Doug....received your BanjoMate yesterday, tried it in one of my two Banjos, a 1973 Aria Bowtie. I adjusted it a few times until I got that mellow tone I was looking for....Sounds Great!  Thanks James  UK

Thanks Doug....I placed it in my 1926 Bacon and Day Plectrum, and I do seem to get more volume, which is what I was looking for. Perhaps others in our Banjo group will want to purchase the BanjoMate.   Stan Jack  The First Arizona Banjo Band  Gold Canyon, AZ

"The BanjoMate helps project the sound toward the front of the Banjo and out the flange holes. I have one in a 1927 TB-1 Gibson Conversion and it helps to get the sound out. Try one, you'll be impressed"....    Dave Pethtel  Silver String Band

BanjoMate Tone Enhancer

"The sound enhancement was immediatley recognizable. I don't normally practice with picks on in the house, and my wife thought I was using picks. That alone should give you an idea of the audible resonance your BanjoMate creates. I wish you great luck and success with this invention. Thank You!"....    Mitch, Ohio

"I bought a new Huber Lexington at IBMA in Nashville and was very pleased to find a great product like this one to protect the armrest from tarnishing and wearing the finish off as they all do. I'm very pleased with mine it's a great product"   Carl W. Palmer, Niles Ohio

BanjoMate Armrest Protector

"Great protector for your armrest. Keep it looking new. Snaps on and off for cleaning, like a charm"   Ronnie Eaton..... Jackson, TN

Testimonials

"What a neat invention, volume definately increased, clearer tone too!"....    Jim Robinson, FL

"Excellent item, a great thing for your Banjo"   Keith..... Mechanicville, VA

Thinline Ebony

Photo Compliments of:
Jim Dick
Canberra, Australia

Thinline Ebony
Photo Compliments of:
Chris Jenkins

Gitjo Banjo Lame Horse Instruments

BanjoMate Thinline Armrest

Hi Doug, I received the ebony Thinline banjo armrest and installed it yesterday. The fit is very nice it looks like it belongs. It took about 5 minutes to put it on my S.S. Stewart. I hadno problems and really didn't need the instructions. This banjo has 28 hooks. The black color looks very nice as it blends with the ebony fingerboard. I toyed with the idea of getting the ivory color but I think the ebony works well. I have adjusted the armrest so that it sits right on top of the hooks. This gets my arm about 1/2" above the head. For my style of playing on this particular banjo, the added height help me sound the fifth string cleaner, minimizing the brush stroke sound of the thumb against the head. Also, since my forearm is no longer touching the head, the banjo sound is not dampened. I am very pleased with this product and would recommend it to anyone. Thanks for a great product, Andy Birmingham,AL

I am very impressed with the Thinline Armrest. It fills a need for openback banjos that we have had for decades. Only the Vegas repro has been available and it is not suitable for every banjo. The black Thinline was very easy to fit to my Riley Baugus banjo although the Baugus is not standard in any way. The attachment system is brilliant...it takes a few minutes and fits solid as a rock. The height is perfect for clawhammer and the look of the black slim design is elegant and appropriate. Although the material is Corian, it matches the ebony peghead perfectly. I have always been leery of inventions and gadgets for traditional banjo, but this one is a home run. This is the best armrest for openback banjos I have seen in my 50 years of playing. AAA+++ Glenn Godsey Tulsa Oklahoma

Easy to install on my Enoch Tradesman. The ebony armrest looks like it was made for these banjos. Makes the Tradesman more comfortable to play. Highly recommended accessory. Bob Chase, Folsom, CA

This little armrest is very nice. It helps make my banjo so much more comfortable. First off, it was simple to install. Secondly, it is wider where your arm rests, so it does not dig into your arm. Third, it is adjustable as to height so I can push it down closer to the banjo rim. It appears to be well manufactured and has a fine finish. Troy Mayfield, Boise City, OK

Simple to install & remove, two brackets slide on armrest and adjust height. Put it on my Deering goodtime openback. Its the same color as the goodtime matches real well and comfortable. Dennis Skinner, Goshen, OH

