The main points:
Largest selection of banjos in Europe
Best "value for money" prices
Everything properly set-up and ready to play
Everything guaranteed for 12 months regardless of age
Everything (except custom work) returnable within 14 days for exchange or refund without question
The
details
All new instruments, irrespective of price, are professionally set-up to your requirements at no extra charge.
If you don't know exactly what sort of set-up you want, instruments can be "averagely" set-up initially and then altered to suit you at a later stage.
The only charge for this service is for any consumables used and carriage.
All vintage instruments, as well as being properly set-up, will have been professionally restored or refurbished as necessary.
The same free setting up service is available as for new banjos.
If an instrument is not in first class playing condition (i.e. sound fretting, good tuners, nice action, modern head etc), I don't offer it for sale.
I don't sell restoration projects - all you have to do once you buy an instrument from this catalogue is to play it!
All instruments (including the vintage banjos) carry a full year's warranty and are guaranteed to be exactly as described.
If you have any problems during your first year of ownership, they will be put right.
After that time, I shall be happy to do any servicing or repair work that you may need - I keep extensive stocks of specialist parts all the time, so repairs cost less than you might think, even allowing for carriage costs.
I aim to offer the widest selection of banjos in Europe and to back this up with the most comprehensive service.
I aim to offer the best "value for money" prices. In some cases, my prices may appear to be a bit higher than some other dealers in used and vintage banjos.
When you compare the condition of the banjos that I supply with those in other outlets, you'll almost always find that my banjos are better value as they don't need ANY work done to them before they are properly playable.
All banjos need a certain amount of periodic servicing and adjustment - this can be quite costly if it hasn't been done for a while (a good analogy is buying a car with 30,000 miles on the clock but which has never had a service).
Enquire closely into costs before buying a used banjo that "just needs a bit of fixing up"!!
I don't try to beat the big US mail order suppliers at their own game - if you are certain that you want a particular model of a brand new American banjo, the cheapest way to buy it is by mail order (even allowing for the freight, import duty, VAT, clearance/delivery charges & the fact that you may have to pay to have it finally set-up when it gets here).
Having said that, I can supply Gold Tone and Deering/Vega banjos at prices that are very competitive with mail order from the USA.
I can't (at the moment) offer to do this with Gibson, Stelling, Ome, Bart Reiter etc.
Maybe I'll get there at some stage in the none too distant future!
If you're not 100% sure of what you want or you're buying a used or vintage banjo, you should consider the question of returning an unwanted or defective item to the USA.
The return freight to the USA is often more expensive than the outward cost (don't ask me why but it's a fact!) and, whilst there is a system for reclaiming the import duty & VAT, it can take quite a lot of time & effort to recover the tax paid.
Any banjo (but see note * below) bought from me can be returned cheaply & easily within 14 days for exchange or refund.
In the unlikely event that the banjo is defective in some way, I'll pay all the carriage - if you simply don't like it, I'll deduct only the £10 carriage charge from your refund.
This is in addition to your statutory rights.
(Note: * This policy cannot be applied to new "built to order" banjos or custom work for obvious reasons.
The detailed specification will have been agreed with you in advance.
Any faults would, of course, be rectified free of all charges but further modifications other than setting-up have to be paid for.)
You can visit the shop to try out as many instruments as you like. The shop is open from 10am - 4pm Wednesdays to Saturdays and on Tuesdays & Sundays by appointment.
It's always closed on Mondays. If you particularly want to see me, it's a good idea to phone before
traveling a distance to make sure that I won't be busy with another client .
If you can't get to the shop (and it is surprisingly accessible being only 1 mile from Junction 7 of the M2), you can buy by mail order.
The system is very simple and completely risk-free. Just select an instrument from the stock list and pay for it in the normal way (i.e. personal cheque, which takes 7 days to clear, or credit/debit card, which is instant).
I'll send you the instrument via Securicor which costs only £10 for UK mainland.
Once you get the instrument, you have 14 days to try it out. If, at the end of that time, you decide for any reason that you don't want to keep the instrument, return it in the condition in which you received it and I will either exchange it for another instrument or refund your money (less the carriage cost) without question.
It costs you only the carriage to change your mind. This is in addition to your statutory rights.
Here are some other points which people often raise:
Cases: I personally find it very confusing that some new banjos (but not many) come with a "free" case whilst most do not and that most old banjos have a case of some sort but often in woeful condition.
To make matters and price comparisons easier, I decided that I would price all my instruments without cases.
Then you know exactly where you stand and can buy whatever case suits your needs.
I have a great many hard or soft cases of various types which can be supplied with any instrument at modest extra cost.
Payments: Cash, Personal Cheques, Banker's Drafts, Building Society Cheques & Plastic - I take most major Credit Cards (but not AMEX) & Switch/Debit Cards (ideal for mail, phone or Internet orders).
I don't surcharge the prices for paying by plastic though there is a minimum order level of £10 if you're using this payment method.
Photos: I'm aiming to have photos of all the instruments "on-line" eventually.
Meantime, if you'd like a .jpg of a particular instrument, drop me an e-mail and I'll send one to you.
Please note: requests for photos don't "hold" an instrument - to reserve something, you have to send a 10% deposit which will secure it for 30 days to give you time to come over and try it out.
Condition: This is what I mean when I use the following terms and is taken from the terminology of the auction houses:
Good condition - where all the components are sound but showing wear consistent with age & use
Very good condition - where all the components are sound and showing less wear than might be expected
Excellent condition - where all the components are sound and showing little wear at all
Mint condition - where all the components are very sound and showing almost no wear of any kind
Original - where banjos are concerned, this is the most vexed topic of all.
In many cases, it is impossible to say whether or not particular components on a banjo are original especially where very detailed exact replica parts are available.
I would say that it is usually possible to spot where a major component (i.e. the neck) has been replaced but that for smaller parts, one simply has to rely on intuition & "feel".
If I am doubtful of the originality of a part, I will mention it but I don't pretend to be infallible!
Please look at "frequently asked questions" for other details or "Advice for
beginners" if you're not sure what you need.
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