• Due to pressure of work John Keegan is unable to devote sufficient time to the band so SilverHill on hold.
• Janet Davis has a new banjo tablature book, Banjo Solo Works, of Bela Fleck and Tony Trischka solos. Details
• Rex Jones, Tokyo, writes “Anyone interested in changing from a Grover standard to a Snuffy Smith or Hot Spot standard size bridge should note that the spacing is narrower! So a little difficulty may be experienced. A Hot Spot with Crowe Spacing has almost the same as the Grover that comes standard on Gibson banjos. Of course the bridge itself is a lot better. Remember too that you can order a bridge without grooves and do whatever spacing you like at home.” Write to Rex
• Barry Abernathy and Steve Gulley are leaving Doyle Lawson to start a new band with Adam Steffey. The new group has signed with Doobie Shea records and will begin recording soon.
• Dr. Ralph on the mend! Following his recent hernia surgery, Ralph Stanley performed at the Bass Mountain Festival. He performed seated the whole time and did not play much banjo but he seems to be healing OK.
• Can you believe that there’s a ‘banjo stringing clinic’ on the Internet at this address? :- http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Musician/Banjo/BanjoStringing/banjostr1.html
• Acoustic Musician Magazine is giving away one Bound To Ride CD with every new one year subscription. Your subscription automatically enters you in a contest wherein the prizes are a Rich & Taylor Banjo, some custom instrument cases and some very professional Mandolins. It’s not strictly bluegrass - it caters for all acoustic instruments and styles. It is run by Steve Spence who used to be with Bluegrass Unlimited. Steve is a bluegrass banjo player himself and a big supporter of our music. He is currently playing bass with the reformed Cliff Waldron & the New Shades of Grass.
• How times change.... “Ability to play the banjo soon places one in a social position to pick and choose from scores of social invitations. Everywhere, the banjoist is assured of a hearty welcome." -from The Banjo, 1927 pamphlet published by Gibson, Inc.
• Steve Firth of Boone, NC, reports “If anybody wants to hear a great new bluegrass song with some really fine banjo playing listen to Dolly Parton's new CD Hungry Again. She wrote a tune called Time and Tears which has Gary Davis picking banjo on it. Talk about good taste! He picks it the way it should be played. The whole CD feels a lot more like bluegrass than country.” Write to Steve
• There is a commercial product with the attractive name of “Gorilla Snot” that is intended for stopping thumb picks twirling on the thumb. If anyone would like to get some and try it we would be happy to receive a report. That is, if you can pick up (no pun intended!) the courage to go up to the counter at a music store and ask for “Gorilla Snot.” Note: this is not the April edition.

Two ways to Protect against instrument theft:

• Buzz Pat, of Warren, Ohio, has devised a cheap way to protect your instrument:- Purchase a wireless door bell transmitter and receiver (Radio Shack around $19.00 and maybe Tandy). Install a mercury switch in parallel with the push button transmitter switch, set the instrument on it's side with the transmitter mounted inside, I used Velcro to install easily. When the instrument is picked up, laid on it's back or moved the mercury switch engages the transmitter and sends a signal to you with the receiver on your belt. This is usually good up to 100 ft. I use this method also when carrying my instrument in the car. Hope this helps those who want protection cheap!!! Write to Pat
• Sam Farris of Chesterfield, Virginia, says: “I've seen some adverts geared toward laptop computer owners for wireless alarms. You latch a little siren onto the case you want to protect, then keep another box on your belt. If the case gets more than 10 or 20 feet from the belt box, the siren goes off. This would be better than handcuffing the case to your ankle. I've never tried this out--my solution is just stay home all the time.”
  Write to Sam

And to protect your gold or nickel plating....

• Dave, Turtle Hill Banjo Co., Bryantown, MD says “I cover the armrests of my gold plated banjos with a product called Foto/Frisket Film, which you can find in art supply stores. It is a transparent sheet that adheres to anything. Just take off the armrest, cut a piece of this stuff (it comes in 8½x11" sheets), wrap it around, and trim. I've used it for years and it is effective. It can't be seen, unless you look closely.” Apparently it works for nickel-plated parts too. What is the UK equivalent?

From John Lawless (AcuTab)

I just heard Pretty Polly on the radio from Ralph Stanley's new Clinch Mountain Country. It is a duet with Patty Loveless and it really smoked! Patty sang it like she had been singing it all her life and Ralph's banjo sounded terrific - as did his voice. I had heard some mixed reviews of this double album but I must say that this one really kicked it. Way to go Ralph!

I suppose I should admit that Pretty Polly is one of my favourite Stanley tunes and that I have heard very few Stanley songs that I did not like. Slightly biased, I guess... I even like the tragedy tunes: No Schoolbus In Heaven and Drunken Driver. Ricky Skaggs cut of DD is one of the coolest things I have heard in years.

His main banjo is an exquisite pre-war Mastertone which is made up of parts from a variety of models. It came like this from Gibson in 1941 and has a pot from an RB-12 (top tension) a maple neck from an RB-7 and a

flange and armrest from an RB-18. To made it even more odd, the resonator is walnut! Sammy calls it his RB-37 (7+12+18=37, you see!)

This banjo is all original and he does very little set up wise. Snuffy Smith sets it up for him but I'm not sure if he uses a Snuffy bridge.

If he is within driving distance, he usually plays this terrific banjo. If he’s flying to a gig or one where he can’t keep the banjo with him at all times, he probably takes his other banjo, which is an identical copy to the pre-war. He has an old top-tension pot which he had a repro neck made for. The copy sounds good but nothing like his original.

I remember when Sammy bought it back in the early 80s. We all thought he was nuts paying the price back then, around $6,000. Can you imagine what it would command now?

Updated 23rd Jan 1999