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Andybanjo's news & information page
 Welcome to the revised page of news, information & special offers.If there are any information items that you would like to see posted here, perhaps you could e-mail and tell me (things you would like to know, things you think other people ought to know etc etc ..............);
June 2009 - Change in phone hours, banjo prices, the new website format, communications, payments et al.
29/06/2009
 Phone hours
As from 1st July, the phone hours at the Banjo Works will be from 9am - 5pm Monday to Friday inclusive.
Appointment times
Appointments will be available daily for sales, appraisals, set-ups etc. Last appointment will normally be around 4pm as we close at 5pm.
Prices
All banjo prices shown on this website now include VAT at 15% - good until the Chancellor puts the rate up again!
Despite this year's increases, banjos are still very good value for money and the slight improvement in the exchange rate against the $ will (if sustained) leave a little bit of scope for some "special offers" later this summer
New website
The new website format in still in course of preparation but has stalled on a fundamental software glitch that seems insoluble just now - I'll keep you posted!
Answerphones
If you hear an answering system cut in during the working day it doesn't mean we're not there ...just that we're on the phone already and prefer not to keep you hanging on listening to hideous "hold" music .....
Outside phone hours, there is a conventional answering machine
E-mail
E-mail is dealt with at least once a day (usually much more often now) and you should get a reply within 24 hours of sending a message - if you don't, your message didn't get through to us. Please try again directly to andybanjo@aol.com rather than via the website contact link.
On-line payments
Steps are now in hand to install a secure link from the website so that you can order and pay on-line. This facility will be available for those who wish to use it - but it will not be mandatory. You will still be able to phone and discuss your requirements before placing an order if you prefer to do that. Hopefully, it will provide a quick & convenient order/payment method for those who know exactly what they want.
Getting to the Banjo Works .......... and what to expect
28/06/2009
 Making an appointment is really, actually necessary!
The Banjo Works is not a Retail Shop as such - it's an Industrial Unit full of banjos and bits of banjos. The major part of the business is Internet and Mail Order Sales - and we spend a great deal of our time building and setting-up banjos - or on the phone to customers ....
Whilst we are happy to receive visitors, we can only deal with personal callers by prior appointment. The Banjo Works is now so busy all the time that an appointment is absolutely necessary. If you call in without phoning first, you quite likely will have had a wasted journey ..............
How to make an appointment:-
by phone - call 01795 590374 between 9am - 5pm Mon - Fri
by e-mail via the website or directly to andybanjo@aol.com
Last appointment is usualy around 4pm as we close at 5pm.
It is often possible to book at quite short notice - though if you need to make an appointment less than 48 hours ahead, best to use the phone rather than e-mail.
Finding the Banjo Works
We can give you simple directions over the phone from Junction 7 of the M2 - or you can look at the map and directions on the website. These seem to be working fairly well and most people are finding us pretty easily ........ though some SatNav systems seem to be a bit flaky. Some of them don't appear to recognise the roads inside Industrial Estates. As we are clearly visible from the entrance to the Estate, this doesn't seem to be too much of a problem .....
What to expect
This place is a combination of craft workshop and factory and is often described as a sort of "Aladdin's Banjo Cave" .... there are piles & piles of bits of banjo, large numbers of "jobs in progress" and innumerable cardboard boxes of "bits" - not to mention hundreds and hundreds of banjos ...
We can make visitors reasonably comfortable in one of our Stock Rooms - these aren't plush but the acoustics are good. We always talk to visitors first as we really need to have a clear idea of what's required so we can get out a selection of the appropriate instruments to be tried out.
There are no display racks or showroom arrangements as such - browsing through the entire stock simply isn't practical here, there's far too much of it.
We can do demonstrations if required but generally leave visitors alone with a rake of banjos and a cup of tea. For many people, that's close to their ideal ............ but if you really want the "glossy showroom" & "attentive salesperson" approach, you may do better in Denmark Street..
(from a conversation recently with a client who had spent a whole day in the West End of London trying to find a banjo that suited him, I rather gather that the current "West End" standards of service/facilites are not quite what I remember from the 1960's ... so maybe the Banjo Works isn't quite as primitive an establishment as I think it is!)
