022 – Curly Maple Piccolo Banjo
A Curly Maple and Ebony Piccolo banjo with engraved mother of pearl inlays and engraved rim cap. The rim cap is engraved with the owner’s family’s initials as well as a quote from the Mary Oliver poem ‘The Summer Day’. We used the inlay design from Seeders Banjo #012 as well as the volute detail and bound dowel stick from Seeders Banjo #015. The fifth string neck carving was inspired by the work of Lee Sproull of Alabama.
- 8″ Curly Maple Steam Bent Pot with Engraved Ebony Rim Cap
- 18″ Scale Length
- 1-1/4″ Buffalo Horn Nut
- Engraved VT Buck Horn Mother of Pearl Inlays
- Laminated Ebony Neck Volute
- Carved Fifth String Detail
- Seeders Pyramid Heel
- Antiqued Brass Hardware
- Stained Three Piece Curly Maple Neck
- Stained Goat Skin Head
- Seeders Curved Bridge
- Ebony Bound Dowel Stick
- Mother of Pearl Side Dots
- Published in Banjos
021 – Half Fretless Dog Banjo
This banjo project started out as an existing S.S. Stewart banjo with a spunover rim that needed a new neck. The owner wanted to have a tribute to his dog inlayed into the peghead so I took a picture he sent me and drew it as an inlay using different wood species for color and contrast. A great way to get a modern playing vintage sounding instrument.
- 11″ S.S. Stewart Spun Over Pot
- 25.5″ Scale Length
- 1-1/4″ Nut Width
- Brass Half Fretless Overlay
- Rosewood Fingerboard with Ironwood Dot Inlays
- Brass Side Dots
- Custom Dog Inlay
- Three Piece Cherry and Walnut Neck
- Frailing Scoop
- Paddle Peghead
- Published in Banjos
020 – Half Fretless Whyte Laydie Banjo
This Vega pot most likely started out as a Vega Whyte Laydie tenor or banjolin. The owner of the pot and I put our heads together and from his vision and love of contrasting woods we came up with this unique neck. The woods we used were a lightly figured soft maple for the neck, Ironwood for the fretless overlay and dot inlays, an ebony fingerboard, curly claro walnut for binding, peruvian walnut, ebony and maple for the center lamination of the neck, ebony and maple for the nautical star peghead inlay and fumed english oak for the peghead and heel overlay. The combinations create a very unique looking neck with woods that compliment each other nicely while creating an eye catching contrast. The completely bound coffin peghead shape was inspired by a mid to late 19th century minstrel banjo peghead with marquetry inlays that had binding continuing across the peghead above the nut, a small but challenging detail that created a unique look.
- 10 1/16″ Vega Whyte Laydie Pot
- 24 1/2″ Scale Length
- 1-3/8″ Nut Width
- Vermont Ironwood Half Fretless Fingerboard Overlay
- Ironwood Dot Inlays
- Medium Width EVO Fretwire
- 9 Piece Neck Lamination
- Coffin Peghead Shape with Nautical Star Inlay
- Raw Brass ABM Tuners
- Frailing Scoop
- Volute
- Published in Banjos
019 – Aluminum Rim Conversion Banjo
This banjo was built for a local friend and fellow woodworker. He found a couple old banjos in his basement and wanted to use whatever we could to create a simple tenor banjo. We found that one of the chinese made banjos he found had a nice aluminum pot without the ‘bottle cap’ flange that most of these aluminum pots have. He had recently dismantled an antique bed to salvage the wood and found that is was made from old growth Beech. It had a beautiful tight grain that was very straight and it was incredibly stable because of its age. He brought me the neck blank and I whipped up this little left handed tenor for him. I ended up being very surprised with how great the salvaged aluminum pot sounded.
