Weston Stewart Takes Winfield National Bluegrass Banjo Crown

Nechville News
For Banjo Players Everywhere!
9700 Humboldt Avenue South, Bloomington, Minnesota 55431
Weston Stewart Takes Winfield
National Bluegrass Banjo Crown
Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas this
past September. Weston was playing
a Nechville walnut Galaxy Phantom for
the competition.
Its been a good year for Weston.
Though still just 21 years old, he has
won over 50 bluegrass banjo competitions. They include the 2011 Merle
Watson Bluegrass Banjo Title at MERLEFEST, 8 state banjo titles
(Tennessee, 2 Kentucky,2 Mississippi,
Indiana, and 2 Georgia), the Uncle
Dave Macon Days in Murfreesboro,
TN and The Tennessee Valley Old
Time Fiddlers Convention in Athens,
AL.
Weston Stewart of Anderson, Alabama Nechville is proud to have Weston as
one their distinguished artists.
won the 2011 National Bluegrass
Banjo Championship at the Walnut
Congratulations, Weston!
In This Issue
Weston Stewart is National Banjo
Champion
Calendar of Events
1
What Do They Say About Nechville?
2
Nechville Dealers in the US
3
David Robinson of Monroe Crossing
4
Acoustic Banjo Specifications
6
Classifieds
7
Price List
8
CALENDAR
OF EVENTS
Feb 2-5
SPBGMA
Nashville TN
As a child, I showed an evil inventive
genius as I rigged booby traps for my
sister as she entered my room. I finally cleaned up my act and am now
spending my time rigging up better
banjos.
Over our 25 plus year history, Nechville has shown the banjo world several new ideas, and the tradition of
innovation continues at Nechville.
What's next? People ask whenever
we show up at festivals and trade
shows. Our
friends are
anticipating
something
new.
Feb 23-26
Wintergrass
Bellevue WA
Mar 4-6
The 80's and 90's were for introducing
the Heli-mount, the Nuvo neck with
Capobility, and the Enterprise compensated bridge.
MBOTMA Winter Bluegrass Weekend
Plymouth MN
Apr 26-29
Merlefest
Wilkesboro NC
The new millennium was the time for
the Phantom, the Meteor Electric, the
(Continued on page 7)
1
Anticipation
Anticipation….
By Tom Nechville
Winter 2012
Check the Calendar page on our web site
for updates and revisions.
Nechville News
Winter 2012
What Do They Say About Nechville?
We can talk all day about the
quality of our banjos. But don’t
take our word for it. We went to
the Nechville Owners Group on
Banjo Hangout and asked for their
impressions. Here’s what they
said:
gnatman: I'm an astrophysics graduate student, so the moment I
laid eyes on the Galaxy
Phantom, I knew I had
to have one. Luckily for
me, Nechville banjos
sound even better than
dpete210: My Nechville
they look. Tom NechClassic is a very versa- ville has been incredibly helpful, even
tile banjo and it is defiafter I bought my banjo, helping me set
nitely a keeper. I have a it up and further customize it until it
turbo module that I can looked and sounded exactly the way I
swap out and then use
wanted.
the banjo in a rock/blues/country band I
Joe Beckett: I bought
play in or swap it back to its normal
my Saturn at the Wesetup and use it in the bluegrass gospel
natchee Bluegrass fesband I am with. Great banjo!
tival and am more than
briln: At 7 lbs. my Walsatisfied. It draws such
nut Galaxy Phantom is
attention not only due to it's unique look
the best looking, best
but it's great sound and ease of playing.
sounding, most comfort- Of course watching Tom go through it
able to play banjo imag- for me whenever I take it to the River
inable. Working with Tom was a joy.
City festival is a treat as well that I wasWhenever I had a question his desire
n't prepared for. Keep up the good work
was to make my experience memorable Nechville!
and exactly what I wanted. Making it
davidtoc: I bought my
perfect for me Making it perfect for me
Nechville Vintage bewas the goal, and it was achieved!"
cause I wanted a classic
rachel.love: "From the
looking banjo that takes
moment I saw my first
advantage of modern
Nextar I was completely
possibilities. It sounds
hooked on Nechville
fantastic, has the most
banjos. These instruplayable neck I've ever
ments are both wildly
touched, and weighs
innovative while mainless than other banjos. Nechville is
taining a traditional