Fedex Parcel deliveries - claims procedure for damage in transit
25/06/2009
 Within the UK, the system seems to be working fine at the moment - the vast majority of clients are getting their parcels on time.
Costs
Despite cost increases and fuel surcharges, I've kept the delivery charge at £10 for most UK postcodes and £20 for Scottish Highlands & Islands, I-O-M, Ulster and the Republic of Ireland (but see below for further comment on the R.O.I. service)
Claims procedure
Incidence of damage in transit is very low - but it bears repeating that there is no such thing as a perfect delivery system. Parcels should always be examined before being "signed-for" and should always be opened straight away to check that the contents are intact. Any loss or damage should be reported at once ... by 3pm on the day following delivery at the latest. Most people would do this as a matter of course but it's worth noting that our Insurers are now much less inclined to stretch a point (especially in the matter of timely notification) so that it's now essential to observe the procedures carefully ........ We're now putting a "reminder" sticker on all parcels so that we don't get any more "timed-out" claims ...
Deliveries to other EU countries
I'm sorry to say that the service to other EU destinations has proved to be rather flakier than is ideal. I have suspended the use of the Fedex EuEconomy service for the time being. I regret any inconvenience but there is little merit in sending out parcels which arrive weeks late and/or damaged. If I can find an alternative carrier with reasonable rates and better efficiency, I'll post up a notice here.
Repair, restoration & appraisal services
13/05/2009
 Service, repair & restoration work is running a bit behind again - but not too desperately!
In order to avoid any misunderstandings, all future work will be undertaken only on the basis that completion dates cannot be absolutely guaranteed. There are only a small number of us here and if we're all down with flu, no repair work gets done. Most people understand this but there have been some difficulties.
The picture shows a recently restored banjo from the 1880's
Gold Tone supply situation/prices/direct imports
11/05/2009
 The Pound/Dollar exchange rate story
There is now a new 2009 price list - provided that the Pound doesn't drop dramatically from where it is now, these prices should be good for a little while .....
Gold Tone stocks & supplies
I'm aiming to keep all the standard Gold Tone banjos available from stock - and also to have some of the more popular "custom" models as stock lines as well.
The new CC50OT (with the cutaway fingerboard) is now in stock - same price as the old model without the cutaway whch will still be available to order. The new 14" cello-banjos are also here, as is the BC350+ and the OT800 Tubaphone model
"Special orders" for the more unusual banjo products will also be available (graphite necks, radiused fingerboards, non-standard "left-handed" models etc) and deliveries should be reasonably quick provided that there is stock available from Florida.
I'm sorry that I won't be able to offer the "non-banjo" items (Chord-o-harps, mandolins, resonator guitars etc) any longer, even on a "special order" basis.
I can also offer the only Gold Tone "custom shop" facilites available outside the USA (to retro-fit graphite necks, bronze tone rings, build custom variations on standard banjos etc).
If you're comparing prices against a direct import from a US mail order company, please read the piece on "direct imports" that appears at the top of the "Gold Tone" pages on this site. The major points are:-
(1) direct import isn't as cheap as it may seem as there are substantial extra charges to pay when the parcel arrives in the UK - typically around an extra 25% or so on top of the cost of the instrument plus the shipping charge.
(2) you get no effective guarantee or warranty with the instrument as the Gold Tone standard warranty specifically excludes banjos owned outside the USA. Any service you require in the UK will have to be paid for - possibly including the initial set-up job. Banjo set-ups, no matter how carefully done in the USA, quite often don't survive airline handling!
Saga banjos - Gold Star/Saga/Rover Bluegrass 5-strings
10/05/2009
 2009 prices are now applicable for all Gold Star/Saga/Rover products - the website has been updated. These banjos, even after the increases, are still very competitively priced as compared to other brands offering similar specifications ...
GOLD STAR BANJOS
In response to customer feedback, it is now my policy to upgrade all these banjos prior to sale to get the very best performance from them has been popular ........... not that they aren't good with the factory specification - but there are some areas which benefit from attention.
