new gourd banjo is up. its god a dark oak neck with some nice medullary rays, and a large, thumping gourd. it looks really nice, and plays well.

newest gourd banjo is all but done. tomorrow im going to turn my own custom pegs, file the nut blank, make the tailpiece, then string it up and play it. its looking great right now assembled and waiting for the final touches.

new oak neck. should be done by saturday. i love working with oak. its really got such a rustic character, and is very easy to shape. click the thumbnail for full size...

new gourd banjo is up in the gallery, front and center. check it out.

new gourd banjo almost done, and should be finished this afternoon. this one has a walnut neck, and an exquisite wenge fingerboard with a very distinct, beautiful grain swirling patter that i integrated into the shape of the neck itself. the gourd is on the larger side, and quite eccentric, such that the cut i made for the head results, because of the gourds shape, in a non-round surface. this sort of makes it look as though the dowel is not centered, but it actually is running through the middle of the gourd. something different, i suppose. i would love to keep this one, but it is going to be up for sale. the bills dont pay themselves.

as always, click the thumbnail for larger images...

well, a new order is in. will i never have time to build a few banjos for myself?

this is going to be a beautiful musical instrument. im going to be making a gourd banjo. it will be based on a single-piece oak neck that im going to ebonize with rust and vinegar. therell be a small sound hole, rimmed with tacked-on skin. the peghead design hasnt been finalized yet, but there are myriad, interesting possibilities.

this is a second order for darius, who will soon be featured on the web page playing a few tunes on his last tack head. i am happy to see a smattering of returning customers of late. its fun to work on a second banjo with people, because i come to it knowing a lot more about them, and what types of things they are interested in. additionally. of course, it means that they were happy with the instrument i sent them, and thats really the most important thing.

updates will be posted as they come.

well, there a new banjo up in the gallery. its the eighth from the left, and another copy of the korda-style banjo.

in the next month i will be building two banjos - one will a gourd be based around the walnut neck and exquisitely grained wenge fingerboard that i've already made. the other will be a flush-fret tackhead with an oak neck that is yet to be started. i have to get as much work in as i can before grad school starts, so it will be busy.

these banjos will both be offered for sale.

now almoster done than before

the banjo: today i sanded down to 600 grit and burned the makers mark onto the back of the peghead, stained the neck, and tacked the ribbon (which i spent the after looking for in various boston-area fabric stores). it is looking very, very nice.

this summer, michaela and i were surprised to be allowed into the nicest community garden in j.p. i know its not banjo related, but here are some photos of the progress. oldest photos are on top, most recent on bottom. click to enlarge...

much progress today. the skin has been mounted, rim finished, tailpiece cut, nut slotted, etc. i put it together and it played well. this banjo is really, really responsive, and plays/sounds particularly nicely out over the scoop, though i left the tailpiece too far out and need to shorten the string that attaches it to the end pin, so that might move the sweet-playing spot back a bit.

i know need to disassemble and stain/finish the neck. i also need to make two bentwood laminations on the inside of the pot - one to go over the dowel where it enters, and one where it sits with the end pin. additionally, i need to cut a slot through the dowel for the wedge of ebony that will help tighten and secure the fit of the neck. all finish work should be done by mid week. once again, i sort of wish i could afford to keep this banjo. alas...

the flash on these photos really tends to darken the pot and, in general, exagerate contrasts. but it gives an idea of where the build is at.

(as always, click to see the full-sized image.)

its been a tumultuous month, but i have continued to work on banjos. as it happens, i will, sadly, not be attending clifftop in august. though it pains me to miss out, it is just not possible. that being said, the banjo i am making for dennis in honolulu is coming together nicely, and should be ready for final finishing later on this weekend. once again, dennis wanted a similar banjo to josh korda's first banjo - the black one - in the gallery. dennis is a luthier himself, so i have to make sure everything is perfect, or at least as perfect as i can get it. the fact that this banjo will also reside in the most completely humid conditions imaginable only adds to the challenge. here is what it looks like so far. the neck has been completely shaped, pegs fitted, dowel turned and attached, and the rim has been stained and sanded.