Ken LeVan - Posted - 04/18/2013:  16:12:12

Folksingers need to sing in different keys.

Back in the 40s, Pete Seeger wanted a banjo with a longer neck so he could play in some other keys, like F and Bb. He went to John D'Angelico in New York, and had an Orpheum neck lengthened by two frets.

Later on, he made another neck, lengthened by three frets, which became the Vega "Pete Seeger" model. This became the standard banjo for all kinds of folksingers - Pete himself, Dave Guard, Bob Gibson, Tommy Makem, Hedy West and others. Vega  arranged with Pete to make this a standard model called the "Pete Seeger".

Then Vega made another model, called the Excel, (I think) invented by Eric Darling, which was later used by Alex Hassliev. It had the 5th peg moved one fret further down, which had a lot of benefits.

Here's a Seeger compared to an Excel, so you can see -the 5th peg is down one fret so you can capo on the 5th fret and other things:

Here's a pic showing various neck and scale configurations:

What I am building up to is that the longneck extended by two frets instead of three with the "6th" fret 5th string (excel) position, which is what the person I built this for wanted, may be unique.

Here's a picture of it - the best of both worlds:

The neck is made from curly oak (very rare) and the entire design is based on oak trees and leaves I used a variety of materials to inlay the neck and peghead - it's very colorful:

The rim is made from finger-jointed cherry with a quarter sawn white oak veneer inside - here are some details:

The curly red oak neck is pretty wonderful, and came out better that I had ever imagined. It is rubbed to a smooth satin in the playing area, like a "speed neck" but better looking:

I am making sound files and the person I made this for is going to make a bunch. I'll post some soon.

Joven - Posted - 04/18/2013:  16:31:33

Wow, that is a beautiful and well crafted banjo. Wow!

Good job.

Ken LeVan - Posted - 04/18/2013:  16:52:35

I know the person I made this for will post sound files, so I don't want to interfere. Here's a little ditty in G with hammer-ons and a few bars of devil's dream. On this banjo it's capo at the second fret. Key of G. - just a teaser.

GA banjo Ditty

mike gregory - Posted - 04/18/2013:  16:53:13

"Foist they was the MOE hair suit, for wearing,  then the Larry Ett, for tying up cows, and now the Curly Oak, for banjo necks. Gentlemen, to here's to us  for each becoming part of the American Experience!"

-Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine, & Dr. Howard-

Ken LeVan - Posted - 04/18/2013:  16:55:43

quote:

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Originally posted by mike gregory

 

"Foist they was the MOE hair suit, for wearing,  then the Larry Ett, for tying up cows, and now the Curly Oak, for banjo necks. Gentlemen, to here's to us  for each becoming part of the American Experience!"

-Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine, & Dr. Howard-

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Thanks, (I think).

piscesgrrl - Posted - 04/18/2013:  17:19:09

I am drooling...

howseth - Posted - 04/18/2013:  17:20:08

Nice work.

'Semi-long neck banjos' interest me. I always play in lower than standard pitch. I assume a longer scale banjo is advantageous when one tunes down; I currently have only the standard 26 1/4" scale on my Ome, and so I don't know this long scale advantage in practice. To compensate for the lower tunings, (Ex: Double C tuned down to Double A) I use heavier strings. I once wrote to Chuck Ogsbury of Ome about the potential for a 28"-29" scale length banjo. He thought it was interesting - but he was too busy for such a project. Ome, actually, has been building a bunch of the shorter scale 25.5" banjos lately. Shorter scale, (and wider necks) is more the trend these days.

(It's a weird wide world.)

Dan Drabek - Posted - 04/18/2013:  17:29:32

I'm not a long neck guy, but those banjos are pretty hard not to fall in love with. How about a Kingston Trio model?  

DD

Nels - Posted - 04/18/2013:  17:57:47

Nice work!! 

aeroweenie - Posted - 04/18/2013:  18:39:57

Gorgeous, your customer will be very happy!  The oak theme is very tasteful and pleasing.

championofnorthhuron - Posted - 04/18/2013:  20:37:41

Ken,

I think this is exactly the fret board layout I've been dreaming of. I had a long neck with three extra frets and set to about a 33" scale, but it was just too much. Not so much the overall reach as perhaps the distance between the frets up near the peg head. Probably the combination of the two. I also really appreciate the 5th string position moved down. I didn't have this feature on my long neck, but do on one of my more standard scale banjos. And so I now have to inquire... what is the exact scale length of this new banjo you have built here? 

