on my Calico. I prefer using a set of heavier gauge strings for folk playing. Dave Hum liked to use medium gauge strings (10, 24, 16, 12, 10) to accommodate his single note playing for folk songs. That is why I replaced the strings on my Calico. The only real issue is with the fourth string, because it catches in the nut groove. I'll try the .022" gauge and see how that works.

Lord willing, I'm going to purchase the Deering Golden Wreath banjo for the Fuller's Labor Day Sale. I'm looking forward to trying the Golden Wreath. If I don't like it, I'll return it within 14 days.  Since 2018, I have wanted a professional banjo, but didn't have one. I bought the Recording King Elite 85 (it has a maple neck) in 2018. It was my only banjo for 6 years, until I purchased a Deering Goodtime Special earlier this year. Since the Recording King was the only banjo I had played for several years, I instantly felt and heard the improved tone in my Deering Goodtime Special (which cost $1,099). For a student model, it is great! I'm going to put some lighter gauge PF135 GHS strings onto the Deering Goodtime Special. I love the feel of the Goodtime Special. The hard rock maple neck and clear uncoated finish are great. This banjo has no truss rod and doesn't need one, it is solid built.

The Recording King is also a solid built banjo, and looks very nice. I tried to set it up the best I could, but the tone was still lacking. So, then I paid Blue Angel Music store in Pensacola $65 to do a professional setup, but as far as I can tell all they did was replaced the strings (which I provided, which were PF160 GHS strings). The professional setup didn't help the tone of the banjo. Tonight I changed my PF160GHS strings tonight on the Recording King with PF135 GHS (J.D. Crowe) strings and it really enhanced the tone on the banjo. I was surprised how much just putting a lighter gauge set of strings on the banjo enhanced the resonance. I think the stainless steel produces more resonance than the phosphorus bronze does.

I humbly think there is a wonderful opportunity for a motivated person to get into the banjo making business, to build a better banjo with great resonance and growl for $2,500. I hate Deering's cheaper line in that price range (e.g., the Sierra) with printed fret boards. I hated the cheap feel of the neck on the Sierra. I had bought a Sierra for $2,799 in 2021 from Banjo.com and sent it back because the intonation was way off, and I hated the neck, and it had a bad buzz on strings 4 and 5. I don't like banjo.com and won't buy anything from them in the future. Barry Waldrep lied to me in May of 2022. I told him that I didn't want to wait several months to buy a banjo. He promised that I'd receive a banjo in 4 to 6 weeks, but it didn't arrive for 5 months. Worst of all was that NO ONE from Banjo.com ever communicated with me to let me know what was going on, they just totally ignored me, which is very bad.

That was the Deering Sierra. It had terrible intonation, a bad unfixable buzz and I hated the cheap feel of the neck. It cost me $2,799. I returned it. Barry suggested the Golden Era and I agreed. That took another 6 months, but they messed up with the railroad spikes. The banjo had such a bad buzz that they couldn't sell it to me. Barry said he would send it to a Luthier, but after 4 more months of waiting and not hearing a word from anyone, I had had enough and asked for my money back. Barry made me wait another 3 months to get a refund of my $4,899. Long story short, Barry kept my money for 20 months!!! I never did get any banjo from them, because they kept dropping the ball, one problem after another. RUN from that place!

One great thing I will say about the Elite 85 Recording King is that it has an awesome neck. I love the feel of the neck. It has a 27 3/8" scale. It just lacks great tone. I don't even play it anymore, because the Deering Goodtime Special sounds much better. And now I have the Calico, which blows all the others away in tone. For just playing the banjo, I love the Calico. But I am purchasing the Deering Golden Wreath for recording. Lord willing, I want to record an album, just to share with my friends at church, and blog visitors.

I have three banjos right now: an Elite 85 Recording King (maple neck), a Deering Goodtime Special (maple neck), and a Deering Calico (maple neck). So, I wanted to order the Deering Golden Wreath (mahogany neck) to complete my collection. The Golden Era (maple neck) was very nice when I had it to test, but it had a buzzing issue on string one when doing pull-offs (because there wasn't enough fret material beyond the edge of the first string). I'm not sure if that is a design flaw on all Golden Era, or if that particular Golden Era was a lemon.

