Grafton Banjo Uke submitted 11/19/2008 Submitter cockneybanjo Where Purchased andy's banjos Year Purchased 2008 Price Paid 195 (GBP) historic exchange rates / currency converter Sound loud and bright. 8" Remo head and what look like Aquila strings give a nice bouncy tone with plenty of volume. Not up to the same quality as my pre-war Sovereign, but i didn't expect that anyway. Sound Rating 8 Setup good easy set-up. Low action and no buzzes or rattles. Setup Rating 9 Appearance nice dark finish, similar to the 'treacle and araldite' finish on Korean Gold Tones. Appearance Rating 9 Reliability looks good as far as I can tell on such short acquaintance. Past experience of Graftons suggests there will be no problems on this front Reliability Rating 9 Customer Service good service from Andy! Customer Service 10 Components looks a solid all-round piece. Again, past experience of Graftons has been good Components Rating 9 Overall Comments generally a copy of the pre-war Gibson UB3, if not up to Gibson standards of tone - but what do you expect at the price? nice value-for-money piece, well set-up, lacks the troublesome volute at the top of the neck often found on budget banjo ukes. Nice bright sound. Overall Rating 9

Gibson RB-250 submitted 12/21/2007 Submitter cockneybanjo Where Purchased private sale Year Purchased 2007 Price Paid 800 (£) (bought USED) historic exchange rates / currency converter Sound just what I wanted. Dry, strong sound with lots of clarity, mellow when played gently Sound Rating 9 Setup good set-up. Came from an experienced player and I haven't changed anything Setup Rating 9 Appearance general all-over patina from a well-used instrument. No rust or corrosion on metal parts. Chrome showing signs of years of polishing.. just a nice mellowed look Some 'buckle rash' on the resonator, but, well, that happens, it's not the instrument's faoult Appearance Rating 8 Reliability hardware obviously has lasted and looks like it will go on doing so for a long time to come Reliability Rating 8 Customer Service not relevant here Customer Service not rated Components good solid quality feel, no knocks, squeaks or buzzes anywhere Components Rating 9 Overall Comments fair price for a solid second-hand banjo, from a quality maker ,which has been well looked after over a fairly long life. I'm really pleased with it. It has that Gibson 'pop' and what more can you ask? My teacher is a Deering man, and he is happy with it. It's far ahead of my previous 'starter' and 'intermediate' banjos, as I would expect; it's very different to my Gold Tone Whyte Ladye so the comparison isn't valid If it was stolen I'd be pretty unhappy!!!! Overall Rating 9

Ozark 2109G submitted 9/5/2007 Submitter cockneybanjo Where Purchased RB Music, Aberdeen Year Purchased 2007 Price Paid 185 (£) historic exchange rates / currency converter Sound nice bright clear sound, reasonably loud. Nice shape neck with proper thumb-stop at the top. good frailing and three-finger picking banjo, good lightweight knock-about instrument. nice sweet tone. I have been comparing it to the Grafton Popular I started with, the Grafton has a darker tone and definitely prefers a low action. This one doesn't seem to mind. Sound Rating 8 Setup set up by R&B, I collected it so no shipping issues. Not had it long enough to make any changes yet. Acquired a Gator hard case to carry it in, instead of the Ritter bag I bought with it.. sems to suit the guitar-type tuners better ie it is still more or less in tune when it comes out of the box. Setup Rating 8 Appearance light blonde appearance... gentlemen prefer blondes! Minimal inlay, ozark logo on peghead, simple and neat. Grain on peghead could be better matched but that's a general comment on banjos at this price point, most of them have a scarf joint through the middle of the peghead Appearance Rating 9 Reliability has developed a buzz up the neck, tapping the nut to reseat it has lessened this; cheap tailpiece is visibly bending. So, marks down for the hardware Reliability Rating 7 Customer Service R&B have a good reputation. Ozark, never dealt with them Customer Service 8 Components no standout components but no obvious initial weak points either. Cheap tailpiece started to bend after a few weeks. Geared 5th string peg is a nice detail. I will probably fit some cheap planetary tuners soon because I do travel a lot, and it helps with the tuning ( taking it in and out of the box all the time ). Tailpiece will be replaced when I next change the strings. Components Rating 7 Overall Comments good lightweight travelling banjo, I've variously heard it described as a 'Deering Goodtime knock-off' and a Gold Tone CC100 knock-off. Better spec than the Deering, truss rod and twin co-ordinator rods plus arm-rest all as standard. Cheaper than Gold Tone for an essentially very similar instrument. definitely better than the 'el cheapo' bottom of the range Chinese stuff. You could get a plywood resonator and a load of cheapo 'pearloid' inlay for the same money, if that's what you want, but this is a better value buy. Would I buy another if it was stolen? Don't know. I have a Grafton Popular which costs the same, sounds as least as good and has planetary tuners, but doesn't have the blonde appearance... since I wrote the original review it has become my main travel banjo so yes, i would buy another marked it down to a 7 after a year or so. Buzzy neck comes and goes, cheap straightline-type tailpiece has been replaced with a no-knot type which I thought would suit it, but doesn't. So, the Grafton is back as my favourite lightweight knock-about instrument Overall Rating 7