Gold Star banjos:-
Specifically:-
(a) the resonator mounting arrangements, whilst perfectly "period", leave somewhat to be desired - these will be altered so that the flanges sit neatly into the rebates in the resonator rims
(b) the Remo head, whilst adequate, won't take anything like the tension that you can get on a 5-Star - all models will be fitted with 5-Star heads as standard
(c) the Presto tailpiece, whilst producing a pleasant sound, offers no possibility of variation as it isn't adjustable - all models will be fitted with the Kerschner tailpiece as standard
(d) the factory bridges, frankly, aren't up to much and much more serious items will be provided with all banjos ....... we always did do this as well as replacing the factory strings ...... :-)
"Upgraded model" prices for the GF85/GF100/GF200 will be £1075/£1195/£1325 respectively -
To help you compare these prices with a direct import form the USA, I have shown the total price that you would have to pay for each of these banjos including the standard hard case and delivery to most UK postcodes (£1135, £1255, £1385 respectively) - though you don't have to buy the case if you don't want it - and you can collect the banjo if you prefer.
I have also shown the import charges that have already been paid on each of these items - remember that my prices include all charges and there is nothing to pay on arrival!!
If you deduct the charges already paid from the total price, you will have a realistic basis for comparison against the amount you would pay to a US mail order dealer for the banjo, hard case & shipping cost - you pay the import charges separately on delivery.
For instance, the GF85 costs £1135 including a hard case and delivery to most UK addresses. To make the comparison, deduct £190 = £945. Multiply by the tourist exchange rate that your card company uses (around $1.35 - $1.40 at the moment) and you have a figure in dollars. Deduct the shipping & insurance cost (typically around $150 - $200) and you have a US$ figure to compare against the price on a US website.
I think you'll find that my price isn't wholly uncompetitive and you're getting a seriously upgraded product (have a look at the price US Dealers charge for doing just some of these jobs ..), all the benefits of dealing with a UK based supplier AND having a UK based warranty .......All the Gold Stars that I offer for sale are professionally set up in the most experienced Banjo Workshop in the UK.
As soon as I get a bit of spare time, I'm going to post up some details of exactly what we mean here at the Banjo Works by the expression "set-up" - some dealers seem to think it means no more than getting the bridge in approximately the right place and tuning the strings ....
The banjo illustrated here is the lovely flamed maple GF200
Grafton Clipper banjos - now well established........
09/05/2009
 As the "Popular" and "Popular #2" banjos went so well, we moved on to the next stage of the "Grafton" banjo range.
In addition to the "Pops", we now offer the "Clipper". Same range of models as for the "Pops" - "old-time" open back 5-string, "bluegrass" resonator 5-string (both models available right and left-handed), shortscale "Irish" open back tenor, shortscale "Irish/Jazz" resonator tenor, standard scale "Irish/Jazz" resonator tenor and "Singalong/Jazz" resonator plectrum. 8 varieties of essentially the same banjo - each one constructed and set-up specially for the particular sort of music for which it is appropriate.
Basic specification is rather higher than the "Pops" - this is a maple banjo with a thick rim, twin co-ordinator rods, a rolled brass tone ring and heavy-duty hardware. It would make an excellent first instrument - but the sound and build quality are so good that this banjo will be an ideal intermediate grade banjo too ... frankly, it knocks spots off any other product in this price range ... no matter where it comes from ....
Specifications & pictures have been been posted up on the website. If you want a run-down of how this product compares with other well-known banjos in this price range, just give me a call ....
Prices are £295 for the open back version and £325 for the resonator versions. The picture shows the shortscale open back tenor - a small "session" banjo which you can compare with other products of this type ......
Grafton "Popular" & "Popular #2" banjos
09/05/2009
 a range of entry-level banjos with all the features you need in a decent starter instrument. They have planetary tuners (with geared 5th string pegs on 5-strings), properly dressed, smooth fingerboards & fretting, lovely low actions, 2-point neck fixing for great tuning stability, brass tone rings, 24 brackets, good quality tailpieces, nice firm armrests and attractive, easy-to-remove resonators for flexibility in playing ..... all at a sensible price for a beginner!
