I came across Zach Hoyt’s site while searching for what I hoped would be my next banjo (I have an 11” cherry banjo made in N.C., and it is a sweet instrument). It turns out he is in Piercefield, NY which is in the Adirondack Park in northern NY State (amazing place… 6 million acres) and I too live inside the park boundaries, way over on the east side about 2-hours away. I convinced my wife of the “need” for another banjo, and she agreed that we should stop in on Zach and see what his banjos are all about… and it would be a nice day trip through the park for us, anyway.
I let Zach know in advance (via e-mail) that I was hoping to visit and what I thought I wanted in my next banjo, and he was gracious enough to open his home to my wife and me. I played 4 banjos he had in stock at the time. In the end, I settled on a walnut banjo with a 12” pot and an Electric / White Laydie tone ring that Zach made himself. Very nice. He also gave me a chance to play a 16” cello banjo he had in stock…that was cool.
My new banjo is wonderful. I was showing it off to some friends who are excellent woodworkers themselves, and they were impressed with the fit-and-finish. I banged out a couple of tunes for everyone, and despite my somewhat limited skills, everyone agreed it sounded great.
If you are looking for a beautiful banjo that plays as well as it looks, give Zach a shout. You will not be disappointed. If you can arrange a visit with Zach, consider yourself fortunate to meet such a kind, humble craftsman. He’s the real-deal and so are his instruments.