Kevin Enoch Banjos - opinions?
Bruce Boyer
be taken literally) banjo, and Kevin Enoch has come up a couple of
times. The only one I've seen is Rafe Stefanini's fretless, and it's a
beaut.
Anyone have more experience with Enoch's workmanship, and have an
opionion to offer? All input, and other recommendations, welcomed.
--
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Bruce Boyer
Cottonwood String Band
Orange County, CA
bbo...@ix.netcom.com
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OldBzrd
played. Noone makes a better instrument! Quality is tops, there is
artistry above and beyond the workmanship and prices are more than
reasonable.
Do it!
OldBzrd
Steve Goldfield
Bruce Boyer <bbo...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
#>I've decided it's time to start thinking seriously about a new (not to
#>be taken literally) banjo, and Kevin Enoch has come up a couple of
#>times. The only one I've seen is Rafe Stefanini's fretless, and it's a
#>beaut.
#>
#>Anyone have more experience with Enoch's workmanship, and have an
#>opionion to offer? All input, and other recommendations, welcomed.
#>--
#>********
#>Bruce Boyer
#>Cottonwood String Band
#>Orange County, CA
#>bbo...@ix.netcom.com
#>********
I've played one or two and talked to lots of happy campers who
bought one. Kevin Enoch is considered one of the best, if not
the best, banjo makers right now. His banjos are especially
good for clawhammer. The one I played wasn't set up as well
for two-finger style, but it's possible that the setup could
have been changed to improve it for that. Dan's endorsement
was pretty strong. Mac Benford was playing one when I met
him last year, and he seemed to like it. As you note, Rafe
Stefanini's got one. Candy Goldman in Seattle has one that
sounds very good; so does Molly Tenenbaum, I believe, who is
also in Seattle. I think it's one of the two she used on her
tape. And Kevin's spouse, Kate Brett, plays some pretty fine
banjo on Melvin Wine's most recent tape, presumably on one
of Kevin's banjos. More importantly, I haven't run across
anybody who had one they didn't like (I think I met more than
a dozen people playing Kevin Enoch banjos in Mt. Airy in 1994).
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Steve Goldfield :-{ {-: s...@coe.berkeley.edu
University of California at Berkeley Richmond Field Station
Dan Peck
Wish I had one myself.
Dan Peck Milesquare Associates
dan...@panix.com Living Traditions
Gordon Banks
>I've decided it's time to start thinking seriously about a new (not to
>
>Anyone have more experience with Enoch's workmanship, and have an
I'm quite satisfied with mine. You have to realize they sound different from
White Laydies and Tubaphones. If you like the kind of "tubby" sound that
Kevin's style of banjo makes, then I don't know anyone who makes a better
one than him. Mike Ramsay and Clark Prouty are making good ones in that style
also. Mike's aren't quite as pricey as Kevin's, but are plainer. Some
people call these "Kyle Creed" banjos, since Kyle made this style.
I've seen some of Kyle's and Kevin's are better made.
--
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Gordon Banks N3JXP |"There is nothing so terrible as ignorance in action."
g...@cadre.dsl.pitt.edu | --Goethe
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Bill Blevins
>In article <3vjqaa$e...@ixnews5.ix.netcom.com> bbo...@ix.netcom.com (Bruce Boyer) writes:
>>be taken literally) banjo, and Kevin Enoch has come up a couple of
>>times. The only one I've seen is Rafe Stefanini's fretless, and it's a
>>
>>opionion to offer? All input, and other recommendations, welcomed.
>
>I'm quite satisfied with mine. You have to realize they sound different from
>White Laydies and Tubaphones. If you like the kind of "tubby" sound that
>Kevin's style of banjo makes, then I don't know anyone who makes a better
>one than him. Mike Ramsay and Clark Prouty are making good ones in that style
>also. Mike's aren't quite as pricey as Kevin's, but are plainer. Some
>people call these "Kyle Creed" banjos, since Kyle made this style.
>I've seen some of Kyle's and Kevin's are better made.
Kevin's are good, I'd agree with Gordon, the sound is a little tubby
but that can be overcome. I've seen a couple of Clark's repos and
I'd love to have one too, Joel Sweeney I think. I'm not familar with
Mike's so I can't say. Now old Kyle made a good one or too and
I'd take one of his any day...another maker less known is Mac Trayham.
He happens to have one for sale right now, the 1st he's made in a little
while for $700.00 with a hardshell case. It's got the 12 inch pot
with a simple brass tone ring, a beautiful piece of bird's eye maple
neck and rim. No inlays on the fingerboard, that's not Macs forte.
Good powerful sound, for a hard-drivin' player, but plays nice up
the neck. I's buy it but I already own the best one he's ever made <g>.
email me if you are interested or talk to him at Augusta next week.
Blevins
Rich Hartness wins 1st to arrive at Clifftop award! Way to go Rich!
EEYIEEYIOH
Julie Mangin
Count me in as another satisfied Enoch banjo owner! Email me for details.
Julie Mangin
jma...@access.digex.net
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"I prefer the phrase old-time music to old-timey music which sounds
perilously close to old-tiny music." --Mark Graham
Bill Richardson
winning traditional bands) who found this fabulous banjo pot. He kept
asking Kevin Enoch to make him a neck for the pot. Having failed in that
effort, he finally bought a whole banjo, put the enck on the old pot and
threw the rest away!
This story was told to me by Nancy Corey of Blacksburg.
Bill Richardson
blacksburg virginia
Sarah Bryan
I wish I had an Enoch banjo - they're fabulous.
Sarah
Audrey Molsky
Bill Richardson (bill...@caspian.ext.vt.edu) wrote:
: Yesterday at Clifftop I was told about a banjo player (in one of the
------------------
I'd like to set the record straight on Kevin Enoch's willingness to make
banjo necks for pots.
There were two people in the traditional band contest finalists who play his
instruments. Travis, in the Haywood Ramblers, plays a Goose Acres banjo,
made by Kevin while he was still employed there. The other is Frank Lee, of
the Freight Hoppers, and is probably the person who Nancy Corey was talking
about. Kevin is more than willing to make a neck for someone else's pot,
and has done so for several people. It isn't much easier than to make the
whole banjo, and so the cost differential is less than one might expect
(generally, having a rim will save $200 from the cost of a banjo). I
vaguely remember that Frank put the Enoch Instruments neck on his own pot,
but that was not because Kevin refused to do that in the first place; I
believe it was that Frank in the end just decided that was what he wanted.
Frank liked his banjo well enough that he is the designer and maker of the
Enoch Instruments t-shirts that come with each banjo.
By the way, Nancy Corey also is in the process of having a banjo built for
her by Kevin, one that will be a real beaut.
Kate Brett, Kevin's wife
(km...@nch07a.em.cdc.gov)
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Banjhead
may never.... everytime i play someone asks me what kind of banjo that is
and comments on how good it sounds..
Ted Klein
Ted
Steve Goldfield
Somewhere back in the 1990s, Kevin showed me his prototype of the Tradesman, which he thought he could sell for about $500. It costs quite a bit more than that, but it is a great banjo.
Steve Goldfield