I've read many great things on the BanjoHangout about the Golden Wreath. Deering sells far more Golden Eras than Golden Wreaths, likely because the Golden Era has slightly nicer aesthetics (appearance). I actually like the laidback plainer appearance of the Golden Wreath, but the TONE is my main concern. I've read that the Golden Era is Deering's best attempt to mimic the Gibson ESS banjo, and the Golden Wreath is Deering's best attempt to mimic the Gibson RB250. I won't know if I like the banjo until I hold it in my hands and play it. I knew within 30 seconds of playing the Calico that it was at home to stay. It is a beautiful sounding banjo!

Granted, I've also read that a Gibson is a Gibson, and a Deering is a Deering, and that each instrument has its own unique feel and sound, even though the Deering banjos are imitations. Some players claim that the Gibson banjos have a slightly better tone, but the Deering banjos feel slightly better to play. I've never had the privilege to play a Gibson, so I cannot say either way. Lord willing, maybe in a few years I might run across a nice Gibson banjo and buy it. I've given up on the idea of finding a Gibson at a “good deal.” Good instruments will cost you good money, plain and simple. I must say that I am shocked how much banjo prices have skyrocketed.

On a different note, here's some good news for Dave Hum fans like me. Dave's wife, Mel, just updated Dave's YouTube channel this week, to finally get rid of the old website that linked to junk for several years. Now all of Dave's videos link to his new valid website, where you can purchase his albums, tablature and backing tracks. If you haven't bought the backing tracks yet, you are missing out! They are my driving motivation to play the banjo every day. Great backing tacks are invaluable. The tracks cost about $12 each, which is fairly priced. Dave must have spent well over 1,000 hours making backing tracks for 219 songs.

Earlier this year, I paid the insane price of $150 each, to have backing tracks made for Gaspe Reel and Peeler's Jacket. I cannot afford to do that very often. Moreover, now that I have 115 of Dave's original backing tracks, I have enough great backing tracks to last a lifetime. I thank God for Dave Hum. I am thankful for his musical legacy, family, influence and mentorship on the banjo. Each of Dave's videos on YouTube are a banjo course for the serious student. You can use the “settings” control on YouTube to slow each video down as much as you want, so you can study and learn Dave's techniques and arrangements.

I am humbly grateful to Dave's wife for making her husband's backing tracks available for banjo enthusiasts like me. The least I can do is promote Dave's music and encourage people to purchase his backing tracks. The money helps Dave's family, and you get high-quality backing tracks. It is precious and surreal to me, that I can play along with Dave's original backing tracks that he used while busking.

Dave Hum With His Epiphone Banjo

For More Resonance, Try A Set Of GHS PF135 (J.D. Crowe Strings)

Lately I've been criticizing my Elite 85 Recording King (maple neck) banjo for lacking tone. But tonight I replaced the phosphorus bronze GHS PF160 set of strings (10, 26, 16, 13, 11), with a set of GHS PF135 stainless steel strings (10, 20, 12, 11, 10). Wow, it really brought my Recording King alive in tone. I am learning about the banjo just like everybody else, so I don't claim to know what I am doing...lol. I just take life one day at a time. But I was pleased with the sound coming from my Recording King tonight. My Elite 85 Recording King doesn't sound anywhere near as resonant as my Deering Calico, but it sounds MUCH better than it did before. So, if you think that your banjo lacks resonance and tone, you might want to try some light gauge strings. That is very interesting.

I had replaced the original light gauge strings which came on the Deering Calico banjo. I put the GHS PF160 strings on there instead. My brain has been stuck on using GHS PF160 strings for a couple years now. I have concluded this week that I made a bad choice. It wasn't until I replaced the original GHS light gauge strings on the Calico, with my GHS PF160 strings, that I realized it killed my banjo's tone considerably.