clearly a company that respects tradisound. The look and feel tion but refuses to be held back by it.
is one of exquisite workmanship and
banjoverton: I played and redesign making these instruments both
searched many banjos including
beautiful to look at and a joy to play!
Dearing, Gibson, Prucha and
I own four banjos in including a Gibson Stealth before deciding on my
Mastertone and the *only* banjos I play Nechville. Ultimately, I felt that
are my Cascade Phantom and Meteor." Nechville offered the greatest
value in a quality instrument. I
have been pleased to see that
Nechville's quality equipment is
backed up by superior customer
service. I will never forget the
time I was having a small pesky
issue with my Phantom. Taking a
chance, I called the Nechville shop
at 6:30PM on a Friday night only
to have the phone answered by
Tom Nechville. He then proceeded
to walk me through removing the
neck, tightening a bolt, and replacing the neck. All over the
phone on a Friday evening with
the builder! AMAZING! I am completely hooked, I own two Nechvilles and see no reason to go
anywhere else for any of my banjo
needs.
Banjoy: Tom made my
Athena model just the
way I wanted it, using
many of his suggestions once he knew
my style of playing. This is one of the
most responsive and playable banjos I
have ever held in my hands. It is very
much alive and seems to anticipate
what I ask it to do. You can't ask any
more from any instrument. The best
purchasing decision I've made in
awhile.
We never tire of hearing from our customers, whether they are delivering
high praise or to present us with a problem. Our goal is to deliver a product of
the highest quality while providing the
best in customer support and service.
2
Winter 2012
Nechville News
Nechville Dealers in the USA
You can find Nechville Banjos at any of these fine dealers in the USA
State:
Dealer:
Address:
Phone:
AR
Janet Davis Music
10 Bacton Lane, Bella Vista, 72714
800-933-5362
AZ
Acoustic Vibes
2070 E. Southern Ave., Tempe, 85282
602-295-5946
FL
Penny Lane Emporium
3045 N Federal Hwy Suite 60F, Ft. Lauderdale
954-667-7503
MD
Turtle Hill Banjo Co.
PO Box 265, Bryantown, 20617
301-274-3441
MI
Elderly Instruments
1100 North Washington, Lansing, 48906
888-473-5810
AR
Mountain View Music
123 Washington St., Mountain View, 72560
870-269-9044
CA
Sylvan Music
1521 Mission Street, Santa Cruz 95060
831-427-1917
CA
Tricopolis Records
33261 Adelfa Street, Lake Elsinore 92530
951-678-0831
CA
Buffalo Brothers
4901 El Camino Real, Carlsbad 92008
760-434-4347
CO
Canyon Music Woodworks
734 E. 2nd Ave., Durango, 81301
970-259-1622
CO
J. B. Hart Music
417 Main St., Grand Junction 81501
800-310-9282
GA
Banjo.com
1148 JVL Court, Suite 170, Marietta 30066
877-253-9948
IL
Different Strummer
4544 North Lincoln Ave., Chicago 60625
773-751-3398
MO
Music Folk
8015 Big Bend, St Louis, 63119
800-892-2970
MO
High Strung Music
410 South Avenue, Springfield, 65806
417-866-1150
NC
Zepp Music
4 East Third ST, Wendell 27591
866-365-5189
NY
Mandolin Bros.
629 Forest Ave, Staten Island, 10310
718-981-3226
OR
Vic's Guitar Cave
1927 21st Ave., Forest Grove
503-357-2787
TN
Hatfield Music
325 Laurelwood Dr, Pigeon Forge, 37863
800-426-8744
TN
Music Outlet
1050 Winfield Dunn Parkway, Hwy 66, Sevierville, 37876
865-453-1031
UT
The Acoustic Musician
9437 S, Union Square St., Sandy, 84070
866-751-6040
801-748-2616
3
Winter 2012
Nechville News
Monroe Crossing’s Young Lion: David Robinson
By Jeremiah Lindstrom
Banjo Revolutionary. Nechville’s Jeremiah
Lindstrom caught up with David not long after
Monroe Crossing conducted a nationwide
search for a replacement for their longtime
banjoist Benji Flaming. They chose David,
seeing the same musical skills and personal
traits that Tom saw a few short years ago.
At what age did you start playing banjo?
I started playing right after I turned 14 when I
received my first banjo for my 14th birthday.
Is banjo your first instrument? What other
instruments do you play?
No, actually my first instrument was the Jaw
Harp that I picked up when I was 7. Eventually
I learned to play the mandolin, Harmonica,
Guitar, Piano, Bass, Irish Tin Whistle, Bodhran,
Native American Flute, Mountain Dulcimer,
basically whatever is lying around the house.
David, you are so young, yet it seems like you
