Here's Some Helpful Banjo Resources

I just wanted to share some nice helpful things I recently found with everyone.

First, go check out this really great YouTube channel at:

Bluegrass Backing Tracks!
(169 free backing Track videos)

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Second, I love this free Transpose Extension for your Chrome browser. The classic version is totally free and allows you to change the key, pitch and tempo of any YouTube video. You can even loop portions of any song. This is awesome for playing along with your favorite banjo tune in a different key, slower tempo, or focusing on one section of a video to learn it.

After you install the extension, make sure to go up to the right corner in your browser and click the three vertical dots. In the drop down menu click “Extensions, Manage Extensions,” scroll down to the “Transpose” extension and select “Details.” Then make sure “Pin to toolbar” is enabled for easy access. Also, make sure that the extension is enabled. You'll see the yellow icon (with up and down arrows) in the upper right corner of your browser. This is an awesome free tool.

Free Transpose Extension

(transpose; change pitch, tempo, loop)

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Third, here are some really nice quality MP3 backing tracks made by skilled musician Curtis Jones. Here are nine free songs. He has 37 songs (193 tracks total at various tempos) available for $60. When I ordered they gave me a discount on each pack, which I'm sure you'll also receive. While checking out they asked if I wanted to also purchase the Jam Session Survival book for $5. How could I pass that up? The book contains chords for 100 top Bluegrass songs. I bought the book, so I could easily enter the chords into Band-In-A-Box, which project I plan (Lord willing) to start at some future time, to start making additional folk and Bluegrass backing tracks with BB. I have a lot of ideas for future music projects. Anyway, all toll I paid $53.75 for everything after the discounts were applied.

Bluegrass Jam Tracks

Check Out All These Banjo Albums

If you haven't visited “Take's Bluegrass Album Channel” on YouTube yet, by all means please do so friend. I searched for “banjo” today and all of these banjo albums came up. Nice! Listening to banjo music is a great way to be inspired to learn new songs and ideas. Lord willing, I plan to make backing tracks for some of these songs below, like “Foggy Mountain Top” and “Banjo Signal.” Gotta love the banjo!

Here's just a few songs that I like and wanted to share...

Foggy Mountain Top
Bluegrass Banjo Pickin' [1963] - The Mountaineers

Song For Susan

Banjo Payer [1973] - Carl Jackson

Battle Of New Orleans

America's Most Authentic Folk Banjo [1961] - Raymond Fairchild

Chicken Reel

Smith Ridge: A Tribute To The Stanley Style Of Mountain Banjo [1996]

My Grandfather's Clock

Bluegrass Banjo Pickin' [1963] - The Mountaineers

Jim Reed's Videos

Banjo Signal

Mr. Original Banjo Man [1977] - Allen Shelton

Silver Bells (by Don Reno)

Mr. Original Banjo Man [1977] - Allen Shelton

Take's Bluegrass Banjo Albums

Earl Scruggs Instruction Album
5-String Banjo Instruction Album [1967] - Earl Scruggs

Awesome Chrome Wipes To Polish Your Banjo

I recently learned about this awesome product. They are chrome wipes. These are MUCH better than trying to use chrome paste and an old cloth laying around the house to polish the chrome on your musical instruments. ...

Tub O' Towels Heavy Duty Chrome Wipes - Clean, Shine & Protect Chrome - Aluminum, Copper and Brass Surfaces - Oil-Based Polishing Wipes - Resists Streaks & Fingerprints - 40 Count for Auto Detailing

These wipes are also perfect for polishing the chrome on my pedal steel guitar. You can use them for any chrome surface, including wheel hubs, et cetera. The chrome wipes feel dry to touch (because they are oil based), but as it states on the container, this is intentional and normal.

Dave Hum (1966-2012)

I Recorded The Song “Off To California” With My Golden Wreath

This is one of my favorite songs to play on the 5-string banjo. It is in standard tuning. Like Dave Him does, I like to play it in the key of A (second fret capoed, also capo the 7th fret on the fifth string).

• Off To California (I'm playing my Deering Golden Wreath banjo)

I use the same lick in this song that's used on Mason's Apron, which I teach how to do in this blog. I'm still developing my playing skills on the banjo. I can only sit in awe at Dave Hum's mastery on the banjo. I humbly think that progessing well, but still have miles more to go. I tried to record Tobin's Jig recently on Double C Tuning, but my playing is still too choppy. I wasn't satisfied with the recording when done. I need to keep working at it to play more fluently.