Good solid construction, easy to install and comfortable. I got the Ivory armrest to complement the ivoroid buttons and calfskin head and I'm very happy with the look and feel of it. Mark Bradley, Shellburne Falls, MA

Was having a bear of a time finding a armrest to fit my Lee Chalk Mountain Banjo, (14 brackets and 3-inch deep pot)...took a gamble, figuring I could add it to the growing collection, and wouldn't you know it fits! Love that it's adjustable for both hook spacing, simple design, easy to use. Grant Kuchan, Chicago, IL

This is the ideal replacement for a Vega-style armrest, no matter how many bracket hooks a banjo has. More than a few regard the Vega-style armrest as uncomfortable and too high above the head. Any Deering Goodtime banjo, no matter which model, will benefit from this armrest. It's easy to install and reasonably priced. Mitch Finley, Spokane, WA

I am very cynical about most gimmick-y things. I have tried my share of gimmicks and devices over the past 44 years of banjo playing. I've tried all the latest fads and tricks and I've usually been pretty disappointed. I've never been a "me-too" guy unless I have satisfied myself that things I endorse are valid and have been proven through my own experience. Three days ago, I ordered a Banjo Tone Enhancer. $16.95. I figured why not? If it's a rip-off, I'll write a scathing disclaimer. If it works, I'll write a fair review. If nothing happens, so what...? It sounds enough like snake-oil to be, well, snake-oil. So the thing came USPS today, so I stuck it in my Scout. It's a square sheet of thin brass with a dish-shape, sorta pyramidal in shape. Now, years ago, a bunch of were trying saw-blades mounted to the coordinator rods, mirrors in the resonator, reflective hard-gloss paint and whatever else we thought might help the sound. I pretty much gave up on such stuff, because : 1. I don't like gimmicks 2. I figure a banjo either has it or not 3. I'm pretty good at setting up banjos and coaxing maximum sound(tone & volume) from one. Anyway, here I was thinking, "Yeh, yeh...whatever..." I was fully expecting my cynicism to be vindicated, knowing this was just another dust-catcher for the junk-box. I thought I may make a clock out of it. The Scout is one good-sounding banjo and I thought it was as good as it was gonna get. I played the Scout for a few minutes just registering the sound in my head. So, I stuck this puppy in there with it's little velcro fastener and played the same licks I had been playing for several minutes. Then I took the gizmo out and played the same stuff again. I repeated this process for 30-40 minutes, confident that I was going to be able to pooh-pooh the device. My final analysis in the Scout is this: It made a marked improvement in the sound. Not a vast improvement, but a marked one. The sound was fuller, rounder, if you will, and had more sustain. It was slightly louder and I noticed for the first time that the Scout had an ear-crunching quality when I really bear down on it. I don't know how or why it works, but I was impressed enough to call Doug. I tried turning it to different orientations as he suggested and found out that it does make a difference. When I turned it with the points toward the heel and tailpiece, I got the best sound. When I turned it 90 degrees, it seemed slightly more "treble-y." I have yet to try varying degrees between 0 and 90, but I will. I also intend to try it in my Aria alumi-tone, my 28 Granada AT, my Lane and my Sullivan Festival Deluxe. I'm going to stick it in my friend's Asian mongrel-tone I put together for him. I'm trying to buy a USB studio mike, so maybe I'll do some sound files for each banjo. I have a blind friend who plays dobro, and who has a really sensitive set of ears, so I plan to use him as a guinea-pig, for a true "blind" sound-test. . I don't know Doug, and I have no financial interest in his company or product. I give it a thumbs-up. I think it's a winner. ADDENDUM: Mar 6, 09 I just tried the Tone Enhancer in my Aria Alumi-tone. It was even more remarkable than in the Scout. I played the Scout and the Alumi-tone with and without the TE for my wife and she said,"What IS that thing!!?" High praise from her. Bob Gaddis (BeeGee) BanjoHangout March 2009

