Clifford Essex musical instruments have always been rated among the best in the world and our pre 1939 range of banjos are still in huge demand. We thought long and hard about making our original range of quality banjos but eventually we decided against it. What would be the point? It has all been done before, we needed something new and exciting with a great tone so we made the 'Gambler'. The craftsmanship is second to none and the Brazilian ebony tone ring gives the instrument a sparkle the likes of which we have never heard before. We tried dozens of various tone rings before deciding on Brazilian ebony, For two years we have been designing and developing this banjo, the instrument looks and sounds sensational. The 'Gambler' arm is based on the pre war 'Clifford Essex Paragon', the 'Gambler' has all the power and projection of the 'Paragon' even without a resonator and it feels like a Clifford Essex banjo. We chose co-ordinator rods because the action can be easily adjusted in a matter of minutes to suit the player. We have lost count of the number of times beautiful banjos have come in for repair with terribly warped arms, usually they have been stored away for years with the strings up to tension. Putting them right can be a huge job, all the mother of pearl inlay and the frets are removed, the arm planed flat and then everything has to be replaced. There is no way the 'Gambler' arm can ever warp because of the way it is constructed, it is called progress. No doubt the old school will moan and groan about the 'Gambler' simply because we have decided to change with the times. The simple answer is to play it. During the coming months we will be adding audio files of the 'Gambler' in action, be sure to visit us on a regular basis.