This has been achieved by having the parts made to specification in various large factories - and assembling them here in my workshop.
The Grafton "Popular" range (now 8 models - standard resonator 5-string, standard open back "old-time" 5-string, lefty resonator 5-string, lefty open back "old-time" 5-string, standard resonator tenor, shortscale open back tenor, shortscale resonator tenor, resonator plectrum) is priced at £250 for the resonator models and £225 for the open backs.
They are much the same price as (or only a little more expensive than) a great many other entry-level instruments which are nothing like so well built or specified ............
All 8 models are now listed in their respective sections on the website.
A range of "beginner's complete outfits" will be posted up very soon - details will be on the website as soon as possible. If you're in a hurry, give me a call
In response to demand, we are now making a "Popular #2" - basically similar banjos but with heavier rims to produce a louder and more "cutting" tone. It's available in open back 5-string format (£250) as well as resonator plectrum, resonator standard tenor and resonator shortscale tenor (all 3 models at £275). Other versions could easily be built "to order" - just give us a call.
Meantime, here is a picture of the Popular #2 standard scale resonator tenor with archtop tone ring.
Beginner's complete outfits
08/05/2009
 In response to demand, we are now offering "beginner's complete outfits" with all entry-level banjos.
These outfits are good value with lots of extras thrown in at a bargain price - and the beginner gets everything he/she needs to get started all in the one big box ....
Eventually, we aim to list outfits for all the entry-level instruments but that will take a while - though a few sample ones are on the website.
In the meantime, we can make up (to order) a complete outfit based on any banjo in the catalogue - just phone or e-mail for a firm price.
The cost for a 5-string banjo outfit is quite easy - it's the price of the banjo you want + £40 for the outfit, which comprises:-
good quality padded gig bag
fitted banjo strap
spare set of strings
instruction book with CD
capo/capo spikes
set of picks (or extra spare set of strings for open back banjos)
"clip-on" chromatic electronic tuner
(normal total cost over £60 if these items were purchased separately).
Tenor, plectrum, uke and mandolin banjo outfits are also available at similar or slightly higher additional cost to the price of the instrument selected (the tutor books vary in price quite a bit).
Have a look on the "special offers" item above for details of which of the outfits are on promotion at the moment.
Vintage banjos - 5-strings, tenors & plectrums
07/05/2009
 There seems to be a widespread impression that I "don't do" vintage banjos any more. Whilst it is true that the bulk of the stock consists of brand new or modern secondhand items, that still leaves space for a few (dozen) vintage pieces .......
As I hardly ever have time to post anything secondhand up on the website, the wide selection of old banjos (refurbished/restored and ready to go) isn't readily apparent to the website browser ........... and they are worth a look! If I have time, I'll post up a selection of "typical" items to illustrate the sorts of things that are here ............
Apart from seriously "collectible" items, all our banjos will have been completely sorted out and tastefully modernised i.e. re-fretted, new top/5th string nuts, new heads, reproduction vintage style planetary tuners & geared 5th pegs etc etc - so that they tune up & play much the same as modern banjos.
In addition to these "original" items, we also have "rescue" banjos. These are made up from lovely old rims whose original necks have gone past the point of economic restoration fitted with good quality modern reproduction necks. In some ways, these banjos offer real advantages - the modern truss-rodded necks will stand much heavier stringing than you would ever dare to put on a vintage neck ..... and it is quite rewarding to get old banjos "back on the road" so that their voices are not forever silenced .....
Prices for these "rescue" banjos tend to be a little cheaper than the equivalent banjo with an original neck in first class playing order - in many cases, you are actually only paying for the re-neck job, the rim itself being effectively free .....
Give me a call for a resume of what's in stock at the moment - most customers for vintage banjos come to the Banjo Works to play through the stock but if you're fairly clear about what you want, it is perfectly possible (& quite easy) to buy by mail order.
Even though buying an old instrument without playing it first isn't the ideal way to do it, many people live in areas where that simply isn't possible - and relying on getting an instrument from a stall at a festival isn't to be whole-heartedly recommended (how many of us have regretted an impulse purchase made in the heat/enthusiasm of a great day out?).