So, the first thing I thought of was replacing the PF160 phosphorus bronze strings on my Elite 85 Recording King; and sure enough, the PF135 set of stainless steel strings brought it alive. For the time being, I'm going to use a lighter gauge of strings on my banjos.

I also ordered some medium gauge GHS PF175 (Sonny Osbourne) stainless steel sets of strings today (11, 22, 13, 12, 11). I still have the PF160 strings on my Deering Goodtime Special, but I'll put the PF175 set on I think, to try them. I'm leaning toward the J.D. Crowe PF135 set for the best tone, so far. I should have ordered the Almost-Medium GHS PF185 set of strings (.0105, 20, 13, .0115, .0105). I think mediums will be too heavy. I had no idea that using a heavier gauge string could deaden the resonance. It could also be the phosphorous bronze versus stainless steel that deadens the tone. I am not sure. The fourth string is the most important string, as it leads off nearly every song.

There's also a J.D. Crowe PF140 "studio" set of strings, which uses .0095" strings on strings 1 and 5, instead of .010" on the PF135 "stage" set for strings 1 and 5. GHS has all kinds of strings. I also noticed the PF130 set, which is nickel plated steel. I am quite amazed how different a tone is produced by merely changing the string sets. I didn't think it really matters, but it sure does! So far, I recommend going with the GHS PF135 J.D. Crowe set.

Dave Hum (1966-2012)

New Backing Track For “Mississippi Sawyer”

“Mississippi Sawyer” is a traditional 'Old Time' instrumental tune from Europe, originally titled: “The Downfall of Paris.” The song is better known in the American South and among American fiddlers as “Mississippi Sawyer.” As usual, I used Dave Hum's YouTube video as a template to make my backing track. Dave uses an interesting tuning (aDGBD). It is a G chord with an added 9th note (the A). So I guess you could call it the G9th Tuning. Just capo the fifth string on the 7th fret. I made tracks in both keys for G and A, for your preference...

• Mississippi Sawyer (key of G, normal)
• Mississippi Sawyer (key of G, slower)
• Mississippi Sawyer (key of G, slow)
• Mississippi Sawyer (key of G, woodshed)
• Mississippi Sawyer (key of A, normal)
• Mississippi Sawyer (key of A, slower)
• Mississippi Sawyer (key of A, slow)
• Mississippi Sawyer (key of A, woodshed)

I had fun making this backing track. I tried to get creative with some audio loops that I purchased from 'Drums On Demand.' I added a Djembe, a soft shaker, a real tambourine and toward the last part of the song I am playing rhythm along with the song (while sitting on my Cajon box). I bought it used (like new) from Amazon for $88. The Cajon new runs $177. It has a couple guitar strings strung inside the box, which gives it a very nice percussive sound when you tap or hit the front panel. I recorded my Cajon box live with a Shure 57 microphone. I used a MIDI bass, which I think sounds very nice. I added a couple MIDI crash cymbals. I used a MIDI acoustic piano. All of my inputs for recording go into a Scarlett USB Interface, and then into a USB port on my Desktop Dell computer (which I bought refurnished for like $400).

I hope you're enjoying these backing tracks as much as I have enjoyed making them. I love making backing tracks, and I love sharing them freely with other banjo enthusiasts. The going rate these days if you pay someone to make you a backing track is about $150. It is my privilege to do this for free.

By the way, if anyone has a request (a backing track for the banjo), I won't make any promises, but I'll see what I can do. I'll gladly do it for free. I'll share the track with everyone when it's done. Just send me an original song, so I can use it as a template. You can also contact me through the BanjoHangout, where I am a union member. That sounds so prestigious for just $20 a year...lol. I wanted the Pocket T-shirt, so I joined (and paid an extra $15). I love the maroon 2023 shirt (with the smaller font), but I don't really care for the dark green 2024 shirt (because of the giant print). It's like shouting at people. I hope in 2025 they do something nicer. If not, I'll wear it anyway. I really enjoy the BanjoHangout. 