The important thing is to enjoy yourself along the journey and have fun. I heard Dave share some of his philosophy once and he emphasized that learning the banjo is not a competition. Every musician has a “musical signature.” That is, no one will ever sound exactly like you, nor you exactly like someone else. Music would be pretty boring if we all sounded the same. I love that uniqueness in each person.

I recorded Off To California using a Shure 57 microphone for the banjo. I'm using a USB Scarlett Solo interface. I made the backing track using Mixcraft Studio Pro 10.5 software.

My Deering Golden Wreath
(selfie photo taken in September 2024)

I Recorded “Green Gates” This Evening

I felt like recording tonight, so I played along on my Deering Calico banjo with one of my favorite songs, “Green Gates.” Of the 115 awesome backing tracts that I purchased from Dave Hum's family, Green Gates was not among them, unfortunately. I love this song! So, last month I did the best I could to make my own backing track and I humbly think it's pretty nice. You are welcome to do whatever you want with all my backing tracks that I make. You can record along with them to share, use them on your own website or blog if you have one, et cetera. I freely made them for music enthusiasts, especially banjo pickers like me.

• Green Gates (playing my Deering Calico. I recorded this tonight)
• Green Gates (playing my Deering Goodtime Special. I recorded this last month)

Lord willing, I already have many more backing tracks in the works for everyone, which will be coming in the future, so please keep visiting weekly to see what's new.

Green gates is a fun and happy song to play, which is why I love the 5-string banjo so much. The banjo is a cheerful instrument in this dreary world of evil, war and hunger. Playing a musical instrument is a good, pure and honest hobby. Music makes the world a better place.

Last week I installed a railroad spike on my Deering Calico banjo. Thankfully it all went well. The key is to carefully plan your work before you start, and then go slow. I admit that I was a bit nervous drilling a hole into a $4,436 banjo...lol. I bought it from 'Fuller's Guitar' in Houston, Texas. They had a 4th of July weekend 15% discount.

I Installed a Railroad Spike on My Deering Calico

My first love will always be the steel guitar, but the banjo comes second. Lloyd Green and Tommy White (who made this historical jam session in 2002 in Nashville) are my heroes on the pedal steel guitar. I love these guys! I'd live in Nashville because of the music if I could afford it, but Pensacola is home for me. The cost of living in Pensacola is 14% below the national average, which is one reason why I moved here in 2021, thinking ahead for retirement.

It also doesn't snow here in the panhandle, so I don't have to drive in it; praise the Lord! Albeit, I do love and miss the snow when I lived up in Chicago for 37 years. I moved to the island of Guam in 2004 and lived there for 17 years, where the daily temperature is 85 degrees 365 days a year. Amazing! But believe me, you do get sick of it. I love the colder weather here in Pensacola. It's going down to 37 degrees tomorrow night and I love it. The relentless humidity on Guam was unbearable! Albeit, the ocean was beautiful, always within a 5 minutes drive.

On a different notice, I bought a Yamaha P-225 keyboard piano, as I mentioned last month. I am determined to start learning to play hymns. I'm working on the hymns: “Is your All On The Altar” in the key of Eb, and “Mansion Over The Hilltop” in the key of C. Learning to play the piano is going to take a lot of patience and time. I'm starting at a snail's pace, but thankfully I have a good understanding of basic music theory. My goal is just to learn to play a dozen of my favorite Gospel hymns. I ordered a couple piano learning books by John Thompson to get started, and YouTube has lots of helpful videos. One day at a time. I love musical instruments.

Sadly, I live alone. My former wife cruelly abandoned and divorced me in 2006 against my will, so I get lonely on holidays. I've reluctantly lived alone for 18 years since 2006. I hate divorce. My pastor years ago was right, who said that divorce is a sin that perpetuates for a lifetime. I have tried to find another woman to marry, but no one can replace what the Bible calls, “the wife of thy youth” (Proverbs 5:18; Jeremiah 3:20). No one can replace the mother of one's children. I wish our ungodly courts didn't allow divorce, like they don't in the Philippines. I believe biblically that divorce is always wrong. I have signed up for numerous dating websites over the years, but women today are very different than 75 years ago. I just haven't had any luck finding someone.

