Jim Mills’ walnut-paneled showroom stands out as one of the main highlights when visiting banjo warehouse, as this space houses one of the world’s largest collections of Gibson flathead five-string Mastertone banjos made between 1930 and 1942.
Sweetwater provides tools that make finding and selecting your ideal machine simple, as well as offering accessories and gift cards which can be used like cash.
String Swing
String Swing offers secure wall mounts for banjos of any weight or configuration – from bluegrass banjos to lightweight open-back models – ideal for mounting them securely on walls and other surfaces. Compatible with guitars and mandolins alike, its innovative design cradles your instrument without touching its tuning knobs, providing ample height adjustment options that complement your decor perfectly.
Hanging a banjo can be challenging. Compared to other musical instruments, the banjo contains more moving parts that need to be carefully managed in order to prevent damage and warping that decreases its value. A suitable place for you to hang your banjo would be in an enclosed room like a closet or porch.
Banjos make an excellent addition to your music collection. From Clawhammer and Old Time folk music, to clawhammer dulcimer or even folk, this Chicago-based banjo warehouse stocks some of the top brands. Additionally, classes and workshops for beginners are also provided at this store.
As soon as your banjo is not being played, it should be stored safely within its case to protect it from moisture and humidity. Humidity and temperature fluctuations can damage an instrument over time, leading to cracking or other forms of degradation; using its case can help avoid such issues and preserve both sound quality and aesthetic appearance of your banjo.
This banjo stand is constructed of solid, thick North American hardwood for maximum display of your Pisgah banjo. Featuring a narrower-than-neck cradle to prevent it from falling off and damaging itself and covered by a structural lifetime warranty, this stand also comes equipped with soft nylon cording around its neck and top portion to protect it from being knocked over; you can secure this cording to an anchored screw to keep it from coming loose during bumpy rides.
Sweetwater
Sweetwater is one of the premier online music and pro audio gear retailers, established in 1979 as an outpost of touring musician’s VW buses for music equipment sales. Their headquarters is now in Fort Wayne, Indiana where there is also a single retail store attached to their warehouse; their website provides easy navigation while boasting an expansive selection of musical instruments and gear.
Just like Guitar Center, Sweetwater provides free ground shipping within the continental US for most items. Customers may upgrade to two day or next business day delivery at an additional charge.
Sweetwater stands out from Guitar Center by offering an extensive selection of products, with exclusive finishes from different brands as well as special offers such as price drops, rebates, and bundles. Additionally, Sweetwater also hosts numerous deals and discounts such as price drops, rebates, and bundles to entice shoppers.
Sweetwater is known for their exceptional customer service. Every time a customer purchases at Sweetwater, they are assigned what is known as a Sales Engineer who serves as their personal sales rep, giving advice, answering queries and even offering personal assistance when needed. Furthermore, this person ensures the product in stock and ready for shipment.
Sweetwater provides more than just instruments; they also carry an extensive selection of musical accessories and gear, from guitars, bass, drums and DJ equipment to banjos which can be played across genres and musical styles. Their catalog currently boasts 12,000 products including guitars, bass guitars, drum kits and DJ equipment; as well as banjos which are often associated with bluegrass or country music but are versatile instruments which can fit seamlessly into different musical settings.
Sweetwater Academy provides educational resources for musicians, such as its unique learning experience for young musicians run by professional musicians. Students learn about basic instrument techniques as well as playing songs of varying genres – plus its program includes topics like music production and performance!
Jim Mills Banjo Showroom
Jim Mills is best known in bluegrass circles as an award-winning banjo player, but for his 1,000 square-foot banjo room. It serves as both museum and showroom and contains one of the world’s largest collections of pre-WWII Gibson flathead five-string Mastertone banjos; collectors, professional musicians and music fans visit it often to view these historic instruments that made bluegrass history.
Mills asserts that these banjos were among the first of their kind, influencing nearly every instrument ever produced after them in terms of design and look. Virtually every modern banjo today is inspired by Gibson Mastertone introduced in 1930; its distinctive headstock and rim design as well as being manufactured using nickel plating instead of gold plating (which could easily chip or break), made it a hit among players and collectors alike.
The original owner of RB-4 Sn. 9639-1 purchased it brand new from Alexander Music House in Spartanburg, South Carolina for $175 in 1935 and kept it for two years, before selling it pawned for $25 to Snuffy Jenkins who kept playing it until his passing in 1944. This marked its journey into history.
Snuffy’s licks may have made him famous, but they wouldn’t have had as much impact without having the appropriate instrument to play them on – an old Gibson with black pickguard which now resides in Jim Mills’ banjo room minus its original pickguard.
Snuffy famously played and recorded on vintage prewar Gibsons as well as other brands like Stellas and Deerings from this room, along with Stellas and Deerings that Snuffy once owned. Huber Banjos records most of their albums here; Team Flathead won IBMA Instrumental Album of the Year 2004! Team Flathead features Steve Huber, Sammy Shelor, Jim Mills and Ron Stewart performing banjos.
General Store
As well as selling banjos, this store offers apparel and accessories under its Mast General Store brand with rustic touches. Some items made of USA cotton have been pre-washed to make them soft yet durable and long-term; ideal for summer jam sessions with Jake!
Chuck Ogsbury founded Ome Banjos in Boulder while an engineering student at the University of Colorado during the late 1950s. While taking a coffee break in Timberline Lounge he heard Judy Collins sing and play banjo which inspired him to design and construct his own. Soon enough customers started coming for orders, and Ogsbury established himself as a professional banjo maker.
Though not always in an optimal financial situation to produce his own instruments, he had an ongoing challenge keeping up with what people wanted or what was popular at any given moment. It can be especially difficult in markets with changing tastes; not to mention maintaining high levels of craftsmanship when constantly changing processes and tooling are required for production.
His company benefitted greatly from these trends and his instruments were soon becoming favorites among musicians worldwide, known for their quality and sound. Today, this family owned business continues to operate under that same name but now features several additional brands of acoustic guitars, mandolins, and dulcimers as well.
One of the primary issues with this store is that it posts an excessively high volume of instruments each day – sometimes over 50! This depletes the classifieds section and hinders other members’ ability to advertise their instruments; furthermore, it makes searching harder on Banjo Hangout for new instruments.
Bucks County Folk Music in Doylestown, PA typically stocks an assortment of new and pre-owned open back and resonator banjos at any one time, which they display on their website for easy browsing. Appalachian Bluegrass in Catonsville, MD (Baltimore area) used to carry an expansive inventory; unfortunately they no longer seem to maintain a website. Pickers Supply of Fredericksburg VA provides another great choice when looking for banjos nearby.