Mandolin, banjo, and guitar news

The Gold Tone Music Group announce a new model: the lightweight GM-10 'Frypan' mandolin, with mahogany neck, spruce top, maple back and sides, and rosewood fingerboard, and selling with case at $499.99. More details, including a demo video, are on the Gold Tone e-newsletter.

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Gold Tone announced six months ago the introduction of their new High Moon banjos, optimised for clawhammer playing. They now announce that after a period in which the standard High Moon HM-100 had sold out, it is back in stock and the A-scale HM-100A is now available.

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George Gruhn, founder and owner of Gruhn Guitars in Nashville, TN, has been interviewed for Bluegrass Today by Alan Goforth. Gruhn gives first the elements of his personal definition of 'bluegrass', which is closely linked to the sound of Bill Monroe's 1945-8 band. Secondly, from his immense knowledge of vintage instruments, he points out that most top-class guitars, by any maker, are modelled on a few classic brands, which is reflected in the sound they produce. He has therefore designed, for production under the Gruhn name, guitars capable of filling any role with a strong and distinctive sound of their own, starting at a price around $2,500. Learn more in the Goforth article.

© Richard Hawkins