3/2/2024 0 Comments Five of a kind bluegrass![]() There’s loads of power on tap, and the sound is magical. Sonically, the mix of maple and mahogany infuse it with a well-balanced tone that’s got plenty of snap and punch. Visually, the vintage-style double-cut peghead, bound ebony fretboard and exquisite custom Flying Eagle-style inlays along the neck make this banjo a real scene stealer. It features a Mastertone-style tone ring, a steam-bent 3-ply maple rim, fast ebony fretboard and Gotoh planetary tuners. The Elite Flying Eagle is Recording King’s handcrafted homage to the Mastertone. The result was the Mastertone, with its distinctive, innovative large hollow metal tone ring and incredible tone. Not happy, legend has it that Gibson’s top brass commissioned gifted luthier Lloyd Loar to build a banjo that would silence the competition forever. Frankly, it was so awful that it risked damaging the reputation of the Gibson brand. Before the Mastertone, Gibson’s attempt at making a banjo that could compete with those from Epiphone, Paramount and Vega was pitifully poor. The Elite Flying Eagle is a high-end banjo that’s closely modelled on an icon, the Gibson Mastertone series of the mid-1920s through the 1930s. It’s an instrument built for performance. Of course, the Fishman pickup is going to give you plenty of reinforcement on stage, this banjo’s spiritual home. This is a fantastic banjo for folk, bluegrass or pretty much any other genre provided you’re happy with the slightly softer open-back sound. The rim and neck are both mahogany, for a delightfully focussed sound, and the fingerboard is a beautiful slice of walnut. The nickel-plated hardware, snowflake inlays and ebony-tipped bridge set it off a treat. Fender’s design team has resisted the temptation to disfigure it with a Strat or Tele style headstock, instead opting for a suitably retro, slender outline, decorated with an elegant tulip inlay. True to form, the PB-180E is a wallet-friendly open-back 5-string banjo that offers superb value when you consider it features a Remo head, bone nut and Fishman pickup. Banjo prices have soared since his day, but Fender’s range is surprisingly affordable. Open-back design has less snap than a resonatorįender’s PB-180E banjo makes up an important part of its Paramount line, a range of fretted instruments that look like something your blues loving great-grandfather would have played but are, in fact, chock-a-block with modern appointments.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |