082 – 10″ Forrest and Night Sky Curly Maple Custom Banjo
This banjo was quite an undertaking. The inlay started out as a photograph of the Redwoods in California that the owner then turned into a painting. I took the painting and turned it into the inlay you see here. It depicts majestic Redwood trees under a night sky with a full moon shining brightly above. It was built for a woman of small stature which is why some of the details are smaller than typical.
- 10″ Curly Maple Rim with Ebony Rim Cap
- 25″ Scale Length
- 1-3/16″ Nut Width
- Custom Recon Stone, Mother of Pearl, and Wooden Inlay
- Curly Maple Neck
- Asymmetrical Peghead Shape
- Rolled Brass Hoop Tone Ring
- Ebony Fingerboard, Peghead, and Heelcap
- Antiqued Brass Hardware
- Stained Calf Skin Head
- Black Tusq Nuts
- Gotoh Tuners
- EVO Frets
- Published in Banjos
081 – 11″ Walnut and Zircote Banjo
- 11″ Walnut Rim with Zircote Rim Cap
- 25.5″ Scale Length
- 1-5/16″ Tusq Nut
- Zircote Peghead, Fingerboard, and Heel Cap
- Romero Tone Ring
- Paddle Peghead
- Antiqued Brass Hardware
- Stained Calf Skin Head
- EVO Frets
- Gotoh Tuners
- Published in Banjos
080 – 11-5/8″ Engraved Curly Maple Banjo
- 25.5″ Scale Length
- 11-5/8″ Curly Maple Rim with 3/8″ Brass Tube Tone Ring
- 1-5/16″ Tusq Nut
- Hand Engraved Mother of Pearl Inlays
- Zircote Peghead and Fingerboard
- Antiqued Brass Hardware
- EVO Fretwire
- Gotoh Tuners
- Stained Curly Maple Finish
- Water Bourne Lacquer Finish
- Published in Banjos
079 – 11″ Brass Clad Slothead Engraved Banjo
This slot head banjo features a brass and Walnut half spun over rim with a Walnut neck and Maple accent veneers. The rim features a deep brass clad exterior topped and Walnut internal rim with a Bubinga tone ring. The unique design of this banjo gives it an eye catching look and has an incredibly well rounded sound to match.
- 25.5″ Scale Length
- 11″ Walnut and Brass clad rim
- 1-5/16″ Black Tusq Nut
- Hand Engraved Mother of Pearl Inlays
- Bubinga Tone Ring
- Ebony Fingerboard
- Ebony Peghead Overlays
- Maple Veneer Details
- Pointed Volute
- Slot Head Peghead and Fifth String
- Antiqued Brass Hardware and Clad Rim
- EVO Frets
- Waverly Tuners
- Seeders Violin Bridge
- Vintage Thin Eco Friendly Water Bourne Lacquer
- Published in Banjos
078 – 11-5/8″ Brass Clad Slothead Banjo
This is the first brass clad 11-5/8″ rim banjos that I made. It features all the details of the brass clad slothead models I’ve made in the past with a new rim size. An excellent addition to that model that sounds as good as it looks! The rim features a deep brass clad exterior topped and Walnut internal rim with a Bubinga tone ring. The unique design of this banjo gives it an eye catching look and has an incredibly well rounded sound to match.
- 25.5″ Scale Length
- 11-5/8″ Walnut and Brass clad rim
- 1-5/16″ Black Tusq Nut
- Bubinga Tone Ring
- Ebony Fingerboard
- Ebony Peghead Overlays
- Pointed Volute
- Slot Head Peghead and Fifth String
- Antiqued Brass Hardware and Clad Rim
- EVO Frets
- Seeders Violin Bridge
- Vintage Thin Eco Friendly Water Bourne Lacquer
- Published in Banjos
077 – 11″ Brass Clad Slothead Banjo
This slot head banjo features a brass and Walnut half spun over rim with a Walnut neck and Maple accent veneers. The rim features a deep brass clad exterior topped and Walnut internal rim with a Bubinga tone ring. The unique design of this banjo gives it an eye catching look and has an incredibly well rounded sound to match.
- 25.5″ Scale Length
- 11″ Walnut and Brass clad rim
- 1-5/16″ Black Tusq Nut
- Bubinga Tone Ring
- Ebony Fingerboard
- Ebony Peghead Overlays
- Pointed Volute
- Slot Head Peghead and Fifth String
- Antiqued Brass Hardware and Clad Rim
- EVO Frets
- Seeders Violin Bridge
- Vintage Thin Eco Friendly Water Bourne Lacquer
- Published in Banjos
076 – 11-5/8″ Engraved Curly Maple Banjo
This banjo is one of the first 11-5/8″ models that I made. A new size that’s offered as a standard model for Seeders Instruments. The in between 11″ and 12″ rim size features a little bit of the best of both worlds. Giving it lots of power and plunk without getting too muddy or too crisp sounding. It’s a size I feel like performs especially well for clawhammer style.
- 25.5″ Scale Length
- 11-5/8″ Curly Maple Rim with 3/8″ Brass Tube Tone Ring
- 1-5/16″ Tusq Nut
- Hand Engraved Mother of Pearl Inlays
- Honduran Rosewood Peghead and Fingerboard
- Antiqued Brass Hardware
- EVO Fretwire
- Gotoh Tuners
- Stained Curly Maple Finish
- Water Bourne Lacquer Finish
- Published in Banjos
075 – Brass Clad Hammered Brass Banjo
This banjo was custom built for the skilled hands and musical mind of Eli West. Eli gave me the freedom to try some new ideas I had for the brass clad rims I make and came up with the excellent idea of using hammered brass for the accent plates on the peg head and scoop. The rim is the first fully clad (spunover) rim I’ve made and is also one of the first 11-5/8″ rims I completed bringing to life a new standard rim size in the Seeders Instruments models.
You can hear this banjo on stage in the hands of Eli here: https://www.instagram.com/p/BrNWBlMnSPu/
Find more music and info about Eli on his website: http://eliwest.fyi/
More from Eli’s duo with Cahalen Morrison: http://cahalenandeli.com/
- 24.7″ Scale Length
- 11-5/8″ Brass Clad and Walnut Rim with Integral 3/8″ Brass Tube and Ebony Tone Ring
- Walnut Neck
- Hammered Brass Peghead and Scoop Plate
- Antiqued Brass Hardware
- Buckeye Banjos Tailpiece
- Gotoh Tuners
- Ebony Fingerboard, Rear Peghead Overlay, and Heelcap
- Fifth String Neck Carving Design Inspired by Jason Romero
- Seeders Violin Bridge
- Dark Stained Finish
- Water Bourne Lacquer Finish
- Published in Banjos
074 – Love Bird Engraved Eclipse Banjo
This banjo was custom built for Hillary Hawke who is an accomplished clawhammer and three finger banjo player and teacher. She sent me block prints made by her friend and artist, Nancy Hunt, and I turned one and pieces of others into the inlays found on the fingerboard. The banjo was based around my Eclipse model in Cherry and Ebony.
You can find more about Hillary and her music on her website: https://hilaryhawkemusic.com/
- 11″ Cherry Rim and Neck
- 25.5″ Scale Length
- Elipse Tone Ring (Little Wonder suspended on brad nails)
- Hand Engraved Mother of Pearl Inlays
- Nickel Hardware
- EVO Fretwire
- 1-5/16″ Bone Nut
- Gotoh Tuners
- Cole Boat Heel
- Water Bourne Finish
- Published in Banjos
073 – Curly Maple Style 3 Dobson Special Banjo
- 25.5″ Scale Length
- 12″ Curly Maple Rim
- Dobson Special Tone Ring
- Hand Engraved Mother of Pearl Inlays
- Antiqued Brass Hardware
- Striped Ebony Fingerboard
- EVO Fretwire
- 1-5/16″ Bone Nut
- Gotoh Tuners
- Warm Amber Stain
- Cole Boat Heel
- Hard Oil Satin Finish
- Published in Banjos