Banjo #85 was a left handed cherry C scale that I began in late September for a customer and got it done in early October.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

My next scheduled project was to make a mahogany neck to fit a vintage pot.

Then came #86, a walnut 12″ with Whyte Laydie type tone ring.  This was a stock banjo that was spoken for before I made it, so it didn’t end up on the Banjos page.

Banjo #87 is a cherry 12″ with a round brass tone hoop, and is my first time using pau ferro for a fretboard.  I really like how it looks, and it seems nice and hard.

Banjo #s 88 to 91 were all made in a batch, along with #87, and they all appear on the Banjos page.  I had not tried making a batch this size before and I think it did provide some extra efficiency in setting up machines and jigs, and getting tools out and putting them away, but I also had to be careful to keep track of which parts were for what banjo so they didn’t get mixed up.  I will be building a cello banjo soon to have in stock, and I have two banjos and a neck scheduled for custom builds in November.  I also hope to get a couple of dulcimers made soon, and perhaps another squareneck resonator guitar.