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Gruhn Guitars has taken on distribution of Duff Mandolins. Western Australian luthier Paul Duff will now have his highly sought after instruments available through one of the worlds most notable instruments dealers in Nashville Tennessee – Gruhn Guitars. This makes Duff Mandolins available through three USA music outlets including Elderly Instruments and Mandolin Central.

Paul told us of his recent experience while on tour with Bluegrass Parkway last year where George Gruhn bought one of Paul’s instruments. In fact he purchased the very mandolin which Paul was using on tour.  George fell for the instrument after hearing it and offered to take it after Paul had finished the tour. Paul delivered the instrument and it sold within a few weeks. George then bought another which was shipped to the USA just prior to the IBMA annual showcase. Four days later, that one sold too. Gruhn Guitars has since purchased a further two mandolins which they have taken delivery of and has agreed to become one of three Duff Mandolin distributors in the USA.

Gruhn Guitars claim to always have the world’s premier collections of vintage and used fretted instruments. Further, Gruhn Guitars also claim that if you  need information or advice about buying an instrument, their sales staff are one of the most knowledgeable and experienced in the vintage world.

Bluegrass News, Instrument Makers Duff Mandolins, Gruhn Guitars, Mandolin

American Made Banjo Co. has announced the release of their own vintage style banjo hardware, manufactured to authentic prewar specifications and made in the USA.

The hardware is available in Nickel or Gold over Copper plating and can be purchased as a complete kit or individual parts.

Over the past few years we have spent numerous hours analyzing, building and trashing prototypes in an attempt to get closer than anybody making 100% authentic 30’s style banjo hardware Made in the USA. From the accurate PW thread design of our hooks and nuts to the exact plating process & color of a new instrument part from the 1930’s, we feel we covered everything – Thomas Mirasola, American Made Banjo Co.

Instrument Makers Promotions

For many years, Dan’s stage guitar has been a 1946 Martin D-28. However, his growing concerns about continuing to take it on the road and his desire for a Dreadnought designed to meet his personal needs brought Dan and the Martin Guitar Company together to create the new Martin D-28 Dan Tyminski Custom Edition.

Tyminski makes his namesake Custom Edition his own with distinctive details sure to appeal to flatpickers. Scalloped 5/16″ Adirondack spruce top braces cross in the non-forward “rear-shifted” position to provide uncommon balance and clarity. Special 2 1/4″ string spacing at the bridge and hand polished bull nose (i.e., rounded) fret ends speed both strums and runs.

Read the full article on the Martin Guitar Website

Instrument Makers Dan Tyminski

Kel Kroyden Banjos announces Aaron McDaris Signature Banjo

Aaron McDaris Signature Banjo is a Mahogany Don Reno Style 75 Kel Kroydon® Banjo. It features a hand picked aged mahogany neck with AMB’s Centaur cut peghead shape, 20 hole Dannick tone ring, nickel plated hardware with Reno Style inlay on a Rosewood fingerboard. Combined with the set-up knowledge of Charlie Cushman along with the impeccable craftsmanship of Robin Smith, Aarons banjo is one of the finest 5 string banjos made today.

In 1997, Aaron toured with a local band named Second Exit that soon became SPBGMA’s international band champions. This exposure allowed him to get an audition with and land a job with national band, the New Tradition. From the New Tradition Aaron moved on to the Larry Stephenson Band, the multi-award winning band the Grascals and is now playing with Rhonda Vincent and the Rage.

Instrument Makers Banjo

Deering Banjo Company is seeing the beginnings of a new wave of banjo interest around the world as well as a renaissance in banjo making that is very exciting according to Greg and Janet Deering.

Besides just making and selling banjos, one of our goals has always been to return the banjo to it’s prominence it once enjoyed when it was the #1 most popular instrument around the world. Spreading the shear joy of playing the banjo so that many more can experience it, seems in our minds a worthwhile effort.
Now more than ever our world could use a little relief and that’s one of the things the banjo has always provided. We hope you agree and will take just a moment to answer three questions. Your opinions are important in helping us to better understand what it will take to expose more people to the banjo and keep this interest growing – Greg and Janet Deering.

Take the survey Deering Banjo Company

Instrument Makers Greg Deering

Deering Banjo Company has recently announced significant changes to their Goodtime banjo range.

The Deering Goodtime Openback and Resonator models now sport a new shape peghead with new engraving, while the neck now displays a new style of walnut inlays and the the pot, a 3 ply maple rim.