Gold Tone Whyte Layde WL-250 submitted 6/1/2007 Submitter cockneybanjo Where Purchased Andy's Banjos Year Purchased 2007 Price Paid 485 (£) historic exchange rates / currency converter Sound lovely sweet tone, really rings out but can be played very softly with no loss of tone. This one is a short-neck A-scale one, 23 1/2" scale length, so I Ihaven't tried it on a G tuning yet. Sound Rating 9 Setup just fitted the bridge and tuned it.. Andy Perkins always slackens the strings when he sends an instrument .. no other changes yet. Feels very natural, easy action and good 'feel'. 5/8" bridge seems to suit it; Andy usually favours low actions and 1/2" bridges, for the Grafton range that is probably a good choice as it sweetens the sound from a 'budget' tone ring, but this is good the way it is. the White Lady tone ring can stand all the bridge it can get Setup Rating 9 Appearance nice old-timey appearance, solid quality finish and good trim.. just looks so good on the stand in the corner! Appearance Rating 9 Reliability seems very solid Reliability Rating 9 Customer Service can't comment on Gold Tone but Andy's service has been remarked on elsewhere, knows his stuff and makes sensible recommendations, then sends a good instrument quickly. What more do you want? Customer Service 10 Components very nice example of a particular type of instrument. Not a bluegrass 'clanger' but just a quailty item all round if you want that sort of instrument Components Rating 9 Overall Comments Good value, not a cheapie but I felt I was ready for a step up and knew what I wanted... even if I did get sidetracked from looking for a better travel banjo, the Johnson 60 is going to be racking up the air-miles yet I'd say. So far, so good. Would I buy another one? YES! If it was stolen? Buy another one! Definitely a step up from the Grafton, but so it should be for the extra $$$. Overall Rating 9

