Tim Brown, of West Chester, PA has been making great old-time recordings and producing concerts for at least ten years. A few years back he started producing CDs as well. Quietly at first. But lately his trickle of high-quality Old-Time releases has turned into a torrent! Eight fantastic releases in 2006 alone. The 5-String catalog includes recordings from better-known artists like Paul Brown, Rafe Stefanini, The Rhythm Rats and the Double Decker Stringband as well as gems from Mark Simos, The Cliffhangers, Joe Newberry, Jane Rothfield, and the Southern Schoolhouse Rascals -- artists you may not be familiar with but whose work you will doubtless enjoy. One of the best CDs on the label, and one which surely makes Tim proud, is Lone Prairie from fiddler Matt Brown (Tim's son).

I don't own a gourd banjo, but one of these days I'm going to have to get one, and it'll be a Menzies. They're not only beautifully made, they're very reasonably priced. Gourds not your cup of...er...yerba mate? He's also making 19th-century style "tackhead" banjos with big 13" oaken hoop rims. And if you really want a deal, Jeff even offers his wares from time to time on eBay at very low prices.

But that's about to change.

Johannes Bonefaas, originally from the Netherlands but now living in Denmark, makes what I think are just about the neatest new-old-time banjos I have ever seen. They're based on an 1880s H.C. Dobson with the "doughnut" tone ring but Johannes has made some changes that make JB banjos distinctly modern. And unlike most new banjos, they're not made with "standard" parts -- he has his own hooks, nuts and shoes made from unplated brass. Johannes has some excellent Real Audio clips on the site that demonstrate just how great his banjos sound.