Eagle Music

When you walk into the Eagle Music Shop, “the kettle's always on”, and with a

fresh brewed cup of tea or coffee and a wonderful room full of banjos, how can you not make a visit to “Banjo Paradise” located in a 19th century woollen mill beside the tree lined Armitage River Bridge in the charming Yorkshire region of England. Steve Noone, wife Joan, and daughter Rachel have jointly built up this family business over the past four years. Steve says “My vision was always to have a compact, high quality, efficient business, and never loose sight of the fact that our customers make us what we are…without them we are nothing.”

Eagle Music prides itself on being the most multi-face ted dealer in the Uni ted Kingdom. With well over the 30 Deering banjos and 10 Goodtime banjos needed for master dealer status, a skilled luthier workshop, vintage banjos, mandolins, books, DVDs and accessories, a customer would be hard pressed to find one better! The strong focus on customer after market care is most graphically illustra ted in their luthier workshop where instrument setups, repairs, spike fitting, capo installation, etc., are done by three skilled banjo playing technicians. The entire staff at Eagle Music are musicians, a rare and much prized skill in the world of music stores. Among his staff are Paul Clarke and Alan Hardwick, excellent instrumentalists whom customers can cheerfully deal with for both sales and repairs. All of these excellent inventory and staffing qualities combined help us see why Eagle Music Shop has literally soared to the top of the Deering Banjo Company dealers.

“We encourage our customers to visit our store; we don’t want to disappoint them when they get here so we carry a healthy stock. The more banjos you have in stock, the more your customer has to choose from, not all customers choose the same banjo. So, the more variety that you have the better chance you have of satisfying your customer…” When Steve says “variety” he is talking about Deering, Tenbrooks, Vega, and Goodtime banjos as well as other name brands so customers can compare models and make a choice on quality and price. “It’s easy for anybody to ‘sell’ things to customers…at Eagle Music Shop we look after our customers, all of them. We have built up our business on customer care and after sales support. Customer referrals are also a big part of our business; we have hundreds of returning customers to prove this fact.” And their sales figures substantiate this well!!

Of Deering banjos, Steve says, “In my opinion, Deering banjos are the very best American built banjos and also an excellent investment…Quality engineering and fine woodcraft are the key features. Deering’s use of state-of-art manufacturing gives precise, constant profiles, Deering banjo parts fit together precisely.” “I have qualifications in precision engineering and spent a number of years in engineering management. I have also owned an antiques sales and restoration business and have a passion for fine woodcraft. Banjos are a blend of fine engineering and woodcraft! When I first checked out Deering banjos, I saw a company that in my opinion got both of these qualities right.”

“Deering Banjos are a great company to work with; they are always at the end of the phone giving technical support if needed, information on available stock, up-to-the minute information and progress on scheduled and special custom shop orders, all from a team of dedica ted banjo experts. This is a rare commodity these days in a world where some guys just want to sell it quick and make a fast buck!’

As with many good companies, “word of mouth plays a big part in our success for sales...” says Steve Noone of Eagle Music Shop. Having the expertise of son James, a website designer and owner of “Chameleon Digital Media”, to both design and run the Eagle Music Shop website has made world-wide sales a reality. Advertising in the print media is also a major tool in bringing his shop to people’s attention. Steve travels to many of the country’s festivals where customers who do not have the opportunity to visit him, can have the pleasure of playing…and buying…Deering banjos. His 20 years of retail experience including working for a well known traditional music publisher and running more than one traditional music store, have given him the insight and focus on customer care and satisfaction that are the hallmark qualities of Eagle Music Shop.

The long time love of music star ted for Steve with the Ukulele at an age when his wee fingers could barely get around the small neck. He names piano, classical guitar, mandolin and banjo among the instruments he is proficient in playing. Given that he played as a professional on guitar, mandolin and banjo, customers can expect a level of expertise second to none!

“Playing banjo is good for the soul,” says Steve Noone of the Eagle Music Shop.

Having just learned of the treasures you will find when you walk into the doors of his store it is clear that every visitor to this gem in the British Isles will be trea ted to a most wonderfully soul satisfying experience!

Visit the Eagle Music Shop web site at www.eaglemusicshop.com and for more information on Deering banjos log on to their website, www.deeringbanjos.com or call their toll free number, 800-845-7791.