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chip arnold - Posted - 05/28/2014: 19:35:25
I use a small screw for the 5th string pip. I have a skinny file which I use to make the screw slot slightly convex to relieve chafing of nylon strings.
peedee - Posted - 05/28/2014: 19:37:18
Thanks BungleBanjo and Pete Moose! Nice looking Banjo Pete! I love the tail piece ingenuity
I actually found a screw after a few more looks in my junk drawers. I had some problems with the Aquila nylgut strings. The 5th string was too small in diameter I think and popped. The rest worked fine. I picked up a cheap pack of classical guitar strings and used one for the 5th string. Does anyone have any particular favorites when it comes to strings?
Since I'm new to the banjo I've been reading up on different tunings and watching videos. I started with double c tuning and started practicing clawhammer techniques. Tonight I tried a few different tunings to see how they sound. Once I learn a song, I'll post a video of how it sounds. Overall I love the sound. oh and I attached a photo with the strings. Thanks to everyone in the forum for providing info which helped me complete the build!
Edited by - peedee on 05/28/2014 19:38:54
Pete Moose - Posted - 05/29/2014: 01:57:02
quote:
Originally posted by peedee
Thanks BungleBanjo and Pete Moose! Nice looking Banjo Pete! I love the tail piece ingenuity
I actually found a screw after a few more looks in my junk drawers. I had some problems with the Aquila nylgut strings. The 5th string was too small in diameter I think and popped. The rest worked fine. I picked up a cheap pack of classical guitar strings and used one for the 5th string. Does anyone have any particular favorites when it comes to strings?
Since I'm new to the banjo I've been reading up on different tunings and watching videos. I started with double c tuning and started practicing clawhammer techniques. Tonight I tried a few different tunings to see how they sound. Once I learn a song, I'll post a video of how it sounds. Overall I love the sound. oh and I attached a photo with the strings. Thanks to everyone in the forum for providing info which helped me complete the build!
Great Peedee! It makes me want to play it! Did you try a rougher kind of bridge ?
(here a pic of my bottle opener tail piece)
Pete Moose - Posted - 05/29/2014: 02:06:53
quote:
Originally posted by chip arnold
No, No, Pete! I was referring to the Bacon banjo (not a mountain banjo) Linda has for sale and apologizing in advance for my own thread drift!
And I think your banjo is beautiful. I especially like the tensioning system.
Kinf of you Chip! (here a pic of my new project, a 6 strings, waiting for its finishing, with a new tensioning system, far easier to achieve).
Pete Moose - Posted - 05/29/2014: 02:10:56
quote:
Originally posted by guitarman8491
Pete welcome to BHO and nice first build!
Thank you Doug! My list of favorite could be the same as yours!
BungleBanjo - Posted - 06/04/2014: 15:27:35
Just added my 3rd coat of wipe-on poly to Mountain Banjo #2. I really like the way this looks compared to the Tru-oil that I used on my first banjo. I'm debating trying the fretboard finishing oil from StewMac--any thoughts on that product?
Pete Moose - Posted - 06/05/2014: 00:25:05
quote:
Originally posted by BungleBanjo
Just added my 3rd coat of wipe-on poly to Mountain Banjo #2. I really like the way this looks compared to the Tru-oil that I used on my first banjo. I'm debating trying the fretboard finishing oil from StewMac--any thoughts on that product?
Good looking BungleBanjo!
I realise I never took care of my fingerboards that way, I am ashamed, but I post this link :
cumpiano.com/Home/Articles/Art...0oil.html
cumpiano.com/Home/Articles/Art...0oil.html
Noah Cline - Posted - 06/07/2014: 10:16:13
Newest build completed. Wanted to do something different with #6, so I made it with a slotted peghead and a tunneled 5th string. Also made it an A scale. Will post a video in a bit.
