Launched in 2003 to serve the needs of fellow banjo players, Banjo.com has become a recognized leader in the bluegrass music industry. With more than 600 banjos in stock, the showroom has been called Banjo Heaven by visitors from all over the world.
It was at the Shakey's Pizza Parlor in Pensacola that John Drummond fell in love with the banjo. Already familiar with the guitar, John's interest in the banjo grew with each visit to Shakey's, and on his 16th birthday his parents presented him a banjo. He learned to play by reading tablature in the Earl Scruggs and the 5-String Banjo book. Many years later, on his 40th birthday, John's wife Amy and sons gave him a Gibson Mastertone RB-250. John still maintains that a quality instrument makes even a bad banjo player sound good.
A 22-year veteran of IBM, John launched a business in 1999 to serve the needs of fellow unicyclists. Together, John & Amy, with a lot of help from family, friends and employees, have grown Unicycle.com operations from their living room sofa to the world's largest retailer of unicycles. "God has blessed our small enterprise," says Amy.
The fulfillment process created and refined by Amy Drummond during her many years at the helm of Unicycle.com, plus John's passion for playing the banjo, made Banjo.com a strong contender from the start. Excellence in customer service was instilled in John and Amy during their many years at IBM. "We know that word-of-mouth can make or break a business," says John. "We have to earn the right every day to trade with our customers."
Mark Bramlett took up the guitar at age 12 and banjo at age 17, and began playing banjo professionally in 1978. He also began repairing instruments in a local music store. This grew into restoration of vintage instruments, including pre-war acoustic guitars and banjos, and he began building new custom acoustic guitars in 2001. Mark currently performs with the Wheelhoss bluegrass band, and other regional bands, and plays a 1934 Gibson TB-3 conversion, which he affectionately calls "Carolyn". After running a number of successful businesses in the construction industry, he is quite happy to be back in the music business. He enjoys meeting and serving the needs of this community of acoustic musicians.
Located in a hub of bluegrass musicians just 10 miles north of Atlanta, the Banjo.com showroom is a fun place to relax with a new or used banjo, whether you pick or strum. All musicians are invited. "At first we intended to sell only banjos," says John, "but our bluegrass brethren who play guitar, fiddle, mandolin and dobro have convinced us that we can't ignore them anymore."
