This is one of those random projects that arise from an idea I had one night while taking a shower, which I do at the end of the evening to wash off the dust from the day’s work. My mind tends to be a bit aimless at these times, and I was thinking dimly about bracket bands, and how they partly differentiate the Whyte Laydie and Electric banjos of yore. I made one bracket band that I can remember, and it was fun but a lot of extra work, so I had the idea of making a rim that was all bracket band. The result is the somewhat odd banjo you see here. It is 7 pounds 13 ounces, which is just over a pound heavier than #446, the 11″ walnut banjo I have on the shelf now with a Whyte Laydie/Electric tone ring. Whether anyone will want such a banjo, and whether this idea is one that has been tried before, are both questions to which I have not yet found answers.
This banjo has a walnut neck and Romero-style armrest, a streaky ebony fretboard, and raw brass hardware. The wood has a Tru Oil finish. I will sell the banjo without the armrest for $35 less. The 11″ brass rim is fitted to a rabbet in the bottom of a brass Whyte Laydie/Electric type tone ring. The head is a Renaissance, and I can exchange it for a Fiberskyn at no charge. I made the Van Eps style tension hoop, the tone ring,, the rim, and the dowel stick yoke. The head, tailpiece, strings, and Gotoh tuners came from Smakula Fretted Instruments and the hooks, nuts, shoes and endbolt came from Ode Banjos. The brass plate on the dowel stick has my name, the banjo number, and the town and year of production. There is a two way truss rod in the neck, accessed from the heel. The scale length is 25-1/2″, and the nut is 1-3/8″ wide and made from Corian. The 5th string nut is tall, to keep all the strings in the same plane, but I can shorten it so the 5th string rests on the 5th fret if you prefer. I can add 5th string spikes for $5 each. If you want a case I can send the banjo in a Superior CD-1535 for $175. It is also fine to ship the banjo without a case if you don’t want one. To see a short video demonstration of this banjo please follow the link below:
