Welcome to

Janet Davis Acoustic Music

JDMC is the complete source for all your acoustic music needs. Specializing in bluegrass and country, we carry instruments, accessories, books, CDs, DVDs, studio and study recorders, music software, and more.

We pride ourselves in providing the highest value in gear for musicians at all levels, from beginners to advanced amateurs and professionals. Our certified technicians will work with you to select an instrument that suits your needs and adjust it for your style and use. Your satisfaction is our priority.

Happy shopping!

Derek's Finds

Bluegrass Odyssey

May 9, 2013

We have a lot of nice books here at the store, but there's one that is truly elegant: Bluegrass Odyssey. It contains over 200 black-and-white photos from the late 60s to the early 80s of a wide variety of musicians, festivals, small-town nightspots, instrument makers, and radio stations.

A collaboration of Bluegrass music's #1 photographer (Fleischauer) and its #1 historian (Rosenberg), this book is a beautiful celebration of the people behind the sound.

My favorites include Bill Monroe at Uncle Pen's gravesite, JD Crowe at home in the early 70s (with his banjo, naturally), a teen-aged Marty Stuart laughing with a spectacularly-bearded Sonny Osborne, Mike Auldridge and Jerry Douglas jamming together backstage, and Clarence White strolling around camping folks at a 1973 festival. This is a must-have for any Bluegrass fan!

Buy it now for just $25.95.

Steve Martin & Edie Brickell

New CD: Love Has Come For You

April 24, 2013

Steve Martin is currently in the fifth decade of a varied and accomplished career as a comedian, actor, author and playwright, and as a Grammy-winning, boundary-pushing bluegrass banjoist and songwriter. His fellow Texas native Edie Brickell initially burst onto the national scene in the late '80s fronting the New Bohemians, and has since carved out an iconoclastic solo career that's solidified her reputation as compelling singer and a songwriter of rare insight.

Although these new musical partners have already built widely-respected individual bodies of work, their inaugural duo effort is a substantial departure, as a well as a creative milestone, for both artists. Love Has Come for You offers 13 eloquently rootsy Martin/Brickell compositions that combine the former's inventive, expressive five-string banjo work with the latter's heart-tugging vocals and vivid, detail-rich lyrics.

Produced by legendary musician and producer, Peter Asher, and featuring the guest stylings of Esperanza Spalding, Waddy Wachtel, Nickel Creek alumni Sara Watkins and Sean Watkins, as well as the Steep Canyon Rangers, Love Has Come For You is playful, spacious, and irresistibly accessible.

Click the CD image for a video of Steve and Edie talking about their new album.    Only $13.95

Derek's Finds

The Urban Monroes

April 6, 2013

I'm a big believer in bands starting from scratch and building their way up (because I'm in one, too). I got an email from a friendly banjo picker, Matt Gray, who offered up a CD of his band, The Urban Monroes. Once I heard them, I knew we should help them get to the top. They are a four-piece with banjo, fiddle, bass, and guitar. Their vocalist/guitarist, Fran Kent, has a great voice, and the band is high-energy, a fusion of the traditional and contemporary, like their name.

Their CD, Pavement and Pathways ranges from beautiful original tunes like When The Aspens Turn to exciting versions of Bluegrass staples like Fireball Mail, Old Joe Clark, and Wheel Hoss. There's also a fine rendition of the rock chestnut Secret Agent Man, a nice version of Green Day's unlikely #1 90s hit Time Of Your Life, and an intensely emotional You Don't Have To Move That Mountain by Keith Whitley.

The Urban Monroes are from the Pacific Northwest and stay busy on the road. They've opened for Rhonda Vincent, among others, and are sponsored by Nechville Banjos and L.R. Baggs Pickups.

Pavement and Pathways is available at JDMC for $11.95.

Joe Mullins on Janet Davis Acoustic Music

March 29, 2013

We now carry Taylor Guitars

March 23, 2013

We're happy to announce that we have recently added Taylor Guitars to our already broad selection of acoustic instruments. We have quite a few in stock and more are coming in every day, so come on in and check them out and compare them with others brands we have on hand. We can also special order the Taylor guitar that fits your needs.

Spring 2013 Southern Ohio Indoor Music Festival

March 21, 2013

We just got back from the Spring Southern Ohio Indoor Music Festival where we had a wonderful time listening to great music and meeting a lot of new people. In addition to Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers, performers included Audie Blaylock & Redline, Art Stevenson & High Water, Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, Lou Reid & Carolina, James King Band, Dale Ann Bradley, Don Rigsby & Midnight Call, The Seldom Scene and a Longview All-Star Jam featuring Dudley Connell, Don Rigsby, Joe Mullins, James King, Marshall Wilborn, Lou Reid and Michael Cleveland.