Buying a vintage banjo from us isn't anything like as chancy as a bid on an untried instrument on an internet auction site .... all the banjos are professionally refurbished & guaranteed and you can return anything that doesn't suit you for exchange or refund without question. Our banjos are already sorted out (no searching the internet trying to find rare vintage spare parts ...) and are often little more expensive than the so-called "bargains" on auction sites ..
Website catalogue vs stock in the shop
06/05/2009
 Unlike many web traders, we aim to have all the instruments shown on the site physically in stock all the time.
Where a particular line is low on stock, it will be marked "please phone" - and if it has sold out or is unavailable for some other reason, that will be indicated on the listing.
We try pretty hard on this - though we don't claim to be perfect ...
The other side of this coin is that there are always a great many more banjos in the shop than there are on the website. We don't generally list secondhand items as they usually sell from the shop before they can be listed - though sometimes they make it if we're having a burst of special efficiency. Have a look at the article about vintage open back 5-strings on this page for further info.
We also have new instruments that we just haven't got round to writing up & photographing - and there are numerous "custom" variations on existing lines as well. A phone call to the shop may reveal that we've actually got in stock the exact thing you're looking for .....
This picture gives a brief glimpse of two of our 5 stockrooms - piled up with banjos to the ceiling, as ever ..
It may also be worth noting that we do all our own photography (that explains the somewhat "Box Brownie" approach ..) - but it does mean that you get a picture of an actual instrument that exists and is available for sale - not a library shot lifted from a glossy manufacturer's website .......
Tool Hire - 5th string replacement peg reamers
06/05/2009
I'm sorry that this service (which had run fairly successfully on a pretty informal basis for some years) now needs to be overhauled to make it more formal & secure.
Whilst I'm working out how to do this (and keeps the associated costs down to a miniumum), the service is suspended for now.
Apologies for any inconvenience.
Postage rates - (a) instruments & (b) parts + accessories
06/05/2009
 (A) Instruments & instrument cases
Standard Fedex NextDay service is still only £10 per parcel for most mainland UK addresses. For the Scottish Highlands & Islands, I-O-M and Ireland (Ulster & Republic) the cost is £20 per parcel. Service is overnight to many places, 2/3 day to more remote areas.
Sorry, it is not possible to offer deliveries outside UK & Ireland at the moment.
(B) Parts + accessories
Basic system is that all orders of £10 or over are post free within the UK.
Small orders under £10, add £2 P&P/Handling.
Almost all "parts & accessories" orders are sent by Royal Mail First Class Post - but please note that bulky items (like hardshell cases) are too large for the free postal service and have to go via the chargeable (£10/£20) ANC/Fedex service.
Outside the UK, we use Royal Mail International Standard Service, please enquire for details.
Royal Mail have recently altered the way ordinary post is charged. Most banjo parts will now travel at the new "packet" rates - approximately twice as expensive as the old "First Class" rates. This will inevitably mean that some parts prices will have to go up - sorry! A new "Parts" list is presently under construction and we hope to publish it later on this year.
Secondhand banjo cases
06/05/2009
 I'm sorry to say that I am no longer able to sell used/secondhand hard cases for banjos as part of the normal business.
I have no practical means of refurbishing instrument cases so I never could offer any worthwhile guarantee with such items. I thought that I had always made this fairly obvious when selling them but maybe it wasn't as clear as I thought.
After a difficult experience with a particular client who had an accident with a period banjo case, I have decided that it's unsafe to sell them with banjos.
I'm now disposing of the large accumulated stock of secondhand banjo cases on Ebay where it is made quite clear that they are all in need of refurbishment before use - and buyers can bid accordingly.
I'll alter that section on the website when it's updated later on this year.
Apologies for any inconvenience.
Update May 2009 - I've now disposed of most of the pile of secondhand cases to buyers on Ebay ... I hope to clear the last few over the course of the next few weeks. I have been encouraging clients to retain their old cases when trading-in a banjo so that, with luck, the problem won't recur ............
. . . or hit Back button to return to shop page.
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