Another Banjo!
I have started another banjo! Here are a couple of videos of turning the pot. Nothing earth shattering but just some video of the process for anyone that may be interested. Brett
Banjo #1: The Neck
After building my gas can guitar, I thought that I would build a canjo, or “banjo out of a gas can”. Basically, the guitar with a 5th string. After doing some research, (web surfing), I ran across this plan for making a “real” banjo. Here is my weekend progress on the neck of the banjo. It is made from three pieces of madrone laminated together with black walnut for the finger board, and quarter sawn sycamore for the peg head. I will use either ebony or a bone ...
Banjo Construction #2: Four fingerboards
Here are four banjo fingerboards in various states of completion. All four use a 24.75” scale length. The top one is some form of rosewood. It will be a very simple fretless fingerboard used on a tackhead banjo. That banjo will use violin pegs, so the bump on the side of that banjo is where the 5th string peg will come up through the neck and fingerboard. The second from the top is also some form of rosewood. It will be a partially fretted fingerboard, with a brass overlay bel...
On Banjos
After putting my banjo project on display, I have received a number of comments running the gamut from complimenting the wood used to alluding to banjo player jokes. It seems as though there is a significant number of us that would like to build musical instruments, but are too intimidated or feel perhaps they are not musical enough to succeed. I really want to encourage you, if you are thinking about doing something like this, to give it a try. Go ahead and buy one of the many great ̶...
Banjo #2: Clamps Removed
Here are some images of the neck with the clamps removed. The fingerboard is glued on with some titebond II. One thing that I didn’t do that was on the example on the website that I am following is a spar in the neck. The 2024 aluminum that I found was $50 for a 3’ piece. Too much for me. So I left that piece out and we will see what becomes of it. If there is a noticable problem for me, I can always make another neck or just make a 2nd version of the banjo with the necessa...
Banjo #4: More Glue, More Clamps!
This is getting fun! Seriously! This is such a mental releif from the usual “box” type project that I seem to do. If you look at my gallery, you would ask yourself, “What is he talking about, usual box type project?”. Well, most of them are not posted on there because they were just that, a box type project. Nothing really unique or new to me. But since I have a lathe, I have been thinking outside of the box. At least the square box! I have also been work...
Banjo Construction #1: Two fingerboards getting bound
Recently, I decided to start building three new banjos. It’s been a while (years?) since the last time I built an instrument… I’ve had so many ideas run through my head in that time! These three instruments will share a common scale length (24.75”), and in terms of playability I want to make them as identical as possible. However, one will be fretless (or technically, flush fretted), one will be fully fretted, and one will be partially fretted with a brass fretboard ov...
Banjo #8: All Done!
It’s finished! Not much to say really. I had fun and now I have a banjo to try and learn to play! Ha ha Here is a link to the finished project and here is a video of how it sounds. http://lumberjocks.com/projects/65783 I didn’t blog a whole lot on the build but I think most will get the idea, it’s definately NOT a how to blog! Thanks for watching!