A highlight for us at Janet Davis Acoustic Music was to donate a Recording King banjo to the Alternative Strings, a performance and competition group from Centerville High School (Ohio) directed by Doug Eyink. Joe Mullins has been helping Doug develop his program for several years. It provides high school students the opportunity to experience Bluegrass, Jazz, Celtic and other genres in addition to the traditional classical music. Doug had all the Bluegrass instruments except a banjo, and we were able to take care of that. The picture is of Doug accepting the banjo from our store manager, Andrew Thompson. We always welcome a chance to encourage more Bluegrass players and fans. (Photo courtesy of CandidPix.info)

Welcome to the new Janet Davis Acoustic Music!

March 9, 2013

It's been a little over a year since the Thompson family acquired the retail part (instruments, accessories and books) of the Janet Davis Music Company, and created the new Janet Davis Acoustic Music store. The excitement of being involved in this well-respected store hasn't worn off, and we're working hard to grow the business and maintain the tradition of exceptional sound and service that Janet established over the years. Janet still owns the Janet Davis Music Company, which supports her music teaching and book publishing services—she is still devoted to writing the very popular instructional books that have inspired so many players throughout the years, and she continues to be in great demand as an outstanding teacher of all bluegrass instruments.

You may have noticed some changes over the past year, especially our new web page. There were some initial glitches, but with a little tweaking, it's now working very well, and we thank you for your patience! Our specialties are still selling the finest Bluegrass instruments throughout the world, as well as in our little corner of Arkansas. We plan to expand the brick-and-mortar side of the business, so that we have plenty of quality instruments available for those who would like to visit with us to compare and try the many different brands and styles of products that we stock. Our friendly and professional staff is the same as before, so if you visit our store or talk with us on the phone, you will find the same familiar faces and voices.

We've recently begun to carry an excellent line of Gypsy Jazz guitars, and we also carry some unusual Latin stringed instruments. All of this is in addition to the great brands that we already carry. We have improved our service department, adding some tools to enhance our already renowned customization and maintenance services. We are proud that our customer support, both pre- and post-sales, is second to none.

We are especially excited to announce that we are now authorized to sell Taylor guitars. We continue to receive new shipments of Taylors and have been impressed with their workmanship and quality. And we also now carry NS Design instruments, which are innovative stringed instruments. The basses and violins are perfect for Bluegrass musicians.

Finally, many of you may have noticed that in 2012 we became the official supply sponsor for Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers, who were named Emerging Artists of the Year at the IBMA awards last fall. The Radio Ramblers' bassist, Tim Kidd, plays an NS Design bass in concert, and was part of our motivation for adding them to our lineup. We also partner with the Sleepy Man Banjo Boys—in fact, Johnny's first banjo was purchased here, and we continue to support them.

As always, Thank You and Happy Pickin'!

Derek's Finds

Dunlop Americana Pick

March 7, 2013

A good mandolin pick can be hard to find these days, but the folks at Jim Dunlop have developed one that we think is fantastic. It's the Americana pick, available in two shapes/sizes. The 1.5 mm and 3.0 mm gauges with rounded edges make for deep, dark tones and great tremolo-effect picking for mandolinists and guitarists. Speed up your lead lines with these American-made beauties. Available in packs of three for $6.99.

Snuffy Smith New Generation Bridge

February 17, 2013

Snuffy Smith bridges, one of the best selling banjo bridges of all time and recently unavailable following Snuffy's death, are available again. The new generation bridges are made to Snuffy's standards from his plans, templates and tools by renowned bridge maker Mike Smith. We're certainly happy to be able to offer Snuffy Smith brand bridges to our customers again.

If you're not familiar with these bridges, they are a high quality aged maple bridge with an ebony top. They are well known to enhance the tone quality of virtually any banjo. Snuffy Smith bridges are available in various heights and spacings and with or without a compensated third string.

Call or click through for additional information. $29.95

Martin Custom Shop JDMC Dreadnought Guitars

January 7, 2013

When two of our technicians/musicians were at the Martin factory last summer for training, they had the opportunity to design a couple of dream guitars, cherry-pick the tonewoods, and have them built by the skilled craftsman at the Martin Custom Shop.

The Custom HD-28 Vintage features hand-picked Madagascar Rosewood back and sides, Adirondack spruce top, forward-shifted and scalloped Adirondack spruce bracing, hide glue construction, vintage neck profile, flamed-maple binding and heelcap.

The Custom D-18 features the performing artist neck (1 3/4", low profile), hand-picked Sinker Mahogany back and sides (submerged in a Belize river-bottom for several hundred years), Adirondack spruce top, forward-shifted and scalloped Adirondack spruce bracing, tortoise binding and pickguard.

We took them for a test drive and the result is outstanding! These guitars are available now for sale exclusively from JDMC. Quantities are very limited! Get yours today.