I've uploaded a bunch of backing tracks and tabs to the forum to share, but only a small fraction of what I have on my blog. I am saddened that hardly anybody has played along with my backing tracks on the forum. The highest number of “plays” I saw (after 3 months) was 24 for my backing track of Earl's Breakdown. Thankfully my blog receives a lot more web traffic. 

By the way, I encourage you to freely download and save all my backing tracks. Lord willing, I plan to keep my blog and SteelC6th.com website (where all the files are stored) going for years to come, but you never know what a day may bring forth (Proverbs 27:1). It could all be gone forever next year. And please feel welcome to copy and share all my backing tracks on your own website, social media, or whatever. I am easy to get along with. I've never once made a fuss over someone using my stuff. I want you to steal my stuff...lol. I made these backing tracks to give away, no credit needs to be given, just enjoy the music my friend.

Music makes the world a better place! Check out this classic photo of Dave Hum performing for a curious admirer...

Dave Hum Performs For A Curious Admirer

A New Open Box “OB3 Twanger” For $1,329

I received this advertisement today from Gold Tone about a new OB3 Twanger for sale for $1,329, which is NOT A BAD DEAL at all (as far as price, because it normally sells for $1,899), if anybody wants it. It is open box though...

New OB3 Twanger for $1,329

I have never played an “OB3 Twanger,” so I personally don't know if this is a good banjo or not, but I've read great things about it. Personally, I was considering buying the OB3 Twanger with a radiused neck for $1,949, but for $1,329 this is a super deal. I just bought a Deering Calico, which I am super pleased with. I'm looking out for my blog guests, I wanted you guys to see this deal, in case anyone might be interested...

I'm not so fond of Banjo “Ben” Clark, because his Ben Clark's General Store caused me to be defrauded recently out of $619.20, sad to say. I wanted to sign up for the Banjo Camp in Montana. For some insane reason, Amy at their store sent me a link to sign up for Guitar Camp, but how the hell was I supposed to know? So I signed up and paid Ben Clark's Store $899 and received a receipt and confirmation number. I made travel reservations the next day for $2,077.25, but then two days later Amy emailed to tell me there are no banjo spots left.

I felt sick and angry when I found out from Amy that she had sent me a sign-up link for Guitar Camp instead of Banjo Camp. I had made it very clear that I was bringing my Deering Goodtime BANJO to the Camp. She never should have sent me a sign-up link for Guitar Camp. Amy is 100% to blame for this. So, I had to cancel everything. I have no interest in Guitar Camp. All companies agreed to refund my money except Alamo car rental. Even though it had only been 36 hours since I made my reservations, Alamo refused to refund my $619.20. I have already filed complaints against Priceline and Alamo with Consumer Affairs and the Florida Attorney General's Office. The car wasn't needed for 5 weeks into the future, so there's no reason why Alamo couldn't have just penalized for for $100 and refunded the rest of my money. Those greedy thieves kept every penny of my $619.20!

So, I kindly contacted Jake Stogdill and asked if they would allow me to attend a future Banjo Camp at a reduced price, so I can recoup my lost $619, but that jerk didn't even have the manhood to reply, he just totally ignored me. I emailed him multiple times, and he ignored all of my emails. Jake Stogdill is a horrible person! Amy ignored me. I have posted complaints on Ben Clark's YouTube channel, their store's Facebook page and elsewhere, but Ben Clark is also ignoring me. Jake won't put me in contact with Ben. These are phony Christians!!!

Ben Clark owes me $619.20!!! I'll never shut up about this injustice. Ben Clark is a also a self-professed Baptist pastor who lives in Tennessee (his store is located in Exeter, Missouri), but he is behaving like the heathen world. It won't cost them a penny to let an extra guy attend a Banjo Camp, but I had to pay real money on my credit card for the $619.20 that I lost because of Amy's incompetence. I just want to be treated fairly, not crapped on like they are doing to me at the Ben Clark General Store. This all happened in July of 2024. Would it really have hurt them to allow just one more student to attend their Montana Banjo Camp? Amy caused this.

