veijo - Posted - 12/09/2013:  09:29:44

Hello fellow banjo people,

I had some reindeer skin and dry alder wood available and I made a fretless banjo without a lot of metal parts. It is very light.

Of course the factory made uke tuners weigh something but the drum stays where I put it without any screwing since the string tension keeps it stable.

I tried to be creative but I am sure that someone has made similar banjos earlier. How should I call this? Reindeer skin banjo?

Jonnycake White - Posted - 12/09/2013:  09:39:38

Call it a "Banjo".  It's great, really.  It reminds me of the Appalachian banjos - minimal and functional.

How does it sound?  I'm curious as to the thickness and elasticity of the head.  We don't have many reindeer here in the western U.S. and the zookeeper would probably get mad at me if I tried to skin one.  But we do tend to get a fair supply of mule deer skin around October each year.  It it makes good banjo heads, I ought to ask some of my friends for one.

veijo - Posted - 12/09/2013:  09:57:00

Thanks Jonnycake

it sounds quite African - it pops a lot and the sustain is quite short - at least with the bridge I have on at the moment. Send your email to me as a private message and I'll send you an iPhone

video file or a link to a video as soon as I get one ready. 

veijo - Posted - 12/09/2013:  10:03:59

Here's a picture that shows the structure.

OldPappy - Posted - 12/09/2013:  10:09:51

Very interesting design ! The way the octagonal pot is set into the "cradle" rather than having a dowel stick going through the pot is something I have never seen before.

The flat surfaces where the neck heel contacts the pot eliminate the need for a compound radius cut at the heel when making a banjo with the usual round pot, thus eliminating one of the more difficult steps in building a banjo.

I think it is elegant in it's simplicity, very nice work.  

mbanza - Posted - 12/09/2013:  11:02:25

Looks like you have a "quick change" system for pots with different heads.

martinsindian - Posted - 12/09/2013:  18:41:35

I like it a lot . The design reminds me of my backyard instruments banjo that is one piece from head to tail . I bet it will be good for many hours of playing pleasure ...

Edited by - martinsindian on 12/09/2013 18:42:26

veijo - Posted - 12/10/2013:  02:53:59

youtube.com/watch?v=pu7N4XyMoes

Here's an informal sample of the octagonal banjo sound recorded with my laptop.A short Angeline the Baker jam for your pleasure, I hope.

Ira Gitlin - Posted - 12/10/2013:  06:42:02

Ingenious!

mike gregory - Posted - 12/10/2013:  06:51:09

Looks good, sounds good.

Call it a banjo.

And there's no need to specify "reindeer" as the skin, if you don't want to.

For several thousand years before there were banjo factories, people who have  made their own, have used a wide variety of animal skins. including possum, cat, goat, calf,... even snake and catfish.

Klondike Waldo - Posted - 12/10/2013:  08:49:02

quote:

---

Originally posted by Jonnycake White

 

Call it a "Banjo".  It's great, really.  It reminds me of the Appalachian banjos - minimal and functional.

How does it sound?  I'm curious as to the thickness and elasticity of the head.  We don't have many reindeer here in the western U.S. and the zookeeper would probably get mad at me if I tried to skin one.  But we do tend to get a fair supply of mule deer skin around October each year.  It it makes good banjo heads, I ought to ask some of my friends for one.

---

Reindeer is the same species as caribou, but domesticated.  

Nice work, Veijo

Shawn Hoover - Posted - 12/10/2013:  09:14:07

I really like the no fuss neck attachment. We know the strings want to fold the neck, why not use it? Great job. Sounds good, too. I'm calling the next white tail hide someone wants to scrape around here.

Todd Treadway - Posted - 12/10/2013:  10:57:53

Fantastic! Sounds as good as any open-back (good playing, too!).

Questions: Did you wet the skin before mounting, or just stretch it onto the frame dry? Are the neck and rim both alder?

veijo - Posted - 12/10/2013:  12:06:13

"Questions: Did you wet the skin before mounting, or just stretch it onto the frame dry? Are the neck and rim both alder?"

Yep, the skin was in a water tub for five minutes, then I wiped it with a towel and put it on only stretching a little bit.

I just double checked the rim material and noticed that this particular rim was made from ordinary Finnish pine (spare parts of a window list) and I dyed it a bit to match the color of the neck.
I made half a dozen 'drums' at the same time and used all the wood and skin I had available.

"Fantastic! Sounds as good as any open-back (good playing, too!)."
Thanks a lot Todd!

BNJOMAKR - Posted - 12/10/2013:  14:24:23

There ain't a darn thing wrong with that banjo or your playing!