The Banjo Bolster: A Gamechanger

[@curtissmolen4411]

That opening scene deserves a daytime Emmy

[@TomCollinsBanjo]

Hahahahah!

[@marcnerenberg1]

Thanks for this Tom! My reaction to this device was exactly the same as yours, and I wrote a review right away, and ordered more sizes! I had a video planned, which won’t come close to the brilliant production values of yours - but will cover a different aspect of bolstering. It will be about the diverse different sound contours you can get by positioning it in various different positions and places. So it will be complimentary to yours without going over the same ground. Brilliant work, as always, Tom!

[@TomCollinsBanjo]

Awesome, Marc! Yes...there is so much to talk about here, and so much to discover. Glad you're going to take it on, and I look forward to learning from you! Cheers!

[@strumstering]

The Banjo Bolster is the fastest, most efficient and user-friendly approach I've ever come across to revive and beautify the sound of banjos; to fine-tune and enhance their expressive qualities. On several banjos with which I’ve tried it, the Banjo Bolster acts as a unique kind of acoustic equalizer and compressor - balancing the entire tonal range and refining the articulation of each instrument. I love the way I can use the Banjo Bolster to control my banjos’ natural reverb, which on some of my instruments, overwhelms the fundamental tone, making it sound muddy and out of tune. The Banjo Bolster lets me easily control the reverberations, while maintaining the instrument's rich and resonant qualities. The improvement in tone is quite dramatic! Some of my banjos have inconsistencies in volume from string to string. I've tried all kinds of stuffing, but it didn't help. The Banjo Bolster completely balances my string-to-string volume, much like a compressor used in audio recording, allowing me to dial-in the exact sound I want. You ought to hear how this kitten can make your banjo purr, while preserving its full volume and tonal range. For such a reasonable price, Ric and Deb Hollander’s Banjo Bolster is a no-brainer! I love where the Banjo Bolster is taking my music. It's become easier for me to get lost in my music, inspiring my playing to take on deeper levels of tonal nuance. UPDATE: Ric Hollander's claim is really quite extraordinary: "The Banjo Bolster... enhances a banjo’s tone by transparently removing undesirable overtones, while preserving the full power and frequency response of the banjo." What has been surprisingly impressive to me is that Ric's claim is actually true; it's not an exaggeration. The Banjo Bolster is revolutionary in the ways it significantly enhances the tone of all my banjos. For sixty years I had been on what seemed like an endless search to beautify the sound of my banjos. The Banjo Bolster finally answered my search - taking me home to the sounds I had heard in my head, but could never quite pull out of my banjos. Thanks, RIc and Deb Hollander, It's been worth the wait! Paul Roberts

[@TomCollinsBanjo]

Lovely encapsulation of the Banjo Bolster, Paul! It lines up with my experience too. As someone who has tried to capture clawhammer banjo on recordings for two decades, it certainly has been a welcome addition to my arsenal here in the studio. Thanks for taking the time to post!

[@strumstering]

@@TomCollinsBanjo Many thanks for making this first-rate video, Tom. For musicians to be able to access more beautiful tones, means more beautiful music can be created; and that makes the world a more beautiful place.

[@vance7274]

Things found stuffed in banjos.... Natural sea sponge, man-made tile installer sponge, Dollar store general purpose sponge, old dish towel, new terry-cloth dish towel, Styrofoam wedge, closed cell packing foam, open cell industrial dampening foam, clean purple handkerchief, dirty red handkerchief, Beanie Baby frog, Beanie Baby turtle, Home Depot foam pipe insulation, swimming pool "noodle", plastic bag full of foam peanuts, plastic bag full of down feathers, plastic bag full of plastic bags, unwashed thread bare cotton T-shirt, washed thread-bare cotton T-shirt, felt furniture sliders (different sizes), shank of under-belly deer fur, rolled raccoon tail, worn-out bucket hat (like the one the guy wore in the movie "Deliverance"), ragg wool sock stuffed in a ragg wool sock, hair-on sheep shearling, green bubble wrap, clear bubble wrap, imitation sherpa-lining from an old jacket... and now, more competition... the Bolster. It's gonna have to be good to beat that Beanie Baby turtle...

[@TomCollinsBanjo]

This is a hilarious comment, vance! You never know what will fall out of a banjo pot!!!

[@blacksheepbanjos]

Thank you for your thoughts on this, Tom. I've been eyeing the banjo bolster for a month or so now, good to hear you chime in on it. Nice video too!

[@TomCollinsBanjo]

Glad to help! It's a no brainer.

[@JanetBeth13]

A fun and informative video, Tom. Thanks! I've been enjoying the Banjo Bolster, too, especially in my 14" head Gold Tone cello banjo and my short-neck 10" head Doc's Banjo. I can hear the difference in my recordings. We listened to your video using a mini Boom Box and could hear the difference as an improvement in note clarity when using the Bolster.

[@TomCollinsBanjo]

Thanks so much for your comment, Janet! I was a little concerned that once the video got to KZbin the difference between bolstered and unbolstered would not be as apparent as it is in real life. I'm so glad it came across! Love your beautiful playing. Thanks for stopping by!

[@KenneyCmusic]

This topic always makes me think of a Peter Seeger quote I read on Banjohangout oncce. "Pete Seeger said it: "...a cloth to stuff inside the drum when you want to play without being too loud. A handkerchief is too small, a bath towel too big but a DIAPER is just right."

[@TomCollinsBanjo]

Hahahaha! Only in the banjo world would we be talking about the merits of putting diapers in our instruments. Love it!