Grafton Popular submitted 1/4/2007 Submitter cockneybanjo Where Purchased Banjo Workshop Year Purchased 2006 Price Paid 185 (GBP) historic exchange rates / currency converter Sound nice loud, bright sound. Plenty of tone, with resonator or without. Seems to sound a lot better with the lower bridge it came with, Andy knows his product and sets it up 'according' Sound Rating 9 Setup no changes necessary, just needed the strings tightening and tuning. Andy Perkins' work at the Banjo Works has been mentioned elsewhere and I really can't add to what's already been said. Tried a couple of taller bridges ( Grover ) and lighter strings with various results, but usually end uop back at the starting point Setup Rating 9 Appearance good understated appearance, I don't really go for flashy 'pearloid' inlays etc. 'Grafton' logo on peghead is a bit tacky but lots of low- to mid-end banjos have this sort of thing. No flaws in the appearance but the grain on the back of the peghead could be better matched if you want to look that hard at what is, after all, a beginners' instrument.. having said that I think it will have a long life ahead of it Appearance Rating 8 Reliability finish seems good and robust , as far as I can tell at such short acquaintance. Tuners are planetary, not guitar type, with geared 5th peg so no problems with the tuning varying. If I was good enough to play it at a gig I'd take it .... good solid piece of kit Reliability Rating 9 Customer Service good quick service from someone who really knows his subject, no complaints Customer Service 10 Components no real stand-out components but generally good quality hardware and no obvious weaknesses either. clamshell type tailpiece, planetary tuners, geared fifth peg, Remo head .. tone ring is clear although I have heard better finish on woodwork could be better in a couple of places ( back of peghead, seam in veneer on resonator back ) but these places are carefully chosen to be inconspicuous.. if anyone notices the finish on the back of the peghead, you probably shouldn't let them near your banjo anyway! it's going back soon for service and I will have railroad spikes and strap pins fitted. I have XXL-short size hands and I will probably do a ot of playing with a capo to get the extra width on the neck two years later and it still hasn't got the pins or spikes...... has acquired a Shubb sliding capo though. Components Rating 8 Overall Comments good solid banjo with enough quality to lift it above the low-end imports and justify the price. My teacher liked it! I'm new to banjos but I have two children who play guitar and violin so I know a thing or two about 'cheap' and 'rather better' instruments. two years on and still there. I bought an Ozark 2109G and for a while that was my favourite travel instrument, but the Grafton has come back because it is just a nicer all-round instrument and the reliability is definitely there Overall Rating 8

Johnson JB-060 submitted 12/27/2006 Submitter cockneybanjo Where Purchased ebay Year Purchased 2006 Price Paid 100 (£GB) (bought USED) historic exchange rates / currency converter Sound good warm sound, a bit flabby in open G but bright and bouncy in Open A or C tunings. Very 'plunky' sound, real old-timey sort of thing. Definitely not a bluegrass instrument. Plenty of volume for an open-back, if you want it. Sound Rating 8 Setup came well set up from previous user so nothing really to say here. Slightly wierd slippery-feeling Remo Weatherking head, but this may not be original anyway. Snug fitting parts and a nice solid feel all round. Setup Rating 8 Appearance nice dark mahogany finish, good simple brightwork. Simple marker dots, but I'm not a big fan of elaborate 'pearloid' scrollwork and inlays on low-end instruments anyway.. that sort of thing just looks cheap to me. Appearance Rating 8 Reliability good body and fittings but cheap tuners. Finish seems good and durable, what money has been spent on it, has been spent in the right places tuning tends to wander a bit, especially in Open G. I certainly wouldn't use it for an appearance of any sort, but for travelling around in the back of my Landcruiser it's fine. come on people, it's a budget travel banjo! Reliability Rating 8 Customer Service no information here Customer Service not rated Components tuners and tailpiece are very cheap. Whether I will replace them, remains to be seen on the other hand it does have a proper co-ordinator rod and a 2-way truss rod, so with decent tuners it would be a nice little piece of kit Components Rating 7 Overall Comments it's a good value item and banjos like this are rare in the UK at any price .. the previous owner had imported it from the US. I wouldn't buy another one though, and I wouldn't buy one new .. I think I'd spend the extra money on a Gold Tone or Saga. On the other hand I think that with decent tuners and tailpiece it would be a good durable instrument, pretty much the same as the Saga which seems to be the standard for this sort of thing. also the short neck is nice but the big 11" pot makes it a problem for airline carry-ons, and if you are going to have a flight case why have a short neck anyway? I think if it were stolen, I would look for a smaller instrument all round .. Mockingbird 'Little Bear' maybe? Overall Rating 8