- 23″ Scale Length
- 1-1/4″ Nut
- 11-1/16″ Aluminum Pot
- Nickel Plated Hardware
- 3 Piece Beech neck with Curly Maple center stripe
- Hardhack/Ironwood fretboard
- Bubinga Peghead Overlay
- Left Handed
- Published in Banjos
018 – Brass and Cocobolo Fretless Banjo
This is a very simply appointed fretless banjo that showcases some fine details and exotic and local hardwoods.
- 25.5″ Scale Length
- 1-1/4″ Nut
- 11″ Vermont Cherry and Walnut Pot
- Nickel Plated Hardware
- 3 Piece Vermont Cherry Neck
- Fretless Coccobolo Fingerboard with Brass Inlay
- Frailing Scoop
- Brass Side Dots
- Published in Banjos
017 – Prime Number Fretless Banjo
The Vega Little Wonder pot that was used in this banjo was sent to me with the original tenor neck that had a bad break. The owner being someone with an interest in numbers wanted prime numbers inlaid into the fretboard. Throughout the process we thought it would be a cool idea to use a piece of the original neck in the design. Being that 17 is a prime number, part of the design and just by chance happening to be #017 I decided to use a piece for the 17 inlaid into the fretboard to subtly contrast the other walnut numbers.
- 11″ Vega Little Wonder Pot
- 26-3/16″ Scale
- Skin Head
- 1-1/4″ Nut
- Walnut Prime Number Inlay Design
- Walnut Neck
- Ironwood Fingerboard
- Published in Banjos
016 – W.A. Cole Conversion Banjo
This rim came from what was originally a W.A. Cole mandolin banjo that most likely dates from the 10’s-20’s. It was sent to me with a missing neck and was designed with some of W.A. Cole’s original designs and appointments in mind with a few variations on his style.
- 9 7/8″ W.A. Cole Mandolin Banjo Pot #89
- 23″ Scale Length
- Skin Head
- 1 1/4″ Nut
- Scooped Neck
- Amber Tuner Knobs
- Published in Banjos
015 – Black Crow Tenor Banjo
This curly maple and ebony banjo is the first tenor banjo that I have built. Featuring a artistic crow peghead inlay and unique heel carving with a fleur-de-lis detail.
- 23″ Scale Length
- 1-1/4″ Buffalo Horn Nut
- 10″ Steam Bent Curly Maple pot with Ebony cap
- Ebony Tone Ring
- Antiqued Raw Brass Hardware
- One Piece Curly Maple neck
- Ebony Rear Peghead overlay dying into the volute
- Gold Mother of Pearl ‘Crow’ Peghead Inlay
- Brass Side Dots
- Fleur de lis Heel Carving
- Stainless Steel Pinned Scoop Plate
- Narrow EVO Fretwire
- Hand Rubbed Oil Finish
- Published in Banjos
014 – VT Native Wood Plectrum Banjo
The banjo features native Vermont cherry, walnut and ironwood with cherry burl peghead and heel overlays.
- 11″ Native Cherry and Walnut Pot
- Ironwood Tone Ring
- Ironwood Fretboard
- Walnut Dot Inlays
- 26 3/16″ Scale Length
- 1 1/4″ Nut
- Pyramid Heel
- Published in Banjos
013 – Whyte Laydie Banjo
This banjo features engraved mother of pearl in ebony with a black lacquered steam bent pot. This is a great sounding banjo the delivers what you would expect in tone and volume from the Whyte Lydie tone ring.
- 11″ Steam Bent Maple Pot Lacquered Black
- 25.5″ Scale Length
- 1 1/4″ Nut
- Hand Rubbed Oil Finish on the neck
- Lightly Antiqued Brass Rickard Hardware
- Ogee Curve Carving Behind Fifth Fret
- Mini Volute (See neck Side Profile Picture)
- Seeders Cherry Bridge
- Engraved Mother Of Pearl Inlays
- Scooped Fretboard
- Whyte Laydie Tone Ring
- Ivoroid Binding on Neck and Pot
- Gotoh Tuners
- Curly Maple Neck
- Narrow EVO Fretwire
- Published in Banjos