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
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