The way you treat people matters. It really does! Shame on Ben Clark and Jake Stogdill. You couldn't give me an OB3 Twanger, since they helped design it. They can stick it up their ass at Ben Clark's General Store. But if you want one, I thought my friends might be interested in this sale at Gold Tone. It looks like a great deal. Thanks for reading.

I Had These Cool Dave Hum T-Shirts Made

I had two custom shirts made this week from Print Box Originals in Austin, Texas. I only paid around $20 each. This first T-shirt came out fantastic, I humbly think. I love how the photo fades around the edges. The company didn't do that, the photo I sent them has faded edges.

A Cool Dave Hum Shirt I Had Made

I was really surprised that the first T-shirt came out so nice, because the image was smaller in size, but they somehow did a great job with the small photo anyway.

For this next photo, I send them the highest quality .PNG format file that I had of Dave Hum. I like the first shirt better because it has faded edges. This shit is okay, it still came out nice. ...

Another Cool Dave Hum Shirt I Had Made

Here are the original .PNG photos (they say this is the best format to use) that I sent to Print Box Originals on Amazon, if you want to use them. But you can send them any photo that you want, and they'll make a T-shirt for you. I chose the color black, but they also offer many different colors.

Here are a bunch more images that I saved in .PNG format for you, if you'd like to use them to make a shirt. This next photo would look awesome on a black T-shirt! ...

For the following image, I create faded edges using a freeware open-source program called, GIMP (I love this totally free program, There's nothing like it for working with photos). This YouTube video explains how to use the GIMP program to fade the edges of an image. I faded the edges, but I am not sure how this image would come out if you use it. Would the edges be white? I don't think so, because the edges were removed. But I am not sure, so please keep this in mind if you use it, I simply don't know. I love this photo though!

Dave Hum: The Banjo Man

SIDE NOTE: As a born-again Christian, I'm thinking of having another shirt made with this image that I edited with GIMP. I feathered this first cropped image on the outside using GIMP, which I think will work better on a shirt. GIMP is a free open-source program. Using "Select/Feather" from the dropdown menu in the program, you can choose how much feather effect you want. ...

This cropped image has no feathered effect...

I Received My Deering Calico Banjo Today

I received the Calico this morning and I love it. Praise God! It sure has a nice sound. I'm glad it came before I had to leave for the dentist to have my teeth cleaned. thankfully it did! The Golden Era is not as bright as the Calico. I also have to find out if other Golden Eras have the same buzzing issue because of the fret not being long enough by string one. That's a problem for my style of playing. The Calico is fine. Both banjos sound very nice, but I prefer the Calico. I hadn't played the Calico for 30 seconds and I knew that I was going to keep it. I think it has more resonance than the Golden Era. Each banjo has it's own character (feel) to it. I can feel the resonance in the Calico, but the Golden Era is also very nice.

To be honest, I'd love to keep them both! I may order the Golden Era next year, if Fuller's Guitars has another sale with 15% off. I'd say that the Golden Era has a bit more of a fuller sound, meatier, but not as bright and resonant as the Calico. For my tastes, I really like the Calico. Both banjos use the coveted 06 Tone Ring (developed by Deering in 2006). Plus it is a prettier banjo than the Golden Era. I took a bunch of photos, which I will show you in a moment.

I recorded these two songs today of My Grandfather's Clock, comparing the two banjos. As you can hear, both banjos have exceptional sound. I used a Shure 57 microphone, so you can hear what the banjos sound like. You can hear my picks scratching the head at times, but I heard Dave Hum's picks scratching his head too, so I guess it's normal. I used Dave's backing track, which you can get from his family if you want them too.

One final word, I didn't change the volume or settings on anything while recording. As you can hear, the Calico is considerably louder than the Golden Era in volume. From listening back to these recordings, I would love to have both of these axes in my collection in time, but for now I want the Calico. Enjoy! ...

