By John Lawless Bristol Sessions

I get asked all sorts of technical questions and a recent one concerned new Gibson banjos made with non-Gibson tone rings, for example a Huber Vintage Flathead. Well, it is possible to have a Huber Vintage Flathead tone ring installed by Gibson on a custom shop instrument. But unless a banjo was purchased through a dealer who had it custom ordered with a Vintage Flathead ring, it is very unlikely that one was installed at the factory. This would have raised the price considerably as well, as much as $500 at retail.

The truth is that Steve Huber does some subcontracting for Gibson and manufactures some of their tone rings for them. The important point is that he makes Gibson rings for Gibson - their alloy, their specs, their plating style. A Gibson ring manufactured by Huber and a Gibson ring manufactured by Kulesh are essentially the same product. Gibson indicates the specs and they build 'em.

The Vintage Flathead ring is another animal altogether. This is the ring that Steve builds as a nearly exact replica of the pre wars. He has replicated the formula and the cut and even the look of the plating! We have even gone so far as to swap out rings in pre wars, putting a Vintage Flathead ring in an original flathead pre war pot, and the tone was identical.

That having been said, it has been my experience that his rings will give any banjo a shot in the arm, if you are a fan of the 'old' pre war banjo tone. The ring reinforces the lower mids without sacrificing the upper harmonics while reducing the 'ringy-ness' that plagues many new banjos. My own Huberized '62 Bow Tie is not as good as some of the great mahogany pre wars I've seen (I'm thinking of Sammy Schelor's killer 75), but it is very close, with a fraction of the investment.

Steve has a wonderful product and his dedication to refinements in banjo tone are a service to the entire world of bluegrass music.

Another technical question concerned the relative loudness of a (Steve) Huber tone ring compared to a Tennessee Flathead 20. In my opinion it would almost certainly be a factor of set up; volume is largely a matter of head tension beyond the constants of materials.

The tonal characteristics at the desired volume is where variation is experienced. In my experience, both rings sound good but the TN 20 is a bit more finicky as to head tension. Perhaps they do sound better with a 'loud' set up.

I personally don't care for a tight-head tight-pot set up. I like my banjos set for a different sort of tone and Steve's rings serve that purpose very well. The tonal richness (range of overtones) is present however you set it up. I like the balance best with the head a bit on the loose side - even looser than Steve himself likes it.

A Report on the 2000 event

AcuTab Publications, The Paramount Center, WOPI and First Vantage Bank/Tri-Cities are proud to present this event at the Paramount Theater in Bristol,TN. The Paramount is among the very finest venues for acoustic music in the Southeastern US - a beautifully and meticulously restored theater which offers a treat for the eyes to match the one we will provide for your ears.

Featured artists include:

Butch Baldassari - mandolin
Barry Bales - bass
Terry Baucom - banjo
Alan Bibey - mandolin
Ronnie Bowman - vocal
Rob Ickes - dobro
Joe Mullins - banjo
Mark Newton - vocal
Alan O'Bryant - vocal
Sammy Shelor - banjo
Herschel Sizemore - mandolin
Amanda Smith - vocal
Kenny Smith - guitar
Tim Stafford - guitar
Ron Stewart - fiddle
Scott Vestal - banjo
Paul Williams - vocal

The primary focus of the concert is to perform the material from "Knee Deep In Bluegrass, The AcuTab Sessions" (Rebel 1759) and we hope to have 10-11 songs from the CD on the show. The various artists will also have a chance to perform material from their solo projects.

If you added up the awards that have been won by this group of performers, you would have several dozen IBMA Awards and a couple of Grammy and CMA trophies to boot! This is a legitimate superstar lineup in the bluegrass world.

The AcuTab All Star Jam offers a unique opportunity not only to see so many great pickers and singers on the same bill, but also to see them perform in settings and groupings other than their primary performance vehicles. In many cases, they will showcase material that is not typically performed live at all!

Ronnie Bowman will perform a number of cuts from his "The Man I'm Tryin' To Be" CD and Alan Bibey will showcase several from his recent "In The Blue Room" project (including Wild Fiddlers Rag!!). Similarly, Herschel Sizemorewill offer a couple from his recent "My Style" plus he and Alan will be twinning on Amandolina.

Herschel and Paul Williams are slated to do a couple of things together - talk about an old school mandolin experience! Tim Stafford and Kenny Smithwill also be performing some solo and duet guitar pieces as a part of the concert. Mark Newton will do the title cut from his popular "Follow Me Back To The Fold" project.

There will be two shows: a matinee at 3 pm and an evening concert at 7:30 pm. Tickets are only $12 in advance and $14 at the door. This show sold out very quickly last year so contact them soon if you can make plans to attend (423-274-8920).

Last year's concert was memorable in many ways. Don't miss it if your schedule and proximity allow you to be there.

1st December 2000