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I had the distinct pleasure of visiting Jim Bollman and his extraordinary collection of banjos and banjo-related ephemera last night. It was a fantastic experience, and I hope to return often. The purpose of my visit was, ostensibly, to visit one instrument in particular—the ca. 1848 Henry Stichter banjo, which I am currently working to reproduce. The banjo itself was built by Stichter when he was just 16 years old, and the features of its construction are marvelous and bizarre.



The banjo originally had two drone strings—one on each side of the neck—but one has since been removed, leaving the more familiar 5-string construction intact. The oak rim itself, which is enormous, is only 3/16” thick, and joined only to a radiused block of wood by way of four screws, rather than the scarf joint that is more typical of a single-ply rim from that era. The numerous quirks represent a challenge where reproduction is concerned: should a copy be 100% faithful, the banjo itself would be difficult to play and feature modes of construction that would make it a somewhat undesirable option where durability is concerned. Thus, the challenge in this project is to strike a balance between modern standards of playability and an adherence to the original design and overall aesthetic. In short, this banjo would be faithful in appearance to the original but far more playable and a lot more sturdy. It should be done some time in September. Keep an eye out.



In the mean time, I am working on a number of interesting custom projects to be completed in the coming weeks.