134 – de Groot 12″ Curly Maple Dobson Special

/ / Published in Banjos

This Dobson Special banjo was built for Allison de Groot as a twin to Seeders #059 which she has owned and played for many years. Allison wanted an identical banjo to tour with for using various tunings on stage quickly and easily as well as a good backup for her main banjo. It was built using the same details as #059 with a few additional details that I’ve added to my banjos recently.

These banjos have a powerful well rounded tone unique to the Dobson Special. Featuring a comfortable neck profile ideal for all hand sizes and comfort while playing all over the neck. The Dobson Special utilizes a Dobson tone ring mounted on a rolled brass ring to isolate the tone ring from the wooden rim giving it a unique and powerful Dobson sound with more balanced and a well defined overall tone.

You can hear her playing it with her duo with Tatiana Hargreaves.

  • 25.5″ Scale Length
  • 12″ Curly Maple Rim
  • Dobson Special Tone Ring
  • Black Mother of Pearl inlays
  • Antiqued Brass Hardware
  • Ebony Fingerboard and Peghead
  • EVO Fretwire
  • Seeders Wide Notch Comfort Tension Hoop
  • Seeders Curly Maple Armrest
  • 1-5/16″ Black Tusq Nut
  • Gotoh Tuners
  • Renaissance Head
  • Rich Brown Stain
  • Cole Boat Heel
  • Satin Nitrocellulose Finish