Specs: All poplar, with a red oak fingerboard and peghead overlay
Top and back rings are stained with Minwax dark walnut stain
Neck and middle ring is stained with Minwax gunstock stain
Calfskin head (had a lot of white in the center of the calfskin before it was put into the banjo, so the whole head is mostly white, then was stained with coffee grounds, which did stain some).
Poplar tone ring (normally used the top of a coffee can, but wanted to try a wooden tone ring)
Edited by - Noah Cline on 06/07/2014 10:17:03
guitarman8491 - Posted - 06/07/2014: 11:58:32
Noah..wonderful looking banjo..nice craftsmanship..bet it sounds as good as it looks!..Doug
Pete Moose - Posted - 06/07/2014: 12:02:39
quote:
Originally posted by Noah Cline
Newest build completed. Wanted to do something different with #6, so I made it with a slotted peghead and a tunneled 5th string. Also made it an A scale. Will post a video in a bit.
Specs: All poplar, with a red oak fingerboard and peghead overlay
Top and back rings are stained with Minwax dark walnut stain
Neck and middle ring is stained with Minwax gunstock stain
Calfskin head (had a lot of white in the center of the calfskin before it was put into the banjo, so the whole head is mostly white, then was stained with coffee grounds, which did stain some).
Poplar tone ring (normally used the top of a coffee can, but wanted to try a wooden tone ring)
Nice building Noah! I like the different kinds of stain you used and the back with a star.
Is the wooden tone ring better than the coffee can top one ?
BungleBanjo - Posted - 06/07/2014: 15:48:11
Pete,
Thanks for the link. Very helpful
BungleBanjo - Posted - 06/07/2014: 15:52:47
Noah,
Love the slotted peghead! How did you make the tone ring and how thick is it? I just made one out of leftover zebrawood for my banjo #2 using my router. It is about 3/8 thick. I'm not sure it will be strong enough when the skin shrinks..
Noah Cline - Posted - 06/07/2014: 19:49:43
To answer your questions, I made the tone ring by laminating two small boards (one 3/4", the other about 1/2", since my pot depth is an 1 1/2" for the top and center rings), made my outline, and cut the outside and center with a bandsaw (I cut the inside by making what looked like a lap joint, then glued the cut together. My reasoning was that I could cut the center out easier with the bandsaw than with the jigsaw). The thickness is around a 1/4", maybe a little thicker. It's not completely smoothed round, but it look good with what I had. When I put it in the banjo, I tacked the skin in a little tight, but the ring didn't bend or crack. I also rounded the top on the outside edge so the skin would go over it smoothly.
For sound, it sounds almost if not more louder than the coffee can, plus it seemed a little sturdier. I think since it is more flat on the bottom then what my cans were, I think the volume of sound is even better since there is full contact to the back ring.
Edited by - Noah Cline on 06/07/2014 19:50:36
Noah Cline - Posted - 06/07/2014: 19:54:51
quote:
Originally posted by BungleBanjo
Just added my 3rd coat of wipe-on poly to Mountain Banjo #2. I really like the way this looks compared to the Tru-oil that I used on my first banjo. I'm debating trying the fretboard finishing oil from StewMac--any thoughts on that product?
Your 'jo looks like it's coming along nicely. I had considered making my newest one with flush frets, but the more I looked at the oak fingerboard, the better it looked fretless
Noah Cline - Posted - 06/07/2014: 20:11:42
Here's the video:
This is my more modern/clawhammer take of this stroke style tune.
chip arnold - Posted - 06/07/2014: 22:18:57
Really nice picking, Noah.
BungleBanjo - Posted - 06/08/2014: 10:46:28
Gots lots done on my #2 today. Thought I would post some pictures of my progress. I fit the zebrawood tone ring, predrilled my tack holes, and installed my tuners. All that is left is installing the head. I am excited to finish up this banjo!
