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Reviews (4)
11 May, 2016
Martin Smith 6 string Resonator Banjo
An excellent 6 string banjo with resonator at a great price. As a cost cutting method to keep the price low the banjo does not come with a strap or a much needed hand rest which is a must for comfortable playing, so purchased these at a cost of £25 but still money well spent. The banjo is fully adjustable for intonation,action and neck alignment with supplied allen keys. A handy gig bag is also included and a spare set of strings. Regarding strings, these were immediately changed for a lighter set as the default set are of a poor quality and too heavy. Overall this banjo still represents great value!
03 Jan, 2018
Donner review
It's always difficult to give an honest unbiased opinion but I'll start with the good points. The Donner ultimate compressor is a well constructed solid compact unit with a clear uncoloured tone at a tempting low price. Internally the unit is well constructed using an optical gain circuit. limitations of its small size means there's no room for a battery which can be a problem if playing outside otherwise a general purpose 9v psu serves it well. The unit also offers true bypass in use.
Ok, now for the not so great points. If you're after a punchy compression then look elsewhere as this unit offers the weakest sustain of any pedal I've tested. Turning the sustain knob from minimum to max hardly affects the level control confirming the small db gain from the optical circuit. Using a Telecaster with single coils the tone otherwise is clear for the most part with low levels of noise. Powerful humbuckers would better drive the circuit into pumping more at the expense of distortion. There is a useful tone knob that actualy works along with a gimicky toggle switch for treble enhancement. A saving point in it's favour is the small size allowing for stacking other Donner pedals close together if space is a problem.
If you're after a minor compressed tone then the Donner at it's price point and clear uncoloured tone is recomended but if money is not a problem then there are far better more flexible pedals on the market. I bought both a Boss CS3 compressor and the Donner ultimate compressor and both serve different purposes for me but equally useful to me in use so that's my endorsement. I would rate 7/10 overall.
11 May, 2016
Banjo strap
An excellent Banjo strap at a very good price. Well made and strong and certainly fit for purpose!