Wood
Pretty much any hardwood can be used to make a banjo. It all comes down to the look and sound required. I hand pick all the wood I use - nothing is purchased unseen.
Types of wood I typically have in stock are American Cherry, Maple, Black Walnut, Ash and a few exotics which I use for caps, tone rings, veneers etc.
Rims
My rims are either constructed from block segments, steam bent laminations, or a combination of both.
My block rims usually consist of 3-4 layers of 8 segmented rings glued in a brickwork fashion. Optional rim caps and integral tone rings can be added, usually constructed using 8-16 segments. Integral wooden tone rings have a bevelled edge for the head to sit on.
My bent rims are constructed from 1-4 laminated strips of hardwood.
I can also fit most types of metal tone rings to the majority of my rims.
Hardware
All the hardware components I import and use (brackets, hooks, tension hoop, tail piece) are made in the U.S.A and Canada and are of extremely high quality.
Tuners
I am willing to fit most types of mechanical tuners to open-back banjos, I use Gotoh or 5-Star planetary tuners on solid pegheads and Waverleys on slotted pegheads.
My mountain style banjos, tackheads and Minstrels have Ebony Violin friction pegs installed.
Heads
I either fit a synthetic Renaissance or Fiberskyn head on my open-back banjos, however, I prefer the sound and look of calf or goat skin, and think the tone produced is well worth the extra cost and care required.
All tackhead banjos are fitted with calf or goat skin. Mountain banjos can be fitted with either calf/goat skin or a Remo coated drum head.
Necks
My preference for neck construction is to book-match two sides of wood and add a centre lamination, as this adds stability and helps prevent bowing/twisting, it is also aesthetically appealing. It is also possible to seek out a lovely piece of quarter sawn timber with the correct grain to enable me to make a one-piece neck.
When viewing the side profile of all the necks I build you will see it as 1-piece, meaning there are no scarf joints at the peghead or heel build-ups.
I use carbon fibre as a neck reinforcement on my banjos that have a fingerboard fitted unless an adjustable truss rod is specified.
Finish
I use a hand rubbed oil finish on all my banjos. 1-2 coats can be applied to just seal the wood and give a low sheen or extra oil can be added for a more luxurious finish.
Pretty much any hardwood can be used to make a banjo. It all comes down to the look and sound required. I hand pick all the wood I use - nothing is purchased unseen.
Types of wood I typically have in stock are American Cherry, Maple, Black Walnut, Ash and a few exotics which I use for caps, tone rings, veneers etc.
Rims
My rims are either constructed from block segments, steam bent laminations, or a combination of both.
My block rims usually consist of 3-4 layers of 8 segmented rings glued in a brickwork fashion. Optional rim caps and integral tone rings can be added, usually constructed using 8-16 segments. Integral wooden tone rings have a bevelled edge for the head to sit on.
My bent rims are constructed from 1-4 laminated strips of hardwood.
I can also fit most types of metal tone rings to the majority of my rims.
Hardware
All the hardware components I import and use (brackets, hooks, tension hoop, tail piece) are made in the U.S.A and Canada and are of extremely high quality.
Tuners
I am willing to fit most types of mechanical tuners to open-back banjos, I use Gotoh or 5-Star planetary tuners on solid pegheads and Waverleys on slotted pegheads.
My mountain style banjos, tackheads and Minstrels have Ebony Violin friction pegs installed.
Heads
I either fit a synthetic Renaissance or Fiberskyn head on my open-back banjos, however, I prefer the sound and look of calf or goat skin, and think the tone produced is well worth the extra cost and care required.
All tackhead banjos are fitted with calf or goat skin. Mountain banjos can be fitted with either calf/goat skin or a Remo coated drum head.
Necks
My preference for neck construction is to book-match two sides of wood and add a centre lamination, as this adds stability and helps prevent bowing/twisting, it is also aesthetically appealing. It is also possible to seek out a lovely piece of quarter sawn timber with the correct grain to enable me to make a one-piece neck.
When viewing the side profile of all the necks I build you will see it as 1-piece, meaning there are no scarf joints at the peghead or heel build-ups.
I use carbon fibre as a neck reinforcement on my banjos that have a fingerboard fitted unless an adjustable truss rod is specified.
Finish
I use a hand rubbed oil finish on all my banjos. 1-2 coats can be applied to just seal the wood and give a low sheen or extra oil can be added for a more luxurious finish.