BETSILL BANJOS

Following are some process shots of making my open back banjos. Some are faithful reproductions of late 19th c. instruments. But most have modern fretwire, hold-downs and heads but historic details including friction pegs. All have what I've adopted as my one consistent signature feature which is a highly-turned dowelstick.

This is my favorite part of making a banjo: shaping the top of the neck. It needs to be shaped just so, because this is where you hand spends the most time on a necked instrument: the first position

This instrument has a figured ash rim and is getting an ebony edge band

After the Heaven's Door project I swore I would never use this stuff again. . . but here we are! I'm filling the open grain of the ash with goop.

It does make a nice finish though.

Gluing up the peghead veneer. Here, two layers of rosewood are being pressed. Besides giving the desired visual thickness, laminating two pieces in opposite grain directions gives the added benefit of deterring peghead splitting.

The dowel stick blank barely fits on a 14" lathe.

The peghead veneer is being trimmed

Peghead veneer trimming complete

General view of the work

The carbon fiber reinforcement stick is set into the neck. I have used truss rods in the past, but for these historical banjos I find that to be not only anachronistic but overkill. When these carbon fiber rods came out I was an instant convert. For a low-tension instrument like a banjo it's a great feather-weight alternative.

close-up of carbon fiber insert. I use my table saw to make the channel, and because the blade is slightly wider than the insert, I use gorilla glue to set in place because the expanding foam will prevent the rod from ever rattling.

The stick stops about two inches short of the heel, but this is a place where deflection will not occur.

With the reinforcement rod in, the fingerboard can be glued on. Here I am killing two birds in one by gluing the rosewood veneer on as well.

Shaping the neck: my second favorite opperation in banjo construction. Note figured maple starting to shine.

I use two different spokeshaves for this work: The cast-iron piece-o-crap for the rough work and a rosewood shave of my own design for the final shape. I will also use cabinet scrapers for the fine work. The goal is to have to do as little sanding as possible.

The sign of a good night's work. The pile on the floor is about 6" high. This is actually from shooting maple and cherry staves for a cittern back that I am working on in conjunction with the banjo.

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DETAIL PHOTOS OF THE PARLOR BANJO

This is a more delicately-proportioned instrument with a 10" head, similar to lady's banjos of the 1890's. Most have v-shape neck profile and clover-shape peghead. It is a very light instrument with a punchy sound.

Showing occipital 5th string detailing. This model has boxwood pegs and fittings, figured maple fingerboard with figured binding, figured peghead facing

Showing 10" head with 12 brackets

Showing a previous model in figured sapele in a red finish. My previous version of this instrument had a solid lathe-turned rim and a hand-streached goatskin head. Because of the thickness of the rim and the humidity-affected head, that instrument was not a success. The new version has a light but penetrating tone at the bridge and a mellow, reedy sound at the neck position. The stretcher design is my own. The clover-shaped peghead and serpentine, occipital 5th string peg detailing are accurate to many pre-civil-war period instruments. This would be an excellent reenactment instrument. 10" diameter head.

And here are some images of making a late 19th century-styled tenor banjo

The neck blank, showing a carbon fiber truss rod

Shaping the neck and heel

The dowel stick, inspired by an Edwardian stair baluster design.

The neck assembly complete.

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Bring it HOME.