Derek's Finds

Grether's Pastilles

December 28, 2012

We've got a new voice therapy product and I'm telling you it really works. I had a Christmas performance with no time to warm up my voice. (Normally I sing low-pitched Johnny Cash songs in the car on the way to the gig.) Luckily I had some Grether's Pastilles set aside to "try out" for the store. Well, I managed to sing like I was studying under Mel Torme! My voice felt great and sounded pretty good, too—the tip jar reflected it, and most importantly I had range and warmth, even when it was freezing outside! These chewy lozenges are recommended for any singer on the go.

Keep some handy for your next gig, or presentation, or anytime you'll be depending on your voice.

The Snyder Family Band

December 13, 2012

We recently heard the Snyder Family Band perform at the Southern Ohio Indoor Music Festival, and were very impressed by the incredible talent displayed by fiddler Samantha (age 13); guitarist Zeb (age 17) as well as by dad Bud on upright bass and mom Laine, who provided sublime harmonies for the group. However, the real star of the show was 7-year-old Owen, who was as eager to share his thoughts about bridges and rivers as he was to sing. We hear that he is also perfecting his mandolin and flatpicking skills.

Although Samantha and Zeb are still teenagers, they have an impressive background in music, vocals, and songwriting. Their many accomplishments include appearances as a Showcase Band at the World of Bluegrass, performances at Merlefest, the Ernest Tubbs Midnight Jamboree, and also at the Music City Roots live from the Loveless Café in Nashville. Zeb was recently featured in Flatpicking Guitar Magazine, and both Zeb and Samantha have received numerous prizes and awards from flatpicking and fiddling competitions. The Band made it to the second round of balloting in the 2012 IBMA nominations for Emerging Artist, and Zeb made it to the second round of balloting for Guitar Player of the Year. They already have three recordings on the Mountain Roads Recordings label.

Check their web page to learn more about them and their busy 2012-2013 schedule that will find them opening for Ricky Skaggs (March 2013) as well performing in Branson, Missouri (June 2013).

If Samantha and Zeb inspire you to take up music, our Dirt Simple Fiddle Book and Flatpicking Guitar for the Complete Ignoramus instructional books are an easy way to jump-start your musical career–and who knows, before long you may be the opening act for the Snyder Family Band!

Special Deal on Martin Guitars

December 6, 2012

Many players delay changing strings. They put up with dead strings to avoid the expense of replacing them. Coatings that extend the life of strings can change the tone and feel of the string to the point of making it a compromise—long life or natural tone. For a limited time Janet Davis Acoustic Music is bundling extra sets of Martin strings with every Martin guitar sold, so you can keep your strings fresh and your Martin guitar sounding new.

While supplies last, we are offering free Martin Lifespan SP Phosphor Bronze strings with the purchase of any Martin guitar. We'll include 6 extra sets of Martin strings when you buy a Martin guitar under $1,000, and 12 extra sets of Martin strings with a Martin guitar costing more than $1,000, such as the D-18 Authentic shown here.

Buy With Confidence from JDMC

December 4, 2012

Worried about buying the wrong thing, or finding out after you get it that you just don't like it. What if it's the wrong color or the wrong size, or doesn't work on your instrument. What if the person you buy it for doesn't like it?

Well, worry no more. Here at Janet Davis Acoustic Music your satisfaction is our highest priority. Consult with our experts before you order and they will do their best to make sure you select the items that suit your needs. But if that fails, and it does sometimes, we'll make it right. We'll take an item back even if you just plain decide you don't want it anymore (within a reasonable time, of course). We've built our business around long-term customers and customer referrals, not one-time sales, and we plan to keep it growing that way.

We can also help lower the cost of upgrading your instrument by taking your old instrument in trade or by selling it for you on consignment. Call us for details.

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Comments

Just wanted to say that the service I recieved was second to none. I bought a used Yates RS banjo and am thrilled with it. It arrived packed very well and condition exactly as described. When Tom called me for set up questions I could tell he really knew and loved banjos. He was very nice and even called me about a week after I recieved it just to see how I liked it. Highly recommend them.

James

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Thank you, Derek. I've heard other customers rave about doing business with Janet Davis Acoustic Music, and now I know why. You're the best!

Thanks again,

Monique

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I want to thank Janet Davis Acoustic Music and one of your sales representatives, Tom, for assisting me in purchasing and shipping the Tacoma JF-21 Jumbo guitar on Tuesday. I received the guitar on Wednesday, incredibly, and it is one beautiful instrument, exactly as described by Tom. I also want to specially thank him for the fantastic setup of the guitar, which even included brand new strings - what a great surprise!

The packing was also excellent, and I am one very, VERY happy and satisfied customer of Janet Davis Acoustic Music. I have bookmarked your website, and will always look there first when considering future instrument purchases (I already have my eye on one...).

Many thanks again!

Lee

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I have purchased two Wildwood banjos from Janet Davis, a Troubadour, and very recently a Paragon. They are beautiful in appearance, and Tom Anderson does a fantastic job setting them up and optimizing their beautiful tone. He is a genius, not to mention a very friendly and helpful gentleman.

Richard

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