• My Grandfather's Clock (Golden Era)
• My Grandfather's Clock (Calico)

From listening back to the two recordings, I think the Golden Era sounds better for recording. But for the enjoyment of just playing, the Calico wins hands down! So each banjo has it's pros and cons, as with all instruments. Both sound nice in the recordings. The Golden Era is a Gibson ESS clone, which intrigues me. I really want to try the Deering Golden Wreath (which has a mahogany neck), and clones the 1930's Gibson RB-250 Mastertone banjo. The Golden Era has a maple neck, as does the Calico also. Although the Golden Era far outsells the Golden Wreath in units sold, from reading reviews on the BanjoHangout, a lot of players love the tone of the Golden Wreath more. The Golden Wreath is less expensive because it has a plainer pot cover and less flare than the Golden Era does. The Calico is beautiful, which is why it costs more.

I'm sure you've already seen the comparison video on YouTube done by Kelly Emerson, between the Golden Era and The Calico. Initially he chose the Calico, because it “punches like a dog” (as he demonstrates). However, if you read all the comments below the video, he later went back and bought the Golden Era instead. I think the Golden Era is a better all-around banjo. The Calico is special, and I love it! The Calico has a very cheerful, happy, in your face tone that I absolutely love in a banjo. I'll be picking this puppy a lot, Lord willing!

By the way, I only paid $4,436 for the Calico. If you want a Deering banjo, I'd recommend that you buy it from Fuller's Guitars in Houston, Texas, because I am sure they will give you a discount too (just ask, which is what I did). After placing my order, they shipped the banjo within a couple hours! Wow! They gave me 15% off, which is not bad at all. And most importantly, when there was a problem with the Golden Era (the buzzing issue) they worked with me (which to me is priceless). The Calico lists for $5,799 on Deering's website. Fuller's didn't set up the Golden Era, and I had to adjust my own truss rod action. I mentioned it to them. When they sent the Calico, it was 100% great. So, they definitely set up the Calico up before shipping it to me. You might want to request specifically that they set up your banjo if you order from them, to make sure it gets done.

Also, one caveat is that Fuller Guitars won't install railroad spikes, which may be an issue for some. I just spent the insane $59 amount to buy this fifth string capo, in hopes that it will work so I don't have to risk messing up my banjo by trying to drive a railroad spike into it.

I have installed my own spikes on two of my banjos. The first was a Recording King Madison that I gave to my daughter a few years ago. That installation went well. I ordered the spikes from Stew Mac. I messed up on my Deering Goodtime Special. I made the hole a bit too far from the string. So I drilled another hole closer to the string, but covered the first hole with the railroad spike, so you can't see the hole...lol.

If I don't like the Banjo Highway capo (I ordered the bronze color), then I am going to (Lord help me...lol) install my own railroad spike on the Calico. Can you hear my heart beating faster already...lol. I'm just going to very carefully take my time, choose slowly where I want the spike, and then hand drill the hole. I bought a hand drill from Amazon. It's my banjo, so if I mess it up I mess it up, there will just be an extra hole in my neck. I trust myself more than I do 90% of the butchers in music stores today. Banjo.com are butchers! I would NEVER let them work on my banjo. They screwed up a Deering Golden Era that I ordered in 2021, but I never received it because it had a bad buzz on the fifth string after they installed the spikes.

I also have a Schubb Sliding Capo sitting on my shelf that I ordered on eBay for about $35. But I don't want to drill two holes into my Calico. Geoff Hohwald at the Banjo Warehouse installed a Schubb capo, but you can see in this video that he screwed up (kindly said). He drilled the holes too low on the neck (toward the underside of the neck), so the Schubb capo sits at an angle (because the neck is angled). This causes the fifth string to slip out sometimes from under the finger on the Schubb capo. You can see in the video the improper angle, because the capo was mounted too low. I read the instructions that came with mine, and it specifies to install the capo 1/16" below the fretboard. Geoff mounted it about 3/16" below the fretboard. Anyway, I am hoping that the Banjo Highway capo will do the job. I'll let you know.

Here are some photos I took today of the Calico. I thank God for the privilege to play the banjo, for Dave Hum's backing tracks, and for my new addition to the family. ...

