048 – B’rer Rabbit Trickster Banjo
This banjo features some of my favorite inlay and engraving work yet. The unique folklore trickster theme led us to make some very fun decisions that tied everything together very nicely in a personal and cohesive way. We started with B’rer Rabbit on the peghead and the Japanese Kitsunev, a nine tailed fox, in the scoop with fox prints traveling up the fingerboard. We later added a raven to the back of the peghead and lastly a butterfly to the heel. The connection of the two is as follows, “in the Canadian Pacific northwest, the Haida depict Butterfly as the companion of Raven the Creator-Trickster, perhaps acknowledging the unpredictable and unreliable nature of “flights of fancy” and dreaming”. The copper of the half fretless overlay with brass screws led to the use of copper and brass side location dots as well as the raw brass hardware. Overall a very fun and playful but elegant design resulted.
- 12″ Curly Walnut Rim
- 25.5″ Scale Length
- Wenge Tone Ring
- Copper and Brass Half Fretless Overlay with Engraved Fret Markers
- Copper with Brass Eye Side Location Dots
- Ebony Peghead Binding
- Engraved White, Black and Gold Mother of Pearl and Abalone Inlays
- Figured Maple Details with Golden Brown Stained Finish
- Backstrap
- Raw Brass Hardware
- Brooks Banjos Hooks and Nuts
- Scalloped Ebony Nut
- Seeders Violin Bridge
- Fielding Tailpiece
- Aquila Nylgut Strings
- 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
033 – Seeders Engraved Style 3 Banjo
This banjo was built as the first prototype for a standard Seeders model I’ve been working on. It’s not named yet and the final details and options being finalized for future builds. It features W.A. Cole and Fairbanks inspired appointments with a few of my own twists. The tone ring is a variation of the classic W.A. Cole Eclipse tone ring, a modern Little Wonder tone ring placed on pins to raise the ring off of the rim. This give is a very crisp punchy sound with a lot of presence that will cut through in a group setting without being too loud or overpowering.
- 11″ Cherry Rim with Black Lacquer Finish
- Eclipse Variant Tone Ring
- Fairbanks Style Peghead Inlay
- Engraved Mother of Pearl Inlays
- 1-5/16″ Bone Nut
- 25-1/2″ Scale Length
- Satin Lacquer Finish
- Nickel Plated Hardware
- Ivoroid Binding on Rim
- Striped Ebony Fingerboard and Peghead Overlay
- Scooped Fingerboard
- W.A. Cole Boat Heel
- Published in Banjos
Maple Leaf Spun Rim Banjo
This Walnut necked banjo features a very nice spun rim most likely from the Buckbee factory or possibly a Fairbanks. It is simply adorned with an engraved Maple leaf and unengraved star on the fingerboard. The rim features 30 brackets and is a nice heavy spun rim construction that lends to a great sounding banjo. This banjo was designed as a short “A” scale banjo.
- Walnut Neck
- 11″ Nickel Spun Rim with Original Hardware (possibly Buckbee)
- 1-3/8″ Nut
- 22.72″ Scale Length
- Engraved Mother of Pearl Maple Leaf peghead inlay
- Ebony Fingerboard and Peghead Overlay
- Ogee Scoop
- Hard Oil Finish
- Dobson Heel Profile
- EVO Frets
- John Balch Hide Head
- Published in Banjos
012 – VT Buckhorn Banjo
This Mahogany and Claro Walnut banjo was built for talented Vermont musician, Jeremy Sicily. It features a twelve-inch pot with with Vermont-themed custom engraved inlays. The twelve-inch stained black pot is made from Claro Walnut with a Mahogany rim cap and Wenge tone ring. The neck is a beautiful piece of curly mahogany that features a ogee neck carving behind the fifth fret. The state of Vermont inlay at the fifth fret features an engraving of Vermont’s counties.
Listen to Jeremy’s band the Flat Top Trio.
- 12″ Claro Walnut and Mahogany Pot
- 25.5″ Scale Length
- 1 1/4″ Nut
- Hand Rubbed Oil Finish
- Lightly Antiqued Brass Hardware
- Ogee Curve Carving Behind Fifth Fret
- Seeders Cherry Bridge
- Seeders Pyramid Heel
- Engraved Mother of Pearl Inlays
- Scooped Fingerboard
- W.A. Cole Style Peghead
- Published in Banjos
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