[@erichayden1144]

I have the Banjo Bolster and I love it. This video is fantastic!!!

[@joe62845]

That's awesome! Love that idea. I'll have to rewatch the video with my head phones to get a better appreciation of A B sound test.

[@comb5685]

Fun review Tom, paused the video to buy one! Please wield your influence over me responsibly.

[@TomCollinsBanjo]

Hahahaha! Awesome. I think you'll be pleased with the Bolster. I'm super careful about what products I review and recommend, and will always be. Thanks for watching, and for your trust!

[@gbohmfalk1]

I was skeptical when I first heard about this and read the maker's website, but my seamstress spouse wanted to make me one - nothing magic about the fabric or precise measurements - just not too big, not too small. I'm as impressed as Tom by the immediate difference it makes - tone sounds fuller, mellower, richer. Not sure I appreciate much by moving it around, touching or not touching the head, but I suspect that the mere effect of cloth absorbing some fraction of the excess overtones is the critical piece. I'm a believer!

[@dorindacontreras1094]

I like the over Tony! 😅😅😅

[@TomCollinsBanjo]

Hahahah! Over Tony rules!

[@jonathonhunt935]

I found it easier to hear the clutter of overtones when the bolster removed version followed the dampened version. Good product! Thanks

[@TomCollinsBanjo]

Yes, I still use it daily. Highly recommended!

[@mikejunior5825]

No tom, micing the boot is how I get my tone

[@STP19]

Hello Tom. Many Thanks. I've Been After Such A 'Gadget' for sometime. STP

[@TomCollinsBanjo]

Glad to help! Let me know how you do with the Bolster!

[@EchoLog]

The fretless i think does the best job accentuating what the bolster can do. As a drummer gone banjo player, inventions like this are obvious to me but I never go about actually designing it on paper. I like rock music, and porch blues, sometimes there's a little extra twang and sizzle, extra harmonics, when I drape a necklace over my resonating head. And I know people are probably gonna yell at me not to do it cause it's bad for the head, but I bend notes using head tension with my anchored pinky/thumb. Some sorta... Snare wire... Timpani tension... Inventions... Are in due. Go ahead and patent my ideas, i know I'm the one who threw it away before you made your million off it, so I feel cool enough if I still get to use it lol

[@TomCollinsBanjo]

Hey Marion....I'm a former drummer who spent significant time in recording studios. Cotton balls in floor toms is my favorite drum hack, and I'm an avowed sizzle cymbal fanatic! Love your idea of letting a necklace drape over a head to mimic snare wire. You definitely think like a drummer! I will say...I don't think there are "millions" in banjo innovations! No one goes into banjo if they want to get rich! It's driven by passion and love, which is why it's such an exciting place to be.

[@hal-c]

I honestly didn't heaar much of a difference, even with headphones. I could hear it more on the bass string and the larger boucher banjo. I'm still going to order one though. You can never have too many things to stuff in your banjo.

[@dougmiller9567]

and a little seinfeld outro> nice

[@Xt1000]

I put a g tuning fork over the bridge. Gives that Peter Wernick pow wow the indian boy sound.

[@Friendlybanjos]

Great product

[@TomCollinsBanjo]

Sure is! Thanks for watching, Z!!!

[@pepperthrowshands]

I listened with some fairly decent headphones, and I'm not sold. I'm sure there's folks who appreciate the more controlled sound, but to me it's ruining the magic of the banjo. If I want fewer overtones I can stuff a rolled up pillowcase in - with the advantage of the effect being adjustable.

[@TomCollinsBanjo]

Thanks for taking the time to comment. Just a quick note: the bolster is VERY adjustable. You can have it contacting the head, or not, and everything in between. You can also ball it up and stuff it between the dowel stick and head if you want that more non-transparent vibe. As you can tell, I'm a huge fan. I ordered a second (at full retail!) because I think it's such a fantastic product....and I'm an avowed anti-stuffer because I love the sound of an open banjo!! Best, Tom

[@hm11711]

Ooooooh, okay I see what my problem was now! ...(replaces glass of water with a glass of milk)

[@ronhyde3749]

thanks

[@TomCollinsBanjo]

You're welcome!

[@goliath257]

I must have dodgy ears, my headphones are a reputable brand.

[@badface9955]

Man, not sure I’d want to get this if needed to be wearing headphones whilst I played to hear the difference

[@TomCollinsBanjo]

I'm assuming this is a joke....but I've gotten some private messages from folks who seem to be saying the same thing! To be clear: the affect of the Bolster on tone can be subtle (or not, depending on placement!), but it is immediately and plainly audible live! The reason I suggested headphones for the video is because by the time the sound gets to the viewer via KZbin and phone/iPad speakers, it might not be. Again, I apologize for the explainer if this is a joke, but this apparently has caused some confusion to some viewers! Cheers!

[@oleyb123]

In person you can very easily hear the difference, it's massive. The problem is that poor laptop or phone speakers make everything sound uniformly poor compared to real life.

[@muskrat1949]

Bolster looks like horse doo doo🤣

[@TomCollinsBanjo]

Hahahah!! Well, they do come in other colors now....but the brown blends right into the walnut of my banjo, so I like it! Funny comment though!

[@randellsmith7651]

Cool, a placebo sock! No thanks, I'll buy snake oil somewhere else

[@TomCollinsBanjo]

I'm assuming that to claim the Bolster does nothing, you've tested it first hand? If so, I'd love to see and hear you play your banjo with and without it. Otherwise, this comment is pure trolling, and 100% nonsense. Let's hear it, Randell!