Edited by - championofnorthhuron on 04/18/2013 20:39:22

JRushing - Posted - 04/18/2013:  20:52:28

Ken when I start talking about adding frets , moving the 5th up and using oak for necks it goes over like a fart in church!

It's an awesome banjo man. Looks great. There are a lot of good ideas there.

Thanks for sharing.

spoonfed - Posted - 04/19/2013:  02:33:29

That sure is the most wonderful workmanship right there and, I wish that I was talented enough to make something like that for posterity, although I would be content with a regular scale neck. brilliant.

Ken LeVan - Posted - 04/19/2013:  05:29:52

quote:

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Originally posted by championofnorthhuron

 

Ken,

I think this is exactly the fret board layout I've been dreaming of. I had a long neck with three extra frets and set to about a 33" scale, but it was just too much. Not so much the overall reach as perhaps the distance between the frets up near the peg head. Probably the combination of the two. I also really appreciate the 5th string position moved down. I didn't have this feature on my long neck, but do on one of my more standard scale banjos. And so I now have to inquire... what is the exact scale length of this new banjo you have built here? 

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The scale is 30.2". 

Ken

TLG - Posted - 04/19/2013:  05:30:38

Ken,
Very nice work, I always enjoy seeing your banjos. I was just talking to a guy in Arazona about longnecks .
In 2009, I made a 24 fret 11" banjo with a local super picker in mind, Randal Morton. It had the 5th peg at the 5th fret, could be tuned normally to "F" or "G" with 2 octives, flathead ring & a 11" resonator back standing off the rim the same distance as a regular resonator. He liked it & played it several months but now I have it back.
I really like longnecks, the evolution of how they came to be & the different models & builders. The sound of them in open F rings like nothing else, although I don't play one on stage , just at home for fun.
Thanks Ken,


Tom

kaybone - Posted - 04/19/2013:  05:52:27

Ken, good info on the longnecks! Didn't John Hartford play a version of a long neck that was different than Pete Seeger's extra 3 frets on the nut side, where his had a different scale with more, tighter, frets near the pot, something like that? I hope that makes sense, I'm stil not sure how it is different.

Dave1climber - Posted - 04/19/2013:  06:20:06

Very Nice  

Ken LeVan - Posted - 04/19/2013:  06:20:28

quote:

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Originally posted by kaybone

 

Ken, good info on the longnecks! Didn't John Hartford play a version of a long neck that was different than Pete Seeger's extra 3 frets on the nut side, where his had a different scale with more, tighter, frets near the pot, something like that? I hope that makes sense, I'm stil not sure how it is different.

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John Hartford had several unusual banjos, and one of them had a longer neck, I'm pretty sure.

What you are referring to, I think, was the one he had with a 26 1/4" scale and 24 frets, which put the bridge near the center of the pot.  I just made one like that and posted it on another thread.

JRushing - Posted - 04/19/2013:  07:36:16

Yeah that's the Hartford style longneck, also like the Randal Morton banjo Tommy mentioned. Which is an awesome banjo by the way. It's on Tommy's site at GeorgeBanjos.

This version is becoming quite popular. I've seen a lot of people playing this style longneck lately. Noam Pickelny for instance has a Hartford and a Gibson with a longer scale for lower tuning. Bela has one to, and others I just can't think of em right now.

Again, great banjo.

mikehalloran - Posted - 04/19/2013:  11:31:43

I am just loving that oak banjo!

Do you keep a pictorial of all your banjo creations? If so, are there plans for a coffee table book? If yes, I'll place my order now. Hey, if I can't play them, I could at least enjoy them vicariously. I can't be the only one who feels this way.

I was one of those players who often played my long necks uncapo'd. Sometimes in E but more often in A with the 4th string tuned down a step (playing in C tuning).  

Edited by - mikehalloran on 04/19/2013 11:39:46