Banjo #017 – Irish Tenor – Cherry & Black Locust
Banjo #017 is a custom build finished in October 2019. It now lives in Pennsylvania with its new owner, Brian.
This banjo has an 11″ block rim of curly Cherry and Black Locust with a 1/4″ brass rod done ring. Rim cap, heel cap and accent rim layer are Black Walnut. Neck is 3 piece laminate of black walnut with center rib of black locust with a dual action truss rod accessible at the heel.
Fingerboard is oiled Ironwood. Headstock laminate is Iron wood on the front and Cherry on the back with a headstock inlay of curly maple, black walnut and mother of pearl. Instrument is finished with a penetrating oil finish. Banjo is set up with brass hardware and brass Gotoh planetary tuners, straight Beartown bridge and shop mounted goatskin head.
Set up is with a modest scoop to fine tune head clearance and string action. Tone is clear, with good sustain and clarity. Responsive in lower positions and up the neck. Scale is 21.5″ for Irish Tenor tuning.
Continue reading “Banjo #017 – Irish Tenor – Cherry & Black Locust”Banjo #015 – Curly Maple, Black Walnut, Purpleheart
Banjo #015 is a custom build finished in May 2019. It lives in its new home with Brian in North Carolina.
This banjo has an 11″ block rim of curly Maple with a Dobson style tone ring. Rim cap, heel cap and accent rim layer are Black Walnut. Neck is 3 piece laminate of black walnut with center rib of purpleheart with a dual action truss rod accessible at the heel.
Fingerboard is oiled Purpleheart. Headstock laminate (front and back) are purpleheart with a headstock inlay of curly maple and mother of pearl. Instrument is finished with a penetrating oil finish. Banjo is set up with brass hardware and brass Gotoh planetary tuners, curved Beartown bridge and shop mounted goatskin head.
Set up is with a modest frailing scoop level with the head. Scale is 25.5″ with 19 frets. 5th string nut is at the 5th fret. Tone is clear, with good sustain and clarity. Responsive in lower positions and up the neck. With a 25.5″ scale this banjo can easily be tuned to G/C or A/D.