Goodtimes now also come with a six year warranty and most of all the price has not changed. Up until now 3-ply maple rims could only be found in banjos 3-5 times the price.

Instrument Makers Banjo

Auction scheduled for the 14th May 2009.

Blueberry Guitars will be placing 25 of their hand-made and hand-carved guitars on eBay auctions. Each guitar will be online for viewing for 10 days, will have a starting price of 1$ and will be sold to the highest bidder.

Examples of the current Blueberry guitar models that will be on auction include brand new Dreadnoughts, Grand Concerts, Parlors, Classicals, Grooves, Groove Hybrids, Jumbos & Split Tops. Examples of the solid woods they use are: Balinese Rosewood, Balinese Koa, Tasmanian Black Wood, Mahogany, Canadian Cedar and Alaskan Spruce.

Each guitar offered for auction is covered by the Blueberry lifetime warranty and each guitar will be delivered in a Blueberry hard shell case with a humidifier. A seven day “no questions asked” full refund policy is in place.

Shipping charge  for USA and Canada is  $75.00 USD – all other international destinations will be charged $150.00 USD for transport – duties and taxes are not included outside of USA and Canada.

Instrument Makers Acoustic Guitar

For more than 85 years the Gibson banjo has been at the forefront of such musical genres as country, bluegrass, Celtic and now country-rock music.

The Gibson banjo has been available in many great many classic models through the years, none more revered than the pre-war RB-75. Gibson Original Instruments have announced the very limited release of  RB-75VL Custom Banjo.

The new model is finished in Gibson’s vintage lacquer formulation, and purports to capture the tone and look of the most classic and sought after pre-war Gibson banjos. The new Limited Edition RB-75VL Custom Banjo is classic Gibson’s  Masterone-style design of the mid 1930s. The RB-75s of that era were used by such major artists as Curtis McPeake to J.D. Crowe to Sammy Shelor, and the model shares popular tonal features such as the flat-head tone ring and one-piece flange that contribute to the sounds of other Gibson models used by bluegrass revolutionaries such as Earl Scruggs and Don Reno.

Only 15 of these prized banjos will be produced, and each one will comes with a shaped Gibson hardshell case and a Certificate of Authenticity.

Instrument Makers Banjo, Gibson

If you’re traveling to British Columbia in August and your into guitars, make a date with the Guitars by Hand exhibition.

The Island’s Luthiers’ Guild will be presenting its second Guitars by Hand show, an exhibition of stringed instruments made by instrument makers from Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, and regional coastal communities.

The event, which is free to the public, will be held at the Victoria Conference Centre in Victoria, British Columbia, on August 9, 2009. Visit their website. http://www.islandsluthiersguild.com/.

Instrument Makers Acoustic Guitar

Danny Fonfeder from Blueberry Guitars advises that from 9th April, 2009, Blueberry Guitars will be placing 25 of their finest hand-made and hand-carved guitars on eBay auctions. Each guitar will be online for viewing for 10 days, will have a starting price of 1$ and will be sold to the highest bidder.

Examples on offer from the current Blueberry guitar models include brand new Dreadnoughts, Grand Concerts, Parlor, Classical, Grooves & Groove Hybrid. Examples of the solid woods in use are: Rosewood, Balinese Koa, Tasmanian Black Wood, Mahogany, Canadian Cedar and Alaskan Spruce. Read more…

Instrument Makers Acoustic Guitar

News from American Made Banjo Company is that Bill Evans has joined Charlie Cushman, Casey Henry & Aaron McDaris as an endorser of the Kel Kroydon Signature Series banjo line. Bill’s Signature Series banjo will be an Antique Gold Plated Maple model and be offered for sale. He is in the process of designing his own hand engraved model which should be ready soon. Bill Evans Signature banjo will be available with or without engraving.

The Bill Evans Signature Series 5 String Kel Kroydon® Banjo was developed for Bill’s personal use. Bills banjo combines the set-up knowledge of Charlie Cushman, the impeccable craftsmanship of Robin Smith along with the 20 Hole Dannick Tone Ring developed by Tom Mirisola.