BungleBanjo - Posted - 06/08/2014: 10:57:22
Noah,
For my tone ring I made a circle cutting jig for my router. Unfortunately, I couldn't make the inner cut any smaller due to the size of my router's base. As a result, my ring is a bit thinner than I would like it to be. I was hoping for 1/4 or a bit more. The zebrawood is pretty strong, so I think I'll be ok. I am thinking next time I will make a jig for the router set in a router table. I'd like to experiment with some different woods and see how they sound.
Also, that jig sounds really nice on your new banjo!
Noah Cline - Posted - 06/08/2014: 13:02:06
quote:
Originally posted by Noah Cline
Here's the video:
This is my more modern/clawhammer take of this stroke style tune.
I couldn't remember the actual name of the jig, only that I knew it's "Irish Jig" in the Converse method, but remembered this morning that it's "The Rakes of Kildare."
Noah Cline - Posted - 06/08/2014: 17:45:55
quote:
Originally posted by BungleBanjo
Gots lots done on my #2 today. Thought I would post some pictures of my progress. I fit the zebrawood tone ring, predrilled my tack holes, and installed my tuners. All that is left is installing the head. I am excited to finish up this banjo!
That zebra wood is really pretty. I like the grain of it.
BungleBanjo - Posted - 06/11/2014: 18:30:15
Finally finished my second build. It is poplar with a rosewood fretboard and accents. The scale length is 26 3/16. The tone ring is zebrawood. Economy tuners from StewMac. It has a goat skin head from elderly attached with brass furniture tacks. I used minwax wipe-on poly and oiled the fretboard with color-tone fret board finishing oil. Nylgut strings. It has a nice sound, I am very pleased with the results...
Noah Cline - Posted - 06/19/2014: 11:18:12
Here's what turned out from a poplar board I got. When I first saw it, the board looked like it was tiger-striped. Upon making the neck, it was confirmed. First time I've seen poplar have this.
I couldn't get the neck in the light quite like I wanted to show the striping, but it's still a little visible.
Pete Moose - Posted - 06/19/2014: 14:14:49
quote:
Originally posted by BungleBanjo
Finally finished my second build. It is poplar with a rosewood fretboard and accents. The scale length is 26 3/16. The tone ring is zebrawood. Economy tuners from StewMac. It has a goat skin head from elderly attached with brass furniture tacks. I used minwax wipe-on poly and oiled the fretboard with color-tone fret board finishing oil. Nylgut strings. It has a nice sound, I am very pleased with the results...
Very stylish building, this poplar looks really nice. Does anyone know if Is it the same kind of poplar we can find in Europe, witch is very light and seems very soft?
rudy - Posted - 06/19/2014: 17:31:12
quote:
Originally posted by Noah Cline
Here's what turned out from a poplar board I got. When I first saw it, the board looked like it was tiger-striped. Upon making the neck, it was confirmed. First time I've seen poplar have this.
I couldn't get the neck in the light quite like I wanted to show the striping, but it's still a little visible.
Looks good.
Flame figure is present in a many types of wood, it's hit or miss and you really don't know until your finished item displays wood grain that's very close to quarter-sawn.
Pete Moose - Posted - 06/20/2014: 01:13:29
Thank you cbcarlisle, mainly for the reference in french, I intuitively thought that camembert boxes were not banjo pots very distant relatives.
More seriously, I found out this american poplar once at Home Depot's but I bought a piece of construction mapple instead.
cbcarlisle - Posted - 06/20/2014: 09:04:22
This also accounts for the widely disparate advice and results using "poplar." [Almost seems like the wood that must have engendered the phrase: Your experience may vary.]
Noah Cline - Posted - 07/01/2014: 20:08:10
Two newest ones:
#7 -- A-scale, slot head, slotted fifth (notice the striping or flaming on the neck, which is poplar).
#8 -- 27" scale, 11" pot, 8 1/2" head
Wanted to try something different with #8
Pete Moose - Posted - 07/02/2014: 07:20:19
Nice # 7 & 8, Noah, and nice picking. I have a question, what kind of skin did you use for these last buildings ?This skin looks very transparent.
