I’ve been writing a bit about banjo camp – let’s go back a bit. You see the Detroit skyline from the Windsor side – I took that shot Wednesday night. Thursday morning, I proceeded through the tunnel to America. Not so fast. First I had to get into the country.
Where are you going Sir?
Olivet Michigan.
What’s the purpose of your visit?
Attending the Mid-West Banjo Camp
What is a banjo camp sir?
It’s a gathering of folk musicians in which experienced and well-known players help others improve their skills.
Where did you hear about this banjo camp?
It’s not that big a community. I read about it on a website.
When was the last time you were arrested sir?
Huh?
Apparently I failed to convince the Customs guy I was a clean-cut kid, because he asked for my keys, and searched my bags, went through my clothes. Another guy came and he was doing something around my fenders, I guess trying to detect contraband. I should note that they didn’t bother to search my banjo case. I guess they couldn’t bear the thought of seeing an honest to goodness banjo up close.
Eventually they let me take off on my merry way. I immediately missed my cut-off to highway. I stopped to ask a City worker for directions.
You want to go to Lansing?
Yes.
Shit.
Shit?
Well, the good expressway is closed.
Closed?
Yeah, closed.
Is there another way?
It’s not as good.
I’m not choosy…I’ll take what I can get.
He gave me directions but I didn’t do a great job following them because I soon encountered signs telling my my highway was about to close. However, there was a detour and there were lots of signs. It was like going on an automotive scavenger hunt. Find the next sign. Follow instructions. Hope for the best.
Eventually, I made it to Lansing, and made a beeline for Elderly Instruments.
Elderly is holy ground for folk music freaks, and especially for those who play stringed instruments. They have a huge selection and they also have a huge repair shop (this isn’t to say I couldn’t have found a great banjo at home – I bought my other banjo at The 12th Fret and it is an excellent store. However, the timing was right and I was going to be in Michigan and I wanted to visit Elderly, and…..). I was interested in checking out some banjos. There were 3 or 4 in particular I was interested in playing, and two in particular. I didn’t see those two out on the floor, so I asked a friendly Elderly employee.
They’re gone to banjo camp…
Oh I see, you’re setting up a store at the camp.
Oh yeah, a big one.
OK, I guess I can play those instruments at camp, because I’m on my way there.
Yes, you can do that, but wait here a minute….
She wandered off and came back a few minutes later.
Come with me.
We trundled downstairs and into the repair shop.
You’re not allowed in here.
She introduced me to a couple of the repair guys. We continued on into the basement.
You’re not allowed down here.
She pulls out a box containing a Bart Reiter Standard, one of the instruments I was interested in.
You’re not allowed to play this until we set it up, ok?
OK.
She handed me the instrument.
I’ll get you a tuner.
It’s OK, I happen to have one in my pocket, along with my capo.
Great.
I played this banjo for a while, then my new friend at Elderly handed me another instrument, a Bart Reiter Round Peak model, a banjo with a bigger head. I messed around with both of them and told her I liked the Standard model quite a bit.
I’ll get the guys to set it up for you. Meantime, we also have the Pisgah you’re interested in. That one needs set-up as well.
She sent me off to have lunch at a near-by cafe. By the time I got back, both banjos were set up for me. I had earlier played a few other banjos, but I really liked these two. The Pisgah Rambler is a gorgeous instrument with a spunover metal rim and a fingerboard made of Richlite, a paper-based, resin-infused material used in countertops.
The Pisgah is made in North Carolina, while Reiter makes his banjos in Lansing Michigan. I really loved both banjos, and in fact I liked both of them better than some of the much higher-priced banjos in the store. I’m not all that fascinated with fancy inlay-work or anything like that. I’m more interested in a banjo that has a sound I really like that I really love to play.
The Reiter has what you might call a plunkier sound, or some people might say a more “old-timey” sound, and the Pisgah is a little bit brighter – it has a 12″ pot (compared to the 11″ pot on the Reiter) and that gives the sound a different character as well. Both are excellent banjos. As it happens I needed another banjo. I’ve learned recently there is a formula for the number of banjos you need. It’s all mathematical. The formula can be expressed two ways. The first is X+1, where X=the number of banjos you currently own. The second is S-1, where S=the number of banjos that finally cause your significant other to declare, I’ve had enough, and toss you out onto the street. It’s a delicate balance.
Let me cut to the chase – I bought the Bart Reiter Standard. Tough choice, as I really loved both. I asked the folks at Elderly if they would install a railroad spike in the 7th fret for me – this is very small bit of hardware that allows you to use it to fret the fifth string when you capo the first 4 strings. Many people add a few spikes – I have that on my other banjo – but I only ever use the one on the 7th, so that’s all I asked for on the Reiter. They did it up for me right away in the repair shop at no additional charge.
With my new banjo loaded in the car, I headed for Olivet. Finding the camp was easy enough. The college is just past the main drag in town. I checked in, brought my stuff up to my room and found my way over to the cafeteria for dinner.
27th Street 