‘I love the classic tone of maple and gold and the new Bill Evans signature Kel Kroydon banjo comes as close as anything I’ve heard to capturing THE sound. It’s also extremely playable – it works for both hard driving traditional bluegrass and contemporary styles. This is something that’s extremely rare in any instrument, new or old. It’s what I’ve been waiting for all my life’ – Bill Evans

The Bill Evans Signature Banjo features:

Presentation Tiger Maple Neck, Pre-war Style Maple Resonator, 2 Way Truss Rod, W/B/W Binding, Ebony Fretboard/Peghead Veneer, Standard Fret Wire, Hearts & Flowers Inlay Design, Bone Nut, Dannick 20 Hole Tone Ring, Gotoh Tuners, Geared 5th String Peg, a .656 Timeless Bridge, Heartland 3 Ply Maple Rim, Old Gold Plated Hardware, Kel Kroydon Engraved Presto Tailpiece, Remo Head, American Made Co Cryogenic Strings, Stained Lacquer Finish, Hardshell Case and a Lifetime Warranty. Banjo set-Up by Charlie Cushman.

Instrument Makers Kel Kroyden

Tour the Taylor Guitar Factory with Acoustic Guitar Magazine.

Taylor Guitars made history with their bolt-on-necks and CNC machining techniques when other companies were turning to more traditional methods in delivering hand-crafted, high quality acoustic guitars.
Taylor claims that their design allows guitars to be dialed in for superb playability and easier repairs down the road and it means that guitars can be built to ever tighter tolerances.

Take the tour -  Acoustic Guitar

Instrument Makers Acoustic Guitar

Flint River # 50

Hamish Davidson of the Davidson Brothers fame, has just taken delivery of a new Grundy Banjo. A Flint River model, serial number 50.

Grundy banjos are an Australian made instrument, designed and hand crafted by accomplished luthier, Laurie Grundy from Porepunkah in Victoria.

As an avid banjo player, I have had many opportunities to examine the Grundy banjo during its development over the past few years. I believe the the quality of workmanship, level of, and attention to detail and resulting sound is without equal in the country.

Australian luthier, Laurie Grundy has spent an inordinate amount of time, researching, testing and crafting timber developing original tone rings and other essential hardware items to create a banjo that can hold its head high against the myriad of offerings from across the world.

Grundy banjos are manufactured in Victoria. Their website address is: Grundy banjos.com.

Artists, Instrument Makers Davidson Bros, Grundy Banjos

In honor of the traditional yuletide season, Gibson Original Acoustic Instruments has introduced a special 12-piece collection of one-of-a-kind Christmas Banjos.

These exquisite works of art are from the makers of the world’s finest line of bluegrass instruments, and they reflect the incomparable vision, skill and dedication of Gibson’s luthiers. In addition to the elegant, figured design of the banjos’ resonator and its ornamental inlays, each Christmas Banjo will feature a different holiday-themed inlay at the 12th fret. The designs for all peghead and fingerboard inlays, including the beautiful frosted holly leaf design on the resonator, are renderings created by noted Gibson engineer and resident artist Darron DuBose.

If the rumblings amongst the bluegrass community are any indication, Gibson’s new Christmas Banjos are primed to become some of the most desirable new collectors’ items and investment pieces on the market.

From 12th December, Gibson will begin offering these 12 extraordinary holiday-themed banjos at authorized Gibson Original Acoustic Instruments dealers.

Get the ful details from Gibson.com

Instrument Makers Banjo

Roger Siminoff has been writing books and how to manuals on musical instruments for as long as I can remember. I first ran across his work in the legendary Frets Magazine (of which he was publisher) in the late 70’s.

Siminoff’s website has posted a range of information sheets dating back to the publication of Pickin’ Magazine and his first construction book from the early 1970s. Roger’s latest newsletter acknowledges that sharing information has always been an important focus of his work thus, he has posted all of the instruction sheets that come with his many products on his website as free PDF downloads.

In addition to product instruction sheets, there are several other documents of interest including a white paper entitled “What Was Loar Hearing?” that provides information on the concert pitch that was in use when Loar was tap tuning F5s and H5s in the 1920s.

Lloyd Allayre Loar (1886-1943) was a performing musician in his day as well as a, composer, acoustical engineer, and musical instrument designer. Loar made numerous major contributions to the world of music.

He worked for the Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Company from 1920-1925. At that time it was located in Kalamazoo, MI, While there Loar introduced the process of “tap tuning” to ensure that all parts of the instrument contributed to the whole of the sound.

There is also a Frequency Calculation Chart (Excel) that you can download, which allows you to enter any frequency for concert pitch and find the frequencies for all the notes of the common seven octaves. here is also a Fret Scale Calculator that provides you with the distances between the frets for any scale length and number of frets you choose.

Check out the Siminoff Website

Instrument Makers General News