The latest Walnut commission, a lovely little banjo, finished yesterday and collected today, so didn't get a chance to record a video of this one.
​
11" Black Walnut block rim
Calf skin head
Black Walnut neck
25.5" scale Ebony fingerboard

The latest commission - a semi-fretless Cherry open back.

I originally had this fully strung with Nylgut reds, but the 2nd string snapped, so I replaced the 1,2,3 and 5 strings with light gauge nylon, but kept the red 4th to avoid using a wound. I could barely tell any difference in tone or volume between the two types, but they do feel slightly different to play. I have used both reds and original Nylguts before, without any problems, but I think I'll just stick with nylons from now on.
BTW if anyone knows a supplier of real gut strings, please let me know :)
​
12" Cherry block rim
Rosewood tone ring
Calf skin head
Cherry neck
25.5" scale Rosewood fingerboard
Light gauge nylon strings with Nylgut red 4th

Just finished this one a few days ago, a lovely little Black Walnut banjo. I'll be sending it over to its new owner in the U.S shortly :)
​
11" Black Walnut block rim
Rolled brass tone ring
Goat skin head
Black walnut neck
25.5" scale Ebony fingerboard
D'Addario medium strings
Inlaid Mother of Pearl Buffalo

The latest commission!

12" Walnut block rim
Rolled brass tone ring
Goat skin head
Walnut neck
25.5" scale Cocobolo fingerboard
​Medium gauge D'Addario strings

Finished this nice little fretless banjo earlier in the week, lovely deep, mellow tone. I switched over the 'no-knot' tailpiece in the photos for one of my Ebony ones prior to recording the video, which mellowed the tone a tad.
​
11" 2-ply European Ash rim, dyed black
​Brass round rod tone ring
Black Walnut 2-piece neck
Ebony fingerboard with brass side positon markers
Calf skin head
​Nylon 'minstrel' gauge strings
Ash armrest, stained black to match rim

The last of the current batch, and it turned out great!

12" Black Walnut block rim
Indian Rosewood tone ring
Renaissance head
Kershner tailpiece
European flamed Walnut neck
25.5" scale Ebony fingerboard with Abalone dots and 12" radius
Light gauge GHS Americana strings
Inlaid and engraved Mother of Pearl skull

I'll be taking a break for a few weeks before starting the next batch of banjo commissions, I have several jobs around the house to get done, and since my hourly wage building banjos is probably less than half what a crap tradesman charges, it makes more sense for me to do the jobs myself!
This banjo could be the last to be completed this year, but I have some pretty cool commissions coming up, which you'll be able to follow the progress of here:  www.instagram.com/ballardbanjers/?hl=en
Delivery estimate on any new orders is currently around June 2022, give me a shout if you're interested in commissioning something.

Finished these two banjos this week, both are available to buy, please use the 'contact' page for enquiries. Full specs and prices are on the '...in stock' page.

Top:
11" 2-ply bent English Oak rim
Ebony rim cap
Renaissance head
2-piece English Ash neck with black pinstripe
25" scale Ebony fingerboard (ideal for a wide variety of tunings)

Bottom:
11" 3-ply bent Honduras Mahogany rim
Indian Rosewood and Whyte Laydie tone ring
Renaissance head
Honduras Mahogany rim cap
2-piece American Cherry neck with black pinstripe
23.5" scale Ebony fingerboard (more suited for A or double D tunings)

Here's the second of the current batch, a nice custom Cherry banjo with Dobson tone ring. Look out for the third and fourth banjos next week, both will be available to purchase!

11" 3-ply bent Cherry rim with Ebony cap
Dobson tone ring
Renaissance head
Cherry neck
25.5" scale Ebony fingerboard
Medium GHS Americana strings
All brass hardware

The first of the current batch of five, a new Walnut neck for a vintage 12" pot, set up for playing 'classic' style. Hopefully I'll get a video up over the weekend.
This one is a commission and the second (which should be finished next week)will be too, after that, there'll be a couple which will be available to buy.