Anyway, today is Thanksgiving Day. I feel like Sylvester Stallone in the 1976 movie, Rocky, who said Thanksgiving is just Thursday to him. I am thankful to God 365 days a year, but to me Thanksgiving Day is just Thursday. God is so good and I am grateful that my name is written in Heaven (Luke 10:20). I am grateful for the blessings I have, so I have no complaints to God. The Lord is not to blame for the mess that humanity creates. God is faithful (1st Corinthians 1:9b).

Having said that, happy Thanksgiving Day to everyone and thank you for your continued interest in my banjo blog. God bless you friend.

To you it's Thanksgiving. To me it's Thursday. Yo Adrian

Check Out Jim Reed's Banjo YouTube Channel

One of Dave Hum's favorite banjo picker's (and mine) is Jim Reed in Sidney, Kentucky. I didn't realize that "Reed's Hornpipe" was named after Jim Reed until Dave mentioned it in his video he made of the song, which Dave says inspired him to learn the song. I love hornpipes on the banjo! Dave Hum's family has his original backing track of the song for sale in Pack #6.

Jim Reed Videos

I downloaded 167 of Jim's YouTube videos as MP4's, to save to my hardrive in case the channel disappears one day. You never know with the internet. I really like when Jim plays "Old Spinning Wheel"...

Old Spinning Wheel (Jim Reed)

I am working on several new backing tracks which you'll be seeing in the months ahead, Lord willing. I'm having a lot of fun and enjoyment making these backing tracks. I love sharing them freely with everyone. I get so tired of everyone wanting money for everything. I can perfectly understand in the case of Dave Hum's family, they need some income. I strongly encourage you to purchase Dave's original backing tracks. Mine are inferior to his. Honestly, Dave was a brilliant musical artist in so many ways—from the mysterious phantom notes that he often plays on the banjo, his incredible picking speed, his ability to conversate with people while not missing a beat, to his musical acuity—the guy ceases to amaze me!

Since I was a teenager 40 years ago, I have loved giving and sharing. Dave is such a tremendous inspiration to me, and I know he is a blessing to thousands of other musicians and music lovers as well. Dave's favorite motto was: So many tunes, so little time!

By God's grace, I made this blog as a tribute to my friend, Dave Hum—to continue his legacy of making backing tracks, busking, helping his family out financially, and inspiring others to pursue an interest in the banjo. It is a worthy investment that over time will bring back much joy and satisfaction. With all the evil things in this world, I thank God for such a good, honest, pure and honorable hobby as playing the banjo. What a tremendous blessing!

Dave Hum (1966-2012)

A Cool Lick I Learned Today

Any musician knows that there are two essentials to playing great music, besides being quite familiar with what you're trying to play and having great tone. Those two things are: 1) building up your repertoire, 2) knowing where to use those things. A musician may know some awesome things to play, but if you don't utilize them at the proper place in a song, they won't be as effective, and might even sound bad. I ran across a lick today from Mike Hedding, that expanded my way of thinking on the banjo. Like most players, I easily fall into the habit of playing the same things over and over. So, I find it refreshing when I discover something new.

It's nothing fancy, but I had never thought of doing that before on the 7th fret until today. I always love learning new things on the banjo, because it increases my library of things to play.

Dave Hum (1966-2012)

Some Tips On Installing Railroad Spikes

I have installed spikes on three banjos. So, although I don't claim to be an expert, I have learned many things so far. I went to HomeDepot and bought a small Dremel Stylo+ kit, and used a 1/32" drill bit to install the spike on my Deering Golden Wreath this week. It went very well. I took this photo just now of my Golden Wreath, showing the railroad spike that I installed. I play in the key of A most of the time, so I just wanted a spike on the 7th fret. I admit that I felt hesitant installing a spike on a $4,130 banjo. But from seeing the shady work done at Banjo.com and other stores, I trust myself more than I do them. Since I know exactly where I want the spike installed, it makes sense to just do it myself. ...

