Words cannot describe how remarkable my Ríoga Euphonic tenor banjo is. Paul and John spared no thoughts when it came to attention to detail. Being one of the first Ríoga banjos, I ordered a bespoke design including an Irish Burl Walnut resonator with red inlays with an engraving of my name on the armrest. Paul also installed a Banjo Pickup perfect for gigs and performances.

Having ordered in September I was surprised to receive my banjo in a matter of 9 moths, an amazing turnaround for such a delicate handmade instrument.

Initially, when I received my banjo, I knew I was holding a piece of artwork, the 5-piece neck and celtic designed pearl inlays were outstanding.  I chose the 18 fret model which has added a sense of control to my playing with its easy reach to high B and excellent buzz free action. The Euphonic has good volume and sustain, balancing its overall tone, allowing notes to be powerful and expressive.

The Euphonic has taken my Banjo Playing to the next level and has been compliment in every venue I have played. Its aesthetically pleasing look and sound is incomparable to anything I’ve played before. I couldn’t have asked for better customer service from Paul and John!

We’d like to thank Mary for taking the time to write a kind review, it gives us immense pride and satisfaction to hear such feedback. It’s exciting to know that Mary’s new banjo is the beginning of her musical journey. Mary who is a multi-instrumentalist on banjo, fiddle, harp & vocals now plays with her three friends in an amazing new band Tóg go bog é. If you are ever looking a wedding band or special occasion you can look them up on face book. 

Best regards

Paul

The buying experience through Paul is a pleasure and a genuinely first-class service. Paul communicated very honestly, quickly and with clear knowledge and passion in all things banjo. Paul arranged shipment to the UK very quickly and it arrived safe and sound in perfect condition with clear communication supporting this. Paul also followed up to ensure a satisfied customer. I would highly recommend buying from Paul any banjo – however I may personally never have that need again:

Sam it was a great pleasure and honour for me to supply you with the beautiful Rioga Deluxe 17 fret tenor banjo.  It is music to our ears to hear your review and it gives us such pride and place to go forward with the new Rioga banjo company. It is customers like yourself that help drive our enthusiasm to keep on building these beautiful instruments. I hope all is well with yourself and you are still getting great enjoyment from it.

Kindest regards

Paul

Despite being the ‘entry-level’ instrument in the Rioga range, the build quality and workmanship is flawless. The banjo is still settling down but already the tone is mellow and sweet by comparison with some other new hand-built instruments from respected makers which I have found to be rather too bright or overbearing.

The neck profile is a delightful fit in my hand making it easy to move up and down the fretboard. The feel and appearance of the nitro-cellulose finish just completes the overall rather understated but outstanding end result.
I’m glad I went for the slightly shorter scale length with 18 frets. i find it easier to play having originally been a violinist/fiddler.

Just a personal observation but I’ve never played a banjo with a concave resonator before and it fits my shape perfectly!

Andy Keith,:  England

Andy I know you have been looking for the holy grail of banjos, having tried Vega, B&D and Paramount vintage banjos. I’m so glad you have found a banjo that fits year ear and feels so comfortable to play. We modelled our Maple Leaf model on the neck profile of the Epiphone Bandmaster and the resonator of the Paragon, sure what 2 better profiles go together best! I hope you enjoy many years of playing your new Rioga.

Kindest regards

Paul