At some point in my journey into the depths of Old Time music I knew, eventually, it would be time to learn the banjo. I decided to leave it for last. Not because I don't like the banjo, I love it, but because I knew it was going to take some serious dedication to learn to play it well.
I also knew I did not want to learn on a crappy instrument, but I couldn't afford a nice one. So I figured I'd ask someone to teach me to build my own. I asked several people and they all said "yes". Inadvertently, I have turned into an itinerant banjo maker. I've just finished my third instrument and I still don't know how to play the damn thing.
Click Here to go to the photo gallery and see more photos of my instruments.
Banjo #3
Built in the shop of Romero Banjos
www.romerobanjos.com
#3 is a 12 inch fretted five string. The pot is a block construction with an all wood rim instead of L shoes. Both the pot and the neck are made of Black Walnut with Mexican Chechen wood on the fingerboard, pot cap, heel cap, and headstock overlay. The integral tone ring is made from Honduran Rosewood. The hardware is custom cast brass and bronze.
Jason's shop used to be in Arcata, Ca which is an incredibly gorgeous place. Recently he married and moved up to Vancouver Island, BC, Canada which is just as amazing of a place. I feel lucky to get to spend so much time there.
Banjo #2
Built in the shop of Brooks Banjos
www.brooksbanjos.com
#3 (to the left and right) is an 11 inch fretted five string. I built it to be a light travel banjo. The neck is Cherry. The pot is Rock Maple. The front and back peg head overlays are flamed Black Walnut. The fingerboard is Ebony. The skin is synthetic to withstand the elements on the road.
Brooks Masten and I met at the fiddle festival in Weiser, Idaho. He was living off the grid in a cabin in northern New Mexico. I tried to visit him there once but I got stopped by two feet of snow. Several years later he moved his shop to Portland and we became even better friends. He was the first person to offer to teach me to build banjos.
Banjo #1
Built in the shop of Brooks Banjos
www.brooksbanjos.com
When I jumped into the world of banjo building I conservatively decided to start off with a bite-sized project. I figured I could bang out a small instrument quicker so I decide on a concert size banjo ukelele. It is larger then your normal ukelele which gives a warmer tone with plenty of volume and more room for your fingers on the fingerboard.