Some things to keep in mind if you install your own railroad spike. I don't claim to be an expert, but these are some things that I have learned on my own about installing spikes. I bought my banjo spikes from Stew Mac:

1. DON'T drill the hole where the location marker exists in your neck (that's the little cosmetic circle on the side of your neck between the frets). If you drill over this marker, it might break the marker and cause it to come out of the neck.
2. Drill your hole TOWARD the bridge, not the nut. This will prevent buzzing when done. Plus it just feels like the proper place to install a spike, making it easy to slip the fifth string under the spike with your finger.
3. Drill your hole roughly about 1/4" away from the fret marker (the dot on the side of your neck). Again, drill the hole toward the bridge. There's no specific exact place to drill the hole, so you have some leeway. Just don't drill right over the position marker (or it might work it's way out if you break it), and don't get to close to the fret (or you'll have more difficulty trying to slip the string under the spike). In general, for installing a spike on the 7th fret, I like to drill the hole closer to the position marker than I do the 8th fret. See the photos I took for reference.
4. Drill the hole at a slight angle inward. Since your neck is angled inward, it makes sense to drill parallel with the neck's angle.
5. Don't drill too deep! Use your eyes to look at the length of your spike, and see how much of the drill bit has gone into the neck. You just need to drill deep enough for the spike to fit.
6. Drill the hole at the string (perpendicular to the string), or just the tiniest but inward (toward the first string). You don't want to drill too close to the neck's edge, to prevent cracking. Nor do you want to drill the hole too much inward, which will give you way too little string spacing. You want to have the same string spacing when you're done, as all the other strings have. When I ordered a Deering Sierra from Banjo.com, they installed the spikes halfway toward the fourth string. I hated what they did! Your string spacing between the 4th and 5th string when hooked on the spike, shouldn't be 50% of what the spacing is on all the other strings. The string spacing between the 4th and 5th string should be no less than 90% of the spacing between the other banjo strings. I don't know what is wrong with them at Banjo.com, but they did  terrible job! I returned their banjo.
7. Always take side cutters and cut off some of the railroad spike's tip, in effect blunting it to prevent cracking your neck. A sharp spike can split the wood.
8. Use a 1/32" drill bit width. This will give you a perfect tight fit. If for any reason you're hole is ever too big, you can use Super Glue and let it dry overnight to hold it in the neck.
9. I use two business cards, placed under the head of the railroad spike, while gently pounding the spike into the neck to prevent going too far.
10. Make sure you have plenty of light while working, so you can see what you're doing.
11. You can use needle-nose pliers to rotate the railroad spike's head if you need to turn it in the neck after installed.
12. If this is your first time installing a spike, you can practice on a piece of wood a couple times to get the feel for it, and see how it goes.
13. The spike should be tapped into the neck as far as possible, with just enough room left to easily slide the string under it.
14. I used a 1/4" socket extension as a drift to gently tap in the spike. You don't need hardly any pressure, so be careful not to use force.
15. Say a prayer before you begin for God to help you not mess up. Hey, it can't hurt.
16. The main thing is to GO SLOW before you drill. Don't just start drilling, take your time. PLAN your work, and then WORK your plan. Before you start to drill, you should already know exactly where you want the spike. You should know what angle you're going to drill at. I just drilled slightly angled in toward the center of the neck. You should know how deep you plan to go. You can always drill deeper if you need to. I pulled the drill bit out a couple times to see how deep it went, and compared it to the length of the spike. You want to drill just a little bit deeper than the length of the spike. If you use a 1/32" drill bit, it will be a nice tight fit. NEVER FORCE ANYTHING! If the spike seems to be too tight to go in, drill the hole again and it will expand a bit. DON'T use a bigger drill bit size.
17. Worse case scenario, if you drill in the wrong place, you can fill the hole with colored wood filler and drill another hole elsewhere. I've never had to do this. If you take your time, and have a solid plan before you start, knowing exactly what your objective is, you should have good success. Ultimately your goal is to be able to capo the fifth string at the 7th fret. So, even if you drill a little too far in, or too far out, or whatever, as long as you can capo the string, you've succeeded.
18. You should install the spike when you're alone; not when you have company, kids running through the house, dogs under your feet, a cat in your face, your wife nagging at you, the phone ringing, et cetera. Haste makes waste.
19. In summary: Press gently with the drill. Don't go too deep. Stay away from the edge of the neck. Avoid drilling directly over the position marker. Don't drill to close to the fret, because if you do it will make it harder to slip the string under the spike. Use a new sharp drill bit, not a worn or broken one. I have learned that not using any string thickness above .010" works best on the fifth string. Dave Hum actually used a .012" on his Gibson ESS for the fifth string, but when I used size 0.11" gauge on my Deering Calico, it deadened my tone on the fifth string. Dave used a .010" gauge for the fifth string on his Baldwin Ode and Epiphone banjos. To each his own. I'm using a .010" now.

Here's another photo I just took of my Deering Golden Wreath, showing the spike I installed this week. ...