Noah Cline - Posted - 07/02/2014: 18:32:21
quote:
Originally posted by Pete Moose
Nice # 7 & 8, Noah, and nice picking. I have a question, what kind of skin did you use for these last buildings ?This skin looks very transparent.
These two have calfskin heads, and with the ones that I've used, they are mostly transparent with a few white splotches, though one of my previous ones had a big white splotch in the center, resulting in the head being mostly white.
Noah Cline - Posted - 07/27/2014: 13:43:49
#9 -- Made from rough-cut walnut boards that were given to me by some friends that I help make hay with, which came from a couple of trees that were cut down around one of their hayfields.
I'll let the pics speak for themselves:
Noah Cline - Posted - 07/27/2014: 17:42:38
Sound clip:
BungleBanjo - Posted - 07/27/2014: 18:29:47
Noah,
Looks good and sounds good! I really like the walnut. What is the scale length?
Noah Cline - Posted - 07/27/2014: 18:42:13
quote:
Originally posted by BungleBanjo
Noah,
Looks good and sounds good! I really like the walnut. What is the scale length?
The scale is 25", which is what I usually make them with. They sound a little better, to me, tuned lower than standard pitch.
BadWolf - Posted - 07/31/2014: 08:54:16
seems the norm is making these with 6-6.5" head, has anyone tried making one using a larger head say like a standard 11" banjo head? obviously the banjo "pot" size would be much larger but id think it would also make the instrument much louder.
i see noah cline built #8 with a 8.5" head, how does it compare to the smaller ones?
also would the depth of the pot have any difference on sound output? again id think a larger internal resonance space would make for a louder banjo
rudy - Posted - 07/31/2014: 09:13:30
I've done a few "deluxe" designs with larger heads. There are photos in various photo folders on my BHO homepage. Some have been included in previous pages of this topic, so no sense re-hashing what I've already written.
aulddawg - Posted - 07/31/2014: 10:26:18
Noah, it's great how your taste in old banjos is influencing the design on your mountain banjos. That Buckbee peghead and Dobson heel look great on this style banjo. Love the moon and stars cut-out also.
About a year ago on ebay I saw an old one out of dark oak with a star cut-out like your #6. Beautifully shaped neck, looked ancient. It was signed inside the skin by W.I. Hawthorne and dated 1923. You're in good company.
BadWolf - Posted - 07/31/2014: 10:45:19
rudy i should have specified that i meant the stanley hicks style banjo
rudy - Posted - 07/31/2014: 14:14:24
quote:
Originally posted by BadWolf
rudy i should have specified that i meant the stanley hicks style banjo
I hear ya. The trouble is you have to adjust your design somewhere, as an 11" head coupled with the larger surround starts getting cumbersome to hold.
BungleBanjo - Posted - 07/31/2014: 17:26:46
I've been meaning to post how my #2 sounds. Finally getting around to it. Please forgive the rough playing, I am still learning
teebee - Posted - 07/31/2014: 17:55:19
You've built a neat banjo with great sound. Your playing is just fine. Keep posting.
chip arnold - Posted - 07/31/2014: 18:15:09
Bungle, you've done a really nice job.
Noah Cline - Posted - 07/31/2014: 19:56:27
Thinking about it, I forgot to mention that #'s 7,8, and 9, I've been beveling an "armrest" on the top ring. Makes playing a little more comfortable.
Also, the neck on #9 has a slight neck tilt angle, maybe 1-2 degrees, which turned out by accident because I didn't have the neck extension "squared" enough, as I normally make them with the fingerboard flat with to the top ring. I discovered it by seeing that the top ring tab was sticking up higher than the fingerboard, so I just filed it down (at the same angle) to meet the fingerboard.