have been playing for 30 years!! Please tell us
a little about how you learned to do the amazing things you do on the banjo, and who some
of your major influences are.
David Robinson first met Tom Nechville at the
MBOTMA festival, where they became fast
friends. Tom was stuck by the maturity of this
It took me a little while to really pick up on the
figure-style banjo; at first I learned clawhammer since it basically was like strumming a
guitar. Once I was able to get the finger rolls
down I listened a lot to players such as Earl
Scruggs, Doug Dillard, Ralph Stanley, J.D.
Crowe, then later on I got addicted to the
sound of Bela Fleck, Alison Brown, Tony Trischka and Jens Kruger. I’ve also tried to draw
on the playing of many other players such as,
Noam Pikelny, Matt Menefee, Gregory Liszt,
Ned Luberecki, Jim Mills, Jessie Baker, Ron
Stewart, Kristen Scott Benson, and of course
Benji Flaming. All together, learning mainly
came from listen to recordings, tips from other
musicians, and I also used instructional DVDs
young man’s playing and saw bright future
to reinforce my playing and help me focus on
ahead for David. Eventually, David became an certain techniques.
(Continued on page 5)
endorser for Nechville Banjos, and an official
4
Winter 2012
Nechville News
of art that makes me want to pick it up every
time I glance at it.
David Robinson (Continued from page 4)
You were just named the newest member of
bluegrass favorite Monroe Crossing. Can you
tell us how it feels to be a part of such a high
profile band at such a young age?
It’s an amazing opportunity and I can’t wait to
get started! I know I’m going to learn so much
as part of the band and grow as a musician, as
well as a great deal about the business of music and the many more details that go into a
show different from a local gig.
Tom wants to buy a small country and become
a world superpower consisting of all banjo players. Would you be interested in being PresiPeople interested in seeing Monroe Crossing
dent?
can go to monroecrossing.com for a complete
Sounds like a wonderful world to me. I would
certainly be interested in supporting a country
like that. I’m sure there are many other people
that would be more qualified to lead such a
great nation like that. I’ll get back to you.
Please tell us a little about your Nechville Banjo. Could you tell us a little about your future
It's an Orion right?
goals? (IBMA banjo player of the year, session
player of the year etc.)!!
Yes it’s the Orion model. Tom Nechville has
been very supportive in being sure that I have
a good instrument in my hands. I like both the
traditional sound from a banjo with the pop and
snap for the bluegrass tunes, as well as a warm
tone for some of the more contemporary music.
This banjo brings together some of both along
with comfort for both the right and left hand.
The banjo itself is as well just a wonderful piece
Where can one go to see a Monroe Crossing
schedule for shows? And what is your first official gig w MC?
IBMA banjo player of the year is certainly a
dream that I would like to strive for, to keep
perfecting my skills as a musician. I would certainly like to work with a wide variety of musicians, hopefully one day with some of my own
heroes. I would like to keep a balance in my life
between old-time and contemporary folk and
bluegrass music as well as many other genres.
schedule as well as sign up for Monroe Crossing’s monthly email newsletter. The band is
also on Facebook where you can find info and
updates from the band. My first show with the
band is on January 13 for the Randy Wood
Guitar concert series in Bloomingdale Georgia.
Thank you David for talking with me. We here
at Nechville Musical Products wish you and the
band all the best of luck!! Please keep us up to
date on all of your future projects and accomplishments. (I know it's not a question, but
please leave us a parting comment.)
I am very thankful for the support and opportunities that Nechville and Monroe Crossing have
given me. I’m looking forward to what the future may bring. I know it’s going to be a great
adventure. God bless you all.
Yes! We Do Custom Work!
And we can make your Banjo Dreams come true.!
Call us to get started.

