046 – 12″ Style 3 Dobson Special Banjo
This is a 12″ Walnut Style 3 variation. This banjo has a powerful well rounded tone unique to the Dobson Special with 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 crisp overall tone. The low end range is enhanced slightly with the larger 12″ rim. It’s simple but elegant inlays and overall design has a vintage inspired look while adding modern play ability and durability.
- 25.5″ Scale Length
- 12″ Walnut Rim
- Dobson Special Tone Ring
- Hand Engraved Mother of Pearl Inlays
- Nickel Hardware
- Unplated Brass Tone Ring
- Striped Ebony Fingerboard
- EVO Fretwire
- 1-5/16″ Bone Nut
- Gotoh Tuners
- Red Brown Stain
- Ebony Heel Cap
- Hard Oil Finish
- Published in Banjos
045 – Moon and Sun Clover Banjo
This banjo was a custom order that featured some very unique inlays. An abalone crown tops the peghead with a bell hanging from the lower peghead like a necklace. The rear of the peghead has a moon and sun inlay that was a fun challenge to create with Mother of Pearl and Recon Stone. The side peghead snake inlays created a unique challenge and were done with a bronze powder. The green clovers on the fingerboard matched the deep green finish on the neck and rim. The puzzle piece as well as the other inlays have a special meaning to the owner of the banjo who it was designed for.
- 26.1875″ Scale Length
- 1-1/4″ Bone Nut
- Custom Engraved Inlays
- Kavanjo Banjo Pickup
- Nickel Hardware
- Ebony Fingerboard, Rim Cap and Peghead
- Custom Green Finish
- Nitrocellulose Satin Finish
- Rolled Brass Tone Ring
- Rounded Volute
- Published in Banjos
044 – Curly Maple Style 3 Dobson Special Banjo
This is a variation of the Seeders Style 3 Dobson Special made with Curly Maple. This banjo has a powerful well rounded tone unique to the Dobson Special with 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 crisp overall tone. It’s simple but elegant inlays and overall design has a vintage inspired look while adding modern play ability and durability.
- 25.5″ Scale Length
- 11″ 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 Finish
- Published in Banjos
043 – Engraved Curly Maple Piccolo Banjo
An elegant but simply adorned Curly Maple piccolo banjo. Stained with a golden brown finish with hand engraved Mother of Pearl inlays.
- 8″ Piccolo Rim
- 18″ Scale Length
- 1-1/4″ Nut
- Engraved Mother of Pearl Inlays
- Richlite Fingerboard
- Stained Curly Maple Neck and Rim
- Walnut Rim and Heel Cap
- Ebony Peghead Overlay
- Aquila Nylgut Strings
- Rickard Nickel Plated Hardware
- Published in Banjos
042 – Vine Inlay Piccolo
A Walnut Piccolo banjo with a custom vine inlay. The inlay is made from Rosewood with engraved recon stone leaves. Red veneer details match the recon stone dot inlays.
- 8″ Piccolo Rim
- 18″ Scale Length
- 1-1/4″ Nut
- Richlite Fingerboard
- Walnut Neck and Rim
- Red Veneer Accents
- Ebony Peghead Overlay
- Aquila Nylon Strings
- Antiqued Raw Brass Hardware
- Published in Banjos
041 – Style 5 Dobson Special Banjo
This banjo is the first of my Style 5 Dobson Specials. It has Style 5 inlay details with a Dobson tone ring sitting atop a rolled brass tone ring to isolate it from the wooden rim. This creates the unique Dobson tone but adds an even deeper more balanced low end while keeping a nice crisp well rounded sound. This banjo is owned by the talented Carling Berkhout and can be heard on her Instagram feed.
- 25.5″ Scale Length
- 5/16″ Bone Nut
- 12″ Walnut Rim with Black Lacquer
- Dobson Special Tone Ring
- Engraved Fairbanks Mother of Pearl Peghead Inlay
- Striped Ebony Fingerboard and Peghead
- Walnut Neck
- Ivoroid Rim Binding
- Cole Boat Heel
- Antiqued Brass Hardware
- Published in Banjos
040 – Gibson Pyramid Tone Ring Conversion Banjo
This banjo started its life as a 1926 Gibson TB-1 tenor banjo. I converted it to a TB-2 Style Pyramid Tone Ring banjo with a very unique custom inlay theme. The Pyramid Tone Ring is a reproduction ring made by Arnold Clayton fitted to the original rim. The flange has been upgraded from the TB-1 Diamond Flange to an original TB-2 hex flange.
- 26.375″ Scale Length
- 1-1/4″ Nut
- Aztec Themed Engraved Mother of Pearl Inlays
- Curly Maple Neck
- Ebony Fingerboard and Peghead
- Ivoroid Binding
- Radiused Fingerboard
- Published in Banjos
039 – Ladybug Pony Banjo
A piccolo/pony banjo made from Curly Maple with a Ladybug inlay.
- 18″ Scale Length
- 8″ Curly Maple Rim
- 1-1/4″ Bone Nut
- Ironwood Fingerboard
- Curly Maple Neck
- Walnut Rim Cap and Peghead
- Red Veneer Details
- Amber Tuner Knobs
- Rolled Brass Tone Ring
- Published in Banjos
038 – Seeders Style 3 Cherry Banjo
This banjo was built for someone who started it all for me. The 4 year old that the very first banjo I sold was built for and my piccolo/pony banjo was designed for was turning 9 and was finally ready for a full sized banjo. It’s a variation of my Style 3 model made from Cherry.
- 25.5″ Scale Length
- 1-5/16″ Nut
- 11″ Cherry Rim
- Cherry Neck
- Rolled Brass Tone Ring on Pins
- Engraved Mother of Pearl Inlays
- Van Epps Style Tension Hoop
- Cole Style Boat Heel
- Walnut Rim Cap
- Striped Ebony Fingerboard and Peghead
- Published in Banjos
037 – Engraved 12″ Thin Rim Banjo
A walnut long scale banjo with a thin rim featuring engraved mother of pearl inlays. The rim has the owners niece and nephews initials engraved into the rim cap to add an extra personal touch. I used the floral engraving theme to design a unique fifth string transition carving.
- 27″ Scale Length
- 12″ Walnut Thin and Deep Rim
- Hand Engraved Mother of Pearl Inlays
- Weymann Peghead Shape
- Ivoroid Bound Fingerboard, Rim and Peghead
- Ebony Bound Dowel Stick
- EVO Fretwire
- Nickel Hardware
- Fifth String Transition Carving
- Published in Banjos
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