The BanjoMate Thinline Armrest is a very nice product. Well finished with an ingenious mounting system that allows it to fit on banjos with various hook spacings. It mounts easily by removing and reinstalling two hooks after sliding them through the armrest mounting hardware. It adjusts easily both up and down, and it slides side to side without having to use tools, so if you're standing in a field somewhere and choose to adjust it, it can be done between songs, it's that easy. It mounts on the hooks, so there's no adverse effect on the banjo (i.e. drilled holes, etc), and it can be switched to another banjo easily, so if you sell your banjo, you can keep the armrest. It really the best I've seen. It doesn't look heavy on the banjo like some armrests, yet it protects the arm from touching the hooks, adding comfort to playing. I like the fact that it's not cold metal. The one I have is ebony colored which matches the black rim of my Huss & Dalton Singletree Banjo nicely. Instructions are adequate, shipping was fast. Highly recommended. Keith Fuller "Gottasmilealot" in the BanjoHangout March 2009

Feb 20 - I was fortunate enough to be online shortly after Doug Campbell [bluegrassjunkie] posted an invitation for 5 people to evaluate the BanjoMate Thinline Armrest. I had just been thinking about an armrest for my Pennington open-back banjo, so I emailed Doug right away to sign on! Feb 24 - Received a package at the PO from Little Mountain Music. Wow, that was fast! It contained the armrest, nicely packaged in a clear plastic soft case. The armrest is made of Corian. I requested ivory-colored; they are also available in ebony and tortoise. The BanjoMate is well-machined, with nice smooth edges. The armrest is mounted with two mounting pins that attach to two of the hooks on the banjo for an easy and secure installation. The pins dovetail with a machined groove on the underside of the armrest. The instructions are simple and illustrated with very clear B & W photos. Much better than the crude sketches you sometimes get with assembly instructions. The armrest was simple to install! The instructions were accurate. The components fit together just right, and the mounting pins look fine with the existing hooks on the banjo. The ivory color is perfect. The armrest looks classy yet unobtrusive. My hardware is chrome, but gold-colored hardware is available for those of you with those gaudy gold banjers! Playability - The armrest is comfortable. All the edges are rounded and I don't notice it digging into my arm while playing. The support is good; it's low-profile, but I can tell it makes a difference. Now I need another one for my Ome. Not sure yet what color I want to order, though. March 6 - This is an excellent product that does exactly what it's designed to do. If you decide to get one, I know you will be pleased with the quality of manufacture and simplicity of assembly. The Corian material seems like a good choice - if it can stand up to daily use on a kitchen counter top, it should last forever on a banjo! Support BH members and small, independent music suppliers! If you've been considering an armrest for your open-back, you will be pleased with the BanjoMate Thinline Armrest! Visit www.littlemountainmusic.com to order and view their other products. Mary Gribbin "Voyageur" in the BanjoHangout March 2009

Hey Doug... I got my armrest today. I was a bit skeptical about putting it on my Ramsey. Would it look all right for old time? Would it work as well as my Hot Dog? Would it fit right and be easily adjustable? Needless to say, I had my doubts. Not that it was not a good product, but rather that it may be better for bluegrass rather than my old time open back banjo. One of the guys that works in my shop is an old time nut and was not sure about it either. He thought it would not adjust high enough to be effective. Well, all my questions were quickly answered when I put it on my banjo. Immediately I noticed an substantial increase in comfort, and after minimal adjustment it even put my arm at a better angle. That has increased my playing (which can always use help) and allows me to get better power with my style of picking (thumb lead). I have been very pleasantly surprised and will enjoy this arm rest. My Hot Dog is not put away and my Thinline is now happily attached to my Ramsey. Thank you for your kindness. I will post on the hangout my opinion and experience. I really do appreciate your kindness and will not forget it. Have a Great Day! Big Joe Vest (Owner Big Joe's Guitar Shop, Madison, TN (p.s. Big Joe formerly managed the Gibson Showcase at Opry Mills)

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