ABOVE: Notice above that there is ample fret space beyond the edge of the first string. One of the reasons why I am returning the Golden Era banjo to Fuller's Guitars is because it has a bad buzz on the first string, whenever you do a pull-off on string one. There's not enough fret space beyond the edge of the string, so it slides off the fret and buzzes when doing a pull-off. I need to find out if all Golden Eras are like this, or if I just got a lemon.

ABOVE TWO PHOTOS: You can see in the two above photos a comparison between the flanges on the Golden Era (top photo), and the Calico (bottom photo). I like the Calico's flange.

Deering Calico Banjo

New Backing Track For “Tobin's Jig”

The Irish song “Tobin's Jig” is also known as: Tobin's Favorite, Tobin's Favourite, The Mug Of Brown Ale, Gus Tierney's, Tobin's Fancy, Follow Me Around The Garden and The Wandering Minstrel. It took me awhile to develop my muscle memory to play it without messing up as much, but I'm getting better. I used Dave Hum's YouTube recording as a template to make my backing track. I tabbed out the song to be helpful. Enjoy!

• Tobin's Jig Tablature (TablEdit tabs)
• Tobin's Jig Tablature (.PDF tabs)
• Tobin's Jig (Normal)
• Tobin's Jig (Slower)
• Tobin's Jig (Slow)
• Tobin's Jig (Very Slow)
• Tobin's Jig (Woodshed)
• Tobin's Jig (Caveman)

I used a MIDI piano and bass. The key signature is 6/8 time. The song is done in the key of D in the Double C Tuning, which I enjoy playing. Use a capo on fret two, and fret 7 of the fifth string. Good stuff!

Dave Hum (1966-2012)

Hear Me Play 'Arkansas Traveller' On Golden Era

I made this recording tonight, to give you an idea of what the Deering Golden Era banjo sounds like. I've playing along with Dave Hum's backing track.

Arkansas Traveller
(Golden Era)

I also made this quick MP3 clip where I pick the banjo harder, so you can hear the amount of resonance it has. I think there are definitely more resonant banjos, but I only know based on YouTube videos I've heard, not hands-on. So I really don't know. Unlike my recordings where I added some Acoustic Reverb in MixCraft, on this recording I didn't add anything, it's just pure Golden Era banjo going into the Shure 57 microphone. The Golden Era has a very nice tone. I haven't had the opportunity to play professional banjos, except for a Hatfield and this Golden Era. I've got a Calico on the way, and I'll decide when it arrives which one I'm going to keep, and send back.

Having said that, the Golden Era has a buzzing issue on the first string when I do pull-offs (as you already know if you've been reading my blogs). I made a short MP3 audio clip tonight of the buzzing problem, while doing some pull-offs, so you can hear it clearly. I'll likely return the Golden Era, but I am not sure yet. I've been wanting to try to Calico for a couple years, and now is my chance, praise the Lord. One day I hope to get a chance to play a Gibson.

Here's my banjo collection...

Just Kidding!

Hear Me Play 'The Old Spinning Wheel' On My Deering Goodtime Special

For comparison I thought some of my banjo blog friends would like to hear what my Deering Goodtime Special sounds like. I only paid $1,099 for it from Gear Tree on Amazon. Gear Tree included a free study hard gig bag, banjo stand and a wiping cloth. Not bad! That little student banjo has grown on me. I love playing it, but it doesn't have the resonance that I want. I wish Deering would make a high-end banjo that is natural wood like the Goodtime series. I love that natural look. I used Dave Hum's backing track for this recording.

On this next recording, I put the banjo close to the Shure 57 microphone to get a solid recording of the banjo, but it also picked up my picks scratching the head. I listened to Dave Hum play and he also gets the pick sounds at times in his recordings. So I guess it's normal. When I recorded the same song on my new Golden Era last evening, I kept the banjo about 2 1/2 feet from the microphone, so you can't hear the picks hardly.

The Old Spinning Wheel
(Goodtime Special)

Both banjos sound nice, but you can hear how nicer the Golden Era sounds. I humbly think so.

