Deering has kicked off its new Service Center with three easy to order service packages. The banjo is to making music what a knife is to a chef. It is the tool that we use to help bring the thoughts and ideas within the realms of our imagination to life. It would seem appropriate, therefore, that from time to time our tools need some tender loving care to keep them performing perfectly.
The thing that not everyone might realize about banjos (or for that matter any stringed instrument) is that as time goes by, it is likely that they will need some degree of maintenance.
For optimum longevity and performance, banjos are made from very select materials. Woods are organic materials and even though it is no longer part of a tree, the wood still reacts to environmental factors such as humidity, temprature etc, all of which can cause the wood to move, swell, or shrink. This applies to any musical instrument made from wood. Banjos, by design, also feature a lot of metal parts including screws that may need adjusting over time. Strings will wear, heads will stretch, bridges may sag and so every so often, you will need to breathe some new life into your banjo.
Deering has long encouraged the players to maintain thier banjos by carrying out tasks within their own capabilities. Sure enough, changing strings and making some basic head adjustments is probably within reach of many of you reading this article. However, figuring out what work you need to have done shouldnt be an arduous task. Sometimes a banjo just needs a bit more of an experienced hand to get it back to perfect playing position, which is why we created the Service Center.
The three service packages are designed to fit what you need as a player.
The Silver package is designed for anyone who has had a banjo and has noticed that it just doesnt sound or feel quite how it did when you first played it. Maybe it has lost its brightness or you have noticed that it doesnt quite play as easy as it once did. It probably means that it is time for a factory reset, and a clean up to bring it back to life.
The Gold package is for the player who has had his or her banjo for a while, or who plays it often and needs a little more detail work. Neck angle adjustment, a fret dress and a deep clean all come with the Gold package, as well as the fitting of a brand new head and Deering Smile bridge.
Finally, the Platinum package includes everything mentioned in the Silver and Gold packages, but really caters to those who have played thier banjo so much that thier frets need replacing from fret wear. They will be replaced with the standard nickel silver frets. Or we can upgrade your frets to a much harder wearing stainless steel for only $99 when purchased with the Platinum package.
Eventually, the Service Center will be expanded to include a la carte options, as well as servicing non-Deering banjos, so stay tuned.
But in the meantime, if you need to get your banjo back to playing and sounding the best it can, let us take care of it for you!
COMMENTS