My Deering Golden Wreath Banjo

You can do it my friend!

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!

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 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

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)...

Hear Me Play 'Mason's Apron' On A Deering Golden Era Banjo

Mason's Apron. I just bought I Deering Golden Era banjo from Fuller's Guitars in Houston, Texas (they gave me 15% off), but it has an issue and I might send it back. I only paid $4,376 for it! Nice! Most dealers list it for $5,149. They had a weekend special last week at Fuller's. I have to wait to hear from the music store. They're closed for the weekend. The string slides off the fret when I do a pull-off on the first string, which it's not supposed to do, causing the string to buzz. I made this short video so you can hear what I am talking about.

I also added this recording I made tonight of The Old Spinning Wheel, using another of Dave Hum's backing tracks. I didn't work up an arrangement, so it is just adlib, but this time I used a Shure 57 microphone, so you can actually hear what the Golden Era sounds like. It's a nice banjo. The more I play the banjo, the more I like it. The string buzz is there, but it's not as noticeable when I'm caught up in my playing with a backing track. What intrigues me about this banjo is that Dave Hum played a 1992 Gibson ESS, and this banjo is Deering's best attempt to recreate the Gibson ESS. So It is special to me because of Dave Hum.

I'm wanting them to send me a Deering Calico to try it out (and I'll return the one I don't want). I still have a week to return the Golden Era if I don't want it. I have to see if they'll work with me. I've had such bad experiences with music stores. When I received the Golden Era, the strings were about 3/8" away from the neck. I had to turn the truss rod about 3/4 of a turn to get the action right. It's good now.

I took some photos with my phone of my different banjos, so you can see the distance between the fret edge and the string. ...

My Recording King Elite 85

My Deering Goodtime Special

My Deering Golden Era

You can see in the above photos that the Golden Era has only half the fret space beyond the edge of the first string. This causes the first string to slip off the fret and buzz when doing a pull-off. When I capo the second fret the problem goes away. So I'm thinking the nut's raised elevation contributes to the issue. In my humble opinion Deering poorly designed the neck, by not making the fret a little longer. On my Deering Goodtime Special and Recording King Elite 85, I cannot pull the string off the fret even if I try, because there is ample fret space still available to work with. But on the Golden Era the string flops off the fret sometimes when doing a pull-off which is annoying. If I decide to keep the banjo, I might need a have a Zero Glide Nut installed by a local Deering Dealer in Pensacola. However, I am not sure if that will fix the problem, it is my best guess. I am not a Luthier. Having said that, I really like this banjo!

I made the following MP3 recording today of me playing the song Mason's Apron along with a backing track I got by Dave Hum (that I bought from his website). I missed some notes and it's a bit rough, but I'm still learning the song. It's one of the folk songs I've been learning. ...

I'm Playing Mason's Apron On a Deering Golden Era

I Used Painter's Tape To Temporarily Protect The Head

I recorded Mason's Apron in the Key of A, using a capo on the second fret. When I put a capo on the second fret the problem goes away. As I mentioned, I think it's because the capo lowers the string height, preventing the string from sliding off. Without the capo, the nut holds the strings higher, and that's when the first string slides off the frets.

I took a photo of the Golden Era. It's one of Deering's nicest banjos. I put blue painter's tape on the head, so my picks wouldn't scratch the head in case I choose to return it. I still have a week to decide. I might get the Calico banjo instead. The Golden Wreath also intrigues me. I have to wait and see. I'm trying to see if the music store in Texas will send me the Deering Calico, and I'll choose which one I want to keep and send the other back. If I keep the Golden Era, I'll take it down to a local Luthier and have them install a Zero Glide Nut, which lowers the string height, as if the nut were just another fret. All Gold Tone banjos come standard with Zero Glide Nuts now, except their new OB3 Twanger model.

I'm not recording live with a microphone for Mason's Apron, I used a Gold Tone Dynamic (ABS-D) microphone on my banjo. It attaches to the J-hooks. It has a guitar cable that plugs into my Scarlett interface, and then it has a USB output to my computer.

Anyway, you can hear some of my banjo playing. I just made a quick recording so you could hear what I'm working on. I missed some notes and need a lot more playing to perfect my skills, but I'm doing well so far, by God's grace. Dave Hum is such an inspiration. I love that man! I really enjoy learning and playing the banjo. It takes my mind off of my chronic neck pain. Thanks to everyone for visiting my blog.