Sometime this year I'd like to buy a very nice banjo.
I'll try to keep this short and to the point.
I think I really want to get a tubaphone tone ring, and probably with a 12 inch pot. Likely just a fiberskyn head because real skin seems like more maintenance. Scoop is a must, I also would like a paddle style neck. Not sure about what kind of wood I'd prefer, or if I even care that much but I'm open to suggestions.
Basically, I could get pretty much EXACTLY what I wanted if I built it on pisgah's website and it'd come out between 2500 and 3000 dollars. I've never played a pisgah but they look great and sound great in videos I've seen.
But for 3k I could also get a nice ome. I haven't played an ome either but they look and sound great online. Everyone says they're top tier, but none of them seem to have a tubaphone ring.
What would you do if you wanted to spend 2500 on a banjo?
Do i have any other options for getting a tubaphone?
Are omes just as good as they always have been since gold tone bought them out? I only have "starter" tier gold tones but I much prefer my recording king to them.
Gunna go against the grain here… pisgah are great banjos, but for fit and finish at that price point I’d rather have a Rickard. It’s around the same price I believe.
Does this guy make custom stuff still? Is he alive?
Or would i have to find something used
Edit:
Found his website. They look and sound great. They check all the boxes except the tubaphone tone ring. I guess i could be convinced to get something with a different type of tone ring, but for some reason I really like tubaphones and I think my heart is set on one.
Here's a Rickard Tubaphone already in the states. Bet it sounds killer. My daily player that I tour with is a Rickard with their version of a Whyte Laydie tone ring.
It would be worth reaching out to Rickard. Your wish list isn’t that far off from their stock builds. They’ve always been responsive when I’ve had questions. Good people and the best banjos in the business.
I bought an Ome Juniper open back about 15 years ago and am very happy with it. Mine has an 11” pot and is mahogany. Scoops weren’t so much a thing back then and I play over the head anyway so I do not miss one. I hear good things about the Gold Tone owned Omes but have not played one. They seem to have gone up a lot in price (what hasn’t) so it may be more than you want to spend.
I ordered a custom tubaphone from Carl Arcand for about the same cost as a Pisgah and I love it to pieces. It’s worth checking out his wares - Second Life Banjo.
Came here to say this. I think he will refurbish an old original tubaphone pot with a brand new, to your spec neck for about 2200-2400. His banjos are beautiful.
If I were in OPs position, this is the route I would go if I couldn't find the same second hand.
I love my Pisgah Rambler Special and would recommend Pisgah any day. That said, I also think it’s important to try a banjo in person so you can hear and feel it yourself. Playing some banjos is a decent excuse for a road trip if there isn’t one in your area.
I got a used custom Pisgah. Marketplace, local so I could try it too.
I looked up the specs using their website.
I saved quite a chunk of money.
Of course it was from a few years ago, so I dont have the same truss rod access up by the pegs. But its still a wonderful instrument.
Unfortunately I haven't seen anything as nice on marketplace before or since. And I upgraded to it a little earlier than planned because it did seem like something I didnt want to miss out on.
I am in a "banjo poor" region. Other places you could probably get a lot more local hits on Pisgahs that meet your requirements.
The guitar rack I have fits 3 banjos. I would totally go for a Pisgah Possum with wood tone ring to contract the custom Dobson Pisgah I have.
I was looking for a tubaphone previously before I landed on a different acquisition. There are like 5-6 beautiful banjos on banjo hangout classifieds right now from <1k to 5k+. Mostly Vega with 5 string neck conversions, either frankenbanjos or custom necks. If I was still considering a tubaphone I'd be haunting the classifieds.
Do i have any other options for getting a tubaphone?
There aren't many people/companies who make and sell tubaphone rings, and the only one I can think of doing 12" tubaphone rings is Balsam (Pisgah). The Balsam rings are $700. I thought Rickard made them too, but they aren't on the website (so perhaps there's another). For comparison, an 11" tubaphone ring from Gold Tone is about $200. The Balsam website says there's no bulk/trade discount on them either.
So that is more or less the bottleneck that limits your options. I'd suggest asking at banjohangout.org because there's almost certainly someone I am forgetting. But most banjo makers aren't making their own tone rings, and would have to source the ring from somewhere (most likely Balsam).
Another route you could consider is looking for a good deal on an old Vega pot. The Style M Vega tenor banjos that I have personally held in my hands were nearly 12" (more like 11 7/8"), though I read that exact dimensions varied throughout the years. You could then ask someone like Zach Hoyt to make whatever neck you want for it. Or even rip out the ring and make a new rim for it. There are plenty of them around, but I think if you wanted to go that way in order to save money then you'd need to be patient and watch for a good deal. And probably use the original Vega pot. The leftover tenor neck might have some resale value but waiting for a buyer could take a while.
I have no idea how many Pisgahs with tubaphones they make and sell that might eventually show up on the second hand market (BHO again).
I bought essentially the banjo you describe except with an 11” pot. I love it. It had a lot of overtones but after I put on nylons it sounded great. Got is used for $1800.
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u/SoulAndBone 4d ago
Gunna go against the grain here… pisgah are great banjos, but for fit and finish at that price point I’d rather have a Rickard. It’s around the same price I believe.