When I first decided to buy a new banjo, I was still playing a 1920 Vega "N" model tenor banjo. It was tuned guitar style just as the baritone ukulele that I had while in college. My wife and I had been to the Fretted Instrument Guild of America Convention in Chicago, IL in 1979. Soon afterward I bought a 1923 Vega Professional model plectrum banjo for my wife. We had also purchased Don Van Paltha’s audio instruction course while at the convention. Well, within a months after returning home my wife was able to play melody on "Camptown Races"! I guess that made me sit up and take notice. If she could do that in such a short time with very little practice, what could I do if I spent more time practicing? So, I also started practicing on the plectrum banjo. When Banjo International was still in existence, we attended the first convention they had in Orlando, FL in February of 1980. I put the word out to all the banjo vendors and manufacturers that I was looking for a matched pair of banjos, a tenor and a plectrum. Boy, during the jam sessions several of the vendors would come up to me and say "Try this one!" I would say, "I can’t play this. I play guitar tuning." They would soon return and say, "Now, try this one!" They had re-tuned the banjo to guitar tuning. So, I would play several songs, then return the banjo to the vendor. This went on the whole weekend!

I played some fine instruments, and I played some dogs. The best looking banjo in my opinion was the Woodmansee Ultra Deluxe No. 4. A banjo made by the late Robert (Bob) Woodmansee (1944-1991) of Washington C. H., OH. I had seen one of these banjo before at a practice of the band I play with – the Kettering Banjo Society (KBS) probably a year earlier. I was on one side of the room and the fellow with the banjo was on the other, but it was gorgeous even from afar! I decided if I was ever going to get a new banjo, it would be a Woodmansee!

By October 1980 I had been to Washington C. H., OH to see Bob. We discussed the pros and cons of the tenor vs. the plectrum. Thus, I had to make a decision as to whether I was going to stay with the tenor or switch to the plectrum. So, I "bit the bullet" and decided on the plectrum. I ordered the plectrum from Bob shortly thereafter. I ordered a Ultra Deluxe No. 4. We called it the Atomic Model. Since I was a nuclear physicist, I drew an atom for the design on the back of the resonator. Barbara Archer, the artist, carved an artist’s conception of an exploding atom on the back of the resonator. The banjo was made from walnut and was chrome plated. The chrome parts were engraved, and the arm rest plastic coated like those drift wood tables.

I don’t know when Bob started on the banjo, but I ordered it in October 1980. It took 3 years to make. Now Bob didn’t work on my banjo all that time. He worked on several at a time. He had a lot of problems with my banjo. First, the clear finish that he used turned milky. Thus, he had to find another manufacturer. This took several months and lots of experimenting with the new lacquer. Then the epoxy he was using for the inlays in the neck would not set up or harden. Again, Bob had to go to another manufacturer. And again this took several months and many, many tries to find the right epoxy combination. Next the resonator flange holes did not line up with the slots in the tension hoop. This caused the flange brackets to lean. So, Bob had to order a new resonator flange, and get it engraved and chrome plated. This took several months. When you add up all the problems, it’s no wonder it took so long to build.

By this time the boys in the band had started to kid me about my new banjo. Saying, "Bob's going to run off with the money." "He's just stringing you along now that he's got your money." All sorts of stuff they were feeding me. However, I was taking lessons from Bob at this point and could see bits and pieces of the banjo now and then. Finally, in September of 1983 Bob delivered the banjo. What a work of art! The craftsmanship was impeccable! The sound was amazing! I would practice for hours with the new banjo. There is nothing like a new banjo!!