Sullivan Banjo Company » Eric Sullivan

Eric Schlange to visit Sullivan Banjo in October

Murrell Thixton — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 16:09:44 +0000

We’re going to have meet and great, pick n’ socialize at Sullivan Banjos. Eric will be in town helping out with Sullivan Banjo’s website and he’d like to say howdy face to face with some of the BHO members. Come on out for the fun, pick a banjo or two and say hi to Eric Schlange.

Join other BHO members for a real-world gathering at the Sullivan Banjos/FQMS showroom in Louisville, Kentucky!

Eric Schlange, owner of the Banjo Hangout, is collaborating with the folks at Sullivan Banjos to do a meetup gathering in Louisville on Friday night, October 14th. Eric will be there (he’s in town working with Sullivan on a web project) and he would love to meet as many BHO folks in person as possible!

Of course, Eric’s not the main attraction… the Sullivan boys will have some beautiful banjos on hand to be played, including the whole Sullivan line and Myrtle, the pre-war Gibson style 3 that inspired their new Vintage 35 line. We’ll also have refreshments, hangout time with other BHO folks, impromptu jams, and who knows what else!

Sullivan Banjo’s “Banjo Hangout Project” in route for the giveaway

Jeff Sullivan — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 14:11:12 +0000

We’ll the time has finally come to say goodbye to a wonderful banjo, we have very much enjoyed building this wonderful beauty that the members of the Banjo Hangout community spec’ed out. It’s now on it way to Eric Schlange at Banjo Hangout Headquarters for preperations for the giveaway. Make sure and visit the Hangout and register to win, visit the Hangout often and I’ll bet you agree that it is a wonderful resource that you will enjoy for years to come. From all of us here at Sullivan Banjo Co. we wish you a wonderful Holiday Season. Good Luck and much enjoyment to the winner.

Jeff and Eric Sullivan and the whole Sullivan Banjo Crew

To View the banjo project from the Hangout, Click Here.

Legandary Banjo Artist, Jim Smoak visits with Sullivan Banjo Co.

Jeff Sullivan — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 21:16:12 +0000

We have the pleasure here at the Sullivan Banjo facility to share space with First Quality Music. Jim Smoak is on the teaching staff of the First Quality Music Academy and teaches banjo here every other Saturday. Jim has been playing banjo since the early 50’s and thoughout his career has played with such greats as Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys, Jimmy Dickens, Hylo Brown and the Timberlands. Jim’s career has streached for more than 50 years and he is currently playing with “Jim Smoak & the L.A. Honey Drippers”. Clik on Jim’s Bio to see more. Jim will be preforming at “The Depot” in Salem IN on Saturday, Nov 27th 2010 from 1 to 4 p.m. for their annual Christmas Open House.

Jim has been playing a custom Sullivan Banjo built specifically for him by the late Bill Sullivan (Founder of First Quality Banjo). Jim and Bill picked many tunes together after the lessons he taught.

Jim is playing for us today a song called “Eight More Miles to Louisville” with Sullivan Banjo Company’s very own Tony Wray.

Sullivan Banjo’s V35 Mahogany heads to Columbus IN

Jeff Sullivan — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 13:10:53 +0000

Our good friend Steve Coffman from Columbus, IN stopped in First Quality Music in Louisville, KY to pickup his new Sullivan Vintage 35 Banjo. Steve liked the sound and craftmanship so much he just had to have it. Steve was down last week with his good friend Dennis Marcum, after compairing the Vintage 35 Mahogany to our original prewar flathead Steve was convinced the sound of the V35 was so close they could hardly tell the difference. Steve is an avid banjo player and collector and we wish him many great years with his new V35.

Sullivan Banjo – Banjo Hangout Collaborative Banjo

Jeff Sullivan — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 14:14:47 +0000

Eric Sullivan had the Banjo Hangout banjo with him at this years IBMA. Lots of folks took time to stop over, give it a look see and put some picks on the strings. Give a listen and see what you think. It’s a dandy, there’s going to be a happy Hangout member real soon! To see some work in progress pictures check out our earlier blogs by clicking here. If you want to follow and read up on the project on the Banjo Hangout click here. Banjo Hangout plans on giving this banjo away in December so stop on by the hangout an make sure and register to win. Good Luck !!

Sullivan V35 Mahogany heads to Morgan Music of Lebanon MO

Jeff Sullivan — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 22:29:15 +0000

Our good friend and Sullivan Banjo Dealer Alvin Deskins of Morgan Music is taking delivery of his very first Vintage 35 banjo. It’s a Mahogany beauty Serial Number V35 091610-02. Here are a couple of pictures of Eric Sullivan with the banjo at our shop before sending it on its way to Missouri. Murrell Thixton gives you a little sample of the wonderful sound and tone of the V35.

Vintage-35 Production Photos

Travis Cook — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 21:47:29 +0000

Our new production processes are in place and the first full batch of Vintage-35 Banjos will be completely finished this month! Jeff took a few shots of the parts that we thought were quite artistic and wanted to share. This particular peghead features Brazilian Rosewood, and you can see the new laser engraving on our Sullivan Historic rim in the background.

Once this run is finished, we’ll have more photos and specifications on the website – Check back soon!

Changes to our Product Line

Travis Cook — Mon, 17 May 2010 21:57:49 +0000

We’re mixing our product line up a bit here at Sullivan Banjo. We’ve decided to tighten our focus back to a smaller product line to focus on the absolute best in price and quality. Effective immediately we’re stopping production of our Festival and Jam series – We have a few left but will not be replenishing stock once those are gone. Our product line will now consist of the Sullivan Classic and Historic Series.

The Sullivan Classic Series encompasses the maple-based Greenbrier, mahogany-based Bardstown, and walnut-based Radcliff. These banjos have been a staple of our product line for years and we look forward to continuing their tradition of excellence. Each banjo in the Classic series will have a Sullivan #1 Flathead ring and a Sullivan 3-ply rim at their core- You can view the full set of specifications by clicking on Banjos in the navigation bar (These specs are subject to change!). We’re also modifying the headstock inlay to a more traditional design (Check out the pictures above) – new, high definition pictures will be available soon! As part of our shift, we’re proud to announce that the pricing for the Sullivan Classic Series is being reduced from $3,495 to $2,999, making these instruments more accessible than ever.

The Sullivan Historic Series will consist of the Sullivan Vintage-35 in three configurations: maple, mahogany, and walnut. We are in the process of taking pictures of these instruments and will have more information on them in the near future – For those of you unfamiliar with the Vintage-35 Project, we’ve been doing research and development for over three years to create a truly spectacular instrument. You can read the full Sullivan Vintage-35 story by clicking here. The Sullivan Historic Series Vintage-35 will sell for $4,299.

Finally, we are proud to announce that we are expanding our business to encompass a network of dealers and will soon have Sullivan Banjos in stores around the world. As we negotiate, you will be able to find the dealer nearest you by clicking on Dealers in the navigation bar above – Keep an eye out here for more updates!