The “hoop on stick” build style fits the rim to the neck rather than the other way around. This is a photo essay of my process fitting the rim to the neck. Finding the Bridge and Rim Locations on the Stick In the photo above, I’m using a ruler toContinue Reading
Banjo building is an excellent entry point to stringed instrument making. The banjo’s elegant simplicity and flexibility are unmatched. There are gourd banjos, tackhead banjos, open-back banjos, and resonator banjos, among others. If you haven’t already, find some recorded music that you like that prominently features the banjo and findContinue Reading
The Peghead of a gourd banjo gives the strings something to anchor to. It needs to be big enough and sturdy enough to accommodate the working of the tuning pegs. The Tuning Pegs I use with gourd banjos are friction pegs much like those found on the violin. The frictionContinue Reading
The tension hoop holds the head on and gives the tension hooks something to grab onto. Most tension hoops are made from brass. Nickel plating is a common feature. Ring rolling, precision layout, brazing and other metal working skills are necessary for do-it-yourself tension hoops. For the most part, metalContinue Reading
If you are just getting into building stringed instruments, it’s a good idea to start with a small budget and a small project. By taking on a small project the beginner can learn a lot about the physics of stringed instruments, build planning, and wood working tools. I can’t thinkContinue Reading
The banjo is an incredibly flexible and resilient instrument. It takes on a wide variety of physical forms and can be found to produce a wide variety of sounds and music. A banjo may be constructed from a wooden spoon, a soda can, and a piece of thread. Yet again,Continue Reading
Banjo hardware and parts can be specialized or rather commonplace depending on the build style of the instrument. When it comes to vintage and hand crafted banjos there is a good deal of variety. Most modern bracket-style banjo hardware cannot be found in a typical hardware store and must beContinue Reading
The dowel stick brings the rim and the neck together. The dowel can take different forms. I use a wooden dowel stick. Many banjos feature a steel rod that serves as a dowel. Some banjos even have two steel rods that may be adjusted to change the neck angle. InContinue Reading
Scale length is the length of the string from the nut to the bridge. This is the active part of the string that vibrates when struck. Scale length measurements do not include string ends above the nut and below the bridge. Generally, a longer scale length means a greater distanceContinue Reading