March 20, 2023 - SPRING HAS SPRUNG
The great Eastman Whyte Laydie banjo has fallen victim to factory cutbacks. They have made the decree that there will be no more banjos produced. The Eastman WL banjo was a special project for me. I designed the banjo based on the early Fairbanks banjo that I sought after my whole youth. I’m not sure of the total production, but there are no more “Eastman” banjos. However, we have discovered a stash of old parts and a few necks. Shown here is Alex Patrick our repair guy with the first of those banjos. He came to me and said the neck doesn’t really fit to the rim and I don’t know how to get it to be a perfect fit. I explained to him that you have to do what they did in 1901 because the banjo is a copy of a 1901 banjo. You have to use chalk against the rim and then place the neck on the rim. This will tell you where the "high" spots are, and then gently use a chisel to cut away any spots until you get a perfect fit. Well, Alex did it. The fit is perfect! So perfect that I took the banjo home. It is absolutely fantastic instrument. I just couldn’t stop playing it so I had to bring it home. I’ll have it back in the store on Thursday.
In a conversation on Saturday, we found out that Gavin Rice won the teenage Irish Banjo contest for the eastern United States when he was 12 years old. He is going to lead an Irish session in our back room once a month. More about this to come.
Kathryn Conte was a friend for many years, going back to my college days. She was the gentlest of souls and I loved her dearly. We were young together and she was the godmother to my son Jay. This past week she moved on to the next plane of existence. We mourn her physical loss but her spirit will always remain close to our heart.
SPRING HAS SPRUNG
March 20th, 2023
Good morning folks,
Although the last remnants of winter are still with us, the astrological calendar tells us that today is the first day of spring. Spring is an absolutely wonderful season here in the Finger Lakes which is the greatest agricultural region in New York State. It is met with much anticipation as well as a bit of trepidation. Some of the worst snowstorms, floods and other meteorological disasters I’ve ever lived through have been during the spring season….This weekend we had a small taste of that snowfall, but but we were spared the wrath inflicted upon our neighbors to the East. We will still have our guard up but we hope for the soft green shades of rebirth to conquer the frosty grip of the exiting winter. We all know it’s going to happen it’s just a matter of time and patience.
Spring is the time that everyone makes their plan. Plans for gardens, plans for house renovations, plans for travel, plans for parties and plans for life changes. It seems as though we are going through a life change at Bernunzio Uptown Music. There’s a new vibrance in the air, a new excitement for the fact that we are open now three days a week. Lots of folks have been stopping in just to say hello, to catch up on the time that we’ve missed and with promises of being back soon. Sales have also been very brisk and the first quarter is turning out to be the best in many years. Julie and I are making our plans, as best we can. We’ve never been great planners, but we’ve always been able to set a course for an exciting future. As I slowly progress in my battle for mobility, we can see the potential for a more exciting future. We are planning a beautiful decorative garden in our side yard. That will be a mixture of ornamental plants as well as vegetables. It’s something we’ve always wanted to do. We have some architectural changes that we are planning on doing to our house as well as renovations. We will also be traveling! We are going to Virginia in the next month to pick up a collection of instruments. If any of our readers living between Rochester, NY, and Norfolk, Virginia have instruments they think they might want us to sell, contact the store. We are anticipating travel in the middle of the month of April. I have also resurrected by ideas for an extended trip to the homeland, yes, Sicily in the fall! More about that in future newsletters, but I am hoping to be able to spend up to six weeks in Sicily in the fall. I know that Julie will not be able to come for the entire time so I am inviting other folks to meet me there and I will be your tour guide. It’s a good plan and it will keep me going to the gym!
Sincerely,
John Bernunzio
I watched the movie, Harold and Maude once again. I do it once a year because it is the movie that inspired me to get a banjo. This is the closing scene. I have now identified the banjo in the movie as a Bacon, FF Professional.
MANDOLIN INFESTATION! I’ve got a large pile of mandolins at the moment. We’re going to have a big mandolin sale as the month of March comes to a close….think March Mandolin Madness! If you are thinking of purchasing a mandolin contact us now, will give you the best price. We need to thin the herd.
Our old time jam is back this Saturday! Come on down it’s gonna be a hoot!
This week we got our copy of Dakota Dave Hall’s new CD dedicated to often forgotten American guitar banjo. It comes complete with witty, yet informative booklet by the incomparable Henry H. Sapoznik. It should be on the "to get" list of every aficionado.
This weekend it was a double whammy. Saint Patrick and Saint Joseph, and we celebrated both. Artichokes for Joe and corn beef and cabbage for Pat.