Forum - Banjo Ben Clark

Have you all seen these spoons?

#1

Full disclosure: I have no commercial interest in Ben’s business. I want him to succeed beyond his wildest dreams, but I won’t gain a thing if he does. Back to our original programming…

I got an email tonight and found out I needed something that I didn’t even know existed:
https://store.banjobenclark.com/pages/search-results-page?q=spoons&page=1&rb_stock_status=In%20stock&_kx=Rbltlikcv7O94UJDj8Gj1gPAParAV2V7gfR6HCo_mTY%3D.PYQ9P9
Heritage spoons! If you look, there are three sizes. I gotta know, which size is the best? Should I buy new or go for a vintage set? Does wood harvested during a full moon really make a superior tone?

Seriously though: anyone have any feedback on the best size? I am leaning middle if there isn’t any guidance.

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#2

So, are we back to the eternal question? Does size matter?

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#3

I mean, well, I used to buy dreadnaughts, but recently bought a 000 and really like it.

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#4

Hey Mike!

Bought the medium (blue) spoons as a gift for my big brother because what do you get a blind musician who already has everything, lol?! Also ended up getting him a MOJO stick from the General Store as well the next year…

My Dad always used to play the old fashioned wooden bones which are 2 separate pieces (there’s an old video of banjo son playing those w me & the mando somewhere on here) Well, my brother never could get the grip right on them for obvious reasons, and so even tho he’s become proficient at several instruments, he never was able to play Dad’s kind of spoons/bones. So we got him Ben’s. He loves them, plays them often. Everyone who’s had an opportunity to mess with them at his house loves them too. He lives about 1200 miles away from me and so I’ve not had the chance to mess with them myself so there’s that…

Absolutely! Haha! It’s not only all about the music, tone matters :grin::rofl::upside_down_face::grin:!!

5 Likes
#5

I played metal soup spoons as a teen. Always first at the dinner table too.

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#6

Thanks Simone! Sounds like a good bet.

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#7

I like the big ones, they are more responsive and require less force to play.

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#8

First of all, @Mike_R, these are a blast! Now for the details… We bought a couple full sets (all three sizes) for my wife and me, and then bought the small sizes for all the grandkids for Christmas before our sets even arrived. After we played all three, we realized that the small ones are actually harder to play, so we got the grands medium sizes as well. I agree with @BanjoBen that the large spoons are the best, but my wife prefers the medium size—they both sound good and are easy to play. We also got all different colors for the grands and I got the natural stain. Personally I think the colors look better—they have a nice looking “aged” look by sanding off some of the color on the edges.

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