So, a good mistake ;)
Edited by - Noah Cline on 07/31/2014 19:57:32
Noah Cline - Posted - 07/31/2014: 20:35:43
quote:
Originally posted by BadWolf
seems the norm is making these with 6-6.5" head, has anyone tried making one using a larger head say like a standard 11" banjo head? obviously the banjo "pot" size would be much larger but id think it would also make the instrument much louder.
i see noah cline built #8 with a 8.5" head, how does it compare to the smaller ones?
also would the depth of the pot have any difference on sound output? again id think a larger internal resonance space would make for a louder banjo
From the one that I made with the 8-1/2" head, it has a more "bassier" sound than my regulars (6" head) do. I would say that the depth will effect, also.
The problem I see is that by the time you make the dimensions larger to accompany an 11" head, the pot size would be about 13" or so, so it wouldn't be comfortable to play for long periods (but then there are banjos that have 12"+ pots). Not to say that it isn't doable, and I'd think it make an interesting variation (my large banjo was more or less experimental to see how it would sound). I have seen a few that had an 11" pot, and an 8" commercial head, and I thought that they look nice, being that 11" is somewhat normal, and the normal pot size for some open back banjos.
With a 6" head, I make my pot 9" (my standard), though I've heard of 10" or 11" being used (the latter coming from Foxfire #3; Stanley Hick's father's banjo) with around that head size. This size, to me, isn't too small, but not too large, and is very comfortable, and has plenty of volume. I normally make the top and back rings 1/2" thick, with the middle 3/4". For the large one I made, I believe top and back were 5/8", with the middle 3/4". So, with mine, if I increase the head size from, let's say 6" to 8", I then increase the size of the pot at least 2" (for my big banjo: 11" pot, 8-1/2" head - increased from 9" pot, 6" head) to allow space to tack the head in inside, and space for the screws to put the rings together. So, for an 11" head, pot size would be 13" to 14". I'd also think that the top ring's size increased would make the top ring more flexible, but if thickness is increased, I imagine there wouldn't be any problems.
Noah Cline - Posted - 07/31/2014: 20:46:21
quote:
Originally posted by aulddawg
Noah, it's great how your taste in old banjos is influencing the design on your mountain banjos. That Buckbee peghead and Dobson heel look great on this style banjo. Love the moon and stars cut-out also.
About a year ago on ebay I saw an old one out of dark oak with a star cut-out like your #6. Beautifully shaped neck, looked ancient. It was signed inside the skin by W.I. Hawthorne and dated 1923. You're in good company.
I imagine that some of the older builders may have copied little variations here and there from those older "factory" banjos, if they ever saw them...
I did somewhat base the peghead from a Buckbee peghead, but added the little points at the top (which I have seen a Buckbee with a peghead somewhat like that; there's also a banjo in Foxfire #3 from Ernest Franklin that had a similar peghead, which looked like the former Buckbee peghead). I originally had drawn the peghead bigger, but ended up cutting it down to what it is now, and decided to add the points.
chip arnold - Posted - 08/01/2014: 05:58:07
Pot size ... FWIW, the overall diameter of a typical resonator banjo is around 14" and they are perfectly comfortable to hold and play.
For strength, I like to keep the rim close to 1 1/2" outside of the head, so an 11" head would want a 14" rim.
BadWolf - Posted - 08/01/2014: 07:38:18
im not opposed to a larger pot size, i come from a guitar background where a typical dreadnaught acoustic has a 15"-16" upper bought width. i am also 6'5" so that im sure has some bearing. i was figuring 14-15" total pot size with an 11" head. as chip mentioned not much larger then a resonator banjo
if nothing else it would make for a fun experiment
chip arnold - Posted - 08/15/2014: 20:36:35
I've got a maple banjo nearing completion. Looking for a home ...
chip arnold - Posted - 08/17/2014: 19:46:00
Banjo is up and running. It has great volume and tone ...
These pics don't do justice to the finish which is a golden maple.
Edited by - chip arnold on 08/17/2014 19:47:30
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