Custom inlays

Carved heels and pegheads

Custom finish and color

Built –in sliding capo

Numerous tone ring options

Bound peghead

Heli-Mount frame finish options

Tunneled fifth string

… and much more
Sales: 747-2BA-NJOS
Shop: 952-888-9710
5
Nechville News
Winter 2012
6
Winter 2012
Nechville News
Anticipation (Continued from page 1)
Nechville
News
is a quarterly newsletter
published by
Nechville
Musical
Products
9700 Humboldt Ave S
Bloomington, MN 55431
Sales : 747-2BA-NJOS
Shop: 952-888-9710
Fax: 952-884-4500
www.nechville.com
www.banjorev.com
Tom Nechville, Editor
([email protected])
Al Price, Associate Editor
([email protected])
©2012 NMP Inc
Nechville Comfort
Beveled Armrest
www.nechville.com
Universal Synth banjo, the Turbo
Module, the Comfort Bevel armrest,
The Flux Capacitor and the Fleximount neck connection.
Whenever a better idea is called for,
Nechville has responded with a
practical answer. For example, what
about a banjo that can be strung
right or left handed? The Nuvo neck
with full length built in 5th string
capo is the answer.
How about a travel banjo that can
easily be carried in 2 pieces or as
an Airline carry-on? The patented
Flexi-mount neck attachment makes
it easy to travel with your Heli-mount
banjo in 2 parts.
A new travel bag is coming that will
make transport even easier and
more compact.
And new for 2012, the Meteor and
Cosmos Meteor banjo will be available with the Flexi-mount neck attachment. You'll be able to use your
Heli-mount acoustic neck on an
electric banjo This will make your
travel even easier and give you the
added benefit of quiet practice.
What about for you? What is important to you?
Inventory Highlights
Luckily for you, at Nechville we keep
our eyes peeled for unusual and custom values in banjos, and as of winter
2012 we have some particularly enticing and cool offers.

Are you a Gibson fan? Look at our
RB-11 PRE WAR Flextone conversion, (see specs on web site)
Gibson 1989 RB-3 Wreath with
Flexi-mount, upgrade.
We also have several top quality standard Gibson copy banjos including a
Granada, and a Russell Matte Gold
masterpiece.

NEW! How about a Classic
1970's Gold Star archtop, all
decked out with super artwork inside the resonator?

How about a one-of a kind Athena
neck that has a Fretless first
string, and frets everywhere else?

Or a Nuvo neck with Capobility
that is convertible for left or right
handers?

How would you like an IN-STOCK
Phantom, Saturn or Atlas at special price?
Is it light weight to help that bad
back? Is it a banjo that stays in tune  How about having Tom make you
a custom Electric banjo from
between capoed positions? Is it getparts that are available now?
ting the 5th string out of the way?
Perhaps it is having extra frets on
your banjo? Do you need to elecGive us a call at 747-2BA-NJOS 952trify? Are you seeking a new
888-9710 for the latest available finds
sound? How about a hybrid banjo
from Nechville.
for both Clawhammer and Bluegrass?
Give us a crack to work with you on
your next banjo project.
7
Winter 2012
Nechville News
Sales: 747-2BA-NJOS
Shop: 952-888-9710
Fax: 952-884-4500
[email protected]
PRICE LIST : January 2012 Subject to change
Acoustic Banjos
Classic
Phantom
Electric Banjos
STD
3380
DLX
4400
Walnut
4950
Walnut Galaxy
5500
Midnight
3900
Curly Maple or
Mahogany Galaxy
4550
Vintage
5400
Nextar
4850
3800
Meteor
w/EMG 81
3900
Universal
4500
Cosmos
4500
Turbo Module
Electric banjo insert
for Helimount
750
Piezo Pickup
For all acoustic
banjos
99
Accessories
Nuvo
Custom
Moonshine
STD
2499
DLX
2999
STD
DLX
Atlas
Saturn
6000 up
Hard Shell Case
189
Dynamics of
Banjo Sound
Book
15
2095
Enterprise Bridge
30
2395
Comfort Beveled
Armrest
69-89
Banjo Revolution
T-Shirt
20
Heli-Mount
Grease
5
3380
Zeus
3380
Orion
4900
Athena
4400
Visit Us Online:
www.nechville.com
www.banjorev.com
8