Hear Me Play 'The Old Spinning Wheel' On A Deering Golden Era Banjo

I recorded The Old Spinning Wheel song tonight. I didn't take the time to work up an arrangement, right now I'm trying to decide if I am going to keep the banjo. I really like it! The banjo lists with most Deering dealers at $5,149. I got a 15% discount from Fuller's Guitars in Houston, Texas, so I only paid $4,376. ONLY...lol! That's what a professional banjo costs. I used a Shure 57 microphone this time, not the Gold Tone ABS-D microphone that I did with Mason's Apron earlier today. I humbly think the Shure 57 is a better microphone...

The Old Spinning Wheel

I did add to the banjo some Acoustic Reverb effect in MixCraft Studio Pro, that I used to record the song. My neck hurts so bad all the time that I have a short tolerance for playing any musical instrument. But God is good and I have no complaints. My only complaint is against our stupid government that limits doctors from prescribing adequate doses of pain medication. 40 mg a day of OxyContin is a joke and only half of what I need. Anyway, Dave Hum (1966-2012) made the awesome backing track. Dave Hum spent thousands of hours making these rhythm tracks, so I encourage you to invest in buying them. They are priceless to me.

When I am caught up in my banjo playing I don't notice the buzz on string one when doing pull-offs. I really like the Golden Era. I think it sounds as nice as the Hatfield when I had it for a day in June. The Hatfield's intonation was way off and unfixable, so I returned it to Arthur. The intonation is great on the Golden Era, no problems. I wish I could play the Golden Wreath and the Calico also, but I will likely never have the opportunity to play either, unless I purchase them. The Golden Era is Deering's attempt to recreate the Gibson ESS, which is what Dave Hum played (a 1992 Gibson ESS). Since he didn't start playing banjo until the mid 1990's, I'm thinking he must have bought his Gibson used. The tone of the Golden Era is definitely better than my Recording King Elite 85.

I love playing my Deering Goodtime Special. It has a tone ring. I just love the feel, the plain wood and bright cheerful look, the accurate intonation and it does have a decent tone. But it doesn't have the resonance of the Golden Era (with the 06 Tone Ring). But to be honest, the Golden Era in my humble opinion still lacks the GROWL that I want in a banjo. In this video, Ron Stewart is playing his Yates banjo and I've never heard so much growl in a banjo. I want that! My Golden Era DOESN'T sound that good! Like most other banjo enthusiasts, I am on a never-ended quest to find “that sound.” But I could keep searching for the rest of my life and never find “that sound” in a banjo, and I need a professional banjo now to play. So I think I'll keep the Golden Era to play. But first I'm going to see if Fuller Guitars will let me buy a Golden Wreath at a 15% discount, and I'll return the banjo I like less. I definitely want something in the Mastertone series. My Goodtime Special and RK Elite 85 are maple necks. I'd like a mahogany neck, and the Golden Wreath is mahogany. So, we'll see.

It is frustrating, as I know many of you can relate with, trying to find the right banjo for you, but we don't have the opportunity to play them all. If you buy a certain banjo and don't like it, you lose hundreds of dollars on shipping each time you return one. I'll likely never get a deal like this, 15% off! That's why I jumped at the chance to buy it. I saved $772. I've never seen a steep discount like that. Honestly, I am so picky as a musician that I don't think I'll ever be happy with any banjo I buy, so I might as well just keep the Golden Era and play the hell out of

of it...lol.

I just paid $4,714 two days ago to a local roofing contractor in Pensacola to replace my entire leaking garage roof. That price included 9 sheets of plywood, an additional charge for Pristine shingles that won't change color over time, and more expensive underlayment that is self-sealing and won't leak if a storm rips off some shingles. It took 6 men 6 hours of hard labor to strip the old roof off, and then install the new roof, to complete the job. All that for the same price as the Golden Era banjo. Wow! I took this photo through my window while they were working to replace my roof...

Personally, I think banjos are waaaay overpriced. The fact that Fuller was able to give me a 15% discount and still make a profit shows just how much profit Deering and their dealers make. That was nice of Fuller Guitars in Houston to offer a big discount to their customers.

This is a classic photo of Earl Scruggs and Steve Martin collaborating together (both amazing banjo artists)...