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 as well as on our albums with our duo Carling and Will.
- 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
Henry Dobson Reproduction Neck
This Dobson was a very unique project. The owner purchased the original banjo on eBay and when it showed up it turned out to be a little more beat up than anticipated. Wanting a Dobson that would be a durable everyday player we decided to recreate the neck with just a few minor modern upgrades. I tried to keep as close to the original aesthetic as possible while giving it a thicker fingerboard, neck profile and fifth string transition. While the finish was far from original, it had such a cool look to it that I did my best to match the feel. I was able to save the original dowel stick with Henry Dobson’s ID stamps which was an extra bonus. The textured rim is fairly unique as well, I believe they were made for a short time by Buckbee for use on these Dobson models as well as some of the Celebrated Benary banjos of the same time.
- 11″ Original Henry Textured Dobson Clad Rim with Patented Dobson Tone Ring
- 6th fret 5th String transistion
- Dyed skin head
- Peghed Tuners
- Nickel Silver Inlays
- Madagascar Rosewood Fingerboard and Peghead Overlay
- Walnut Neck
- Hand Rubbed Oil Finish
- Brass Scoop Plate
- Published in Banjos, Restorations
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