Made one from a paint can. Todays paint cans are plastic with the metal lid. So I sawed off the top third, stuck a stick all the way thru the paint can. I took some door skin plywood and bent it into a round and stuck a flat bottom on it making it into a bowl. Mounted the paintcan about a 1/2 inch from the bottom of the bowl and shazam... a canjo... Its actually sounds like a $3000 banjo... well maybe not 3000 but tens for sure....
Go to Videos, search "pete1 banjo uke" and see my banjo uke made out of a cake container. Just nail the skin to any thick box and use a heat gun to shrink the plastic tight. In the one on the video, I used wood battens to help hold down the skin, but in latter builds, I just drilled small holes and used nails with large heads to hold the skin down. If you don't drill first, the nails will split the wood.
If you are still interested I did this build with a 20 dollar hand drum, and a wooden plate. I used a wooden dowel and a screw rod to make adjustible truss rods in the drum. It is more of a Dulcijo. Sounds great used guitar strings DAD
I can speak from expierience about Dianes builds. She made me wooden dulcijo when I was stationed overseas and it sounds fantastic. I have a video on my page of me playing it. I think it is black jack davie. I will check
It's entirely possible. There are no rules after all.
IMHO you don't even need to use a drum-type-thing if you don't want to. Using the box and strings (with good string tension) can give you a very banjo-y sound.
On this build I used the bottom of the box for the soundboard. It is 1/8" plywood:
The strings are all plain (not wound) and are tuned like a banjo - D3 G3 B3 D4 and all are about 16lbs tension. This gives it a 'middly' sound like a banjo.
Replies
Made one from a paint can. Todays paint cans are plastic with the metal lid. So I sawed off the top third, stuck a stick all the way thru the paint can. I took some door skin plywood and bent it into a round and stuck a flat bottom on it making it into a bowl. Mounted the paintcan about a 1/2 inch from the bottom of the bowl and shazam... a canjo... Its actually sounds like a $3000 banjo... well maybe not 3000 but tens for sure....
Go to Videos, search "pete1 banjo uke" and see my banjo uke made out of a cake container. Just nail the skin to any thick box and use a heat gun to shrink the plastic tight. In the one on the video, I used wood battens to help hold down the skin, but in latter builds, I just drilled small holes and used nails with large heads to hold the skin down. If you don't drill first, the nails will split the wood.
If you are still interested I did this build with a 20 dollar hand drum, and a wooden plate. I used a wooden dowel and a screw rod to make adjustible truss rods in the drum. It is more of a Dulcijo. Sounds great used guitar strings DAD
oops sorry, try Satan your kingdom must come down
I can speak from expierience about Dianes builds. She made me wooden dulcijo when I was stationed overseas and it sounds fantastic. I have a video on my page of me playing it. I think it is black jack davie. I will check
Thanks for the replies! Lots of good ideas there! :D
Lot's of good ideas on Bear's page.
It's entirely possible. There are no rules after all.
IMHO you don't even need to use a drum-type-thing if you don't want to. Using the box and strings (with good string tension) can give you a very banjo-y sound.
On this build I used the bottom of the box for the soundboard. It is 1/8" plywood:
http://www.cigarboxnation.com/video/mayhem-box-hobobanjo-sound-test
The strings are all plain (not wound) and are tuned like a banjo - D3 G3 B3 D4 and all are about 16lbs tension. This gives it a 'middly' sound like a banjo.
http://www.cigarboxnation.com/photo/albums/mayhem-box-hobobanjo-2
There are some bids on here of banjos built using tins or gas cans that also sound banjo-y.
That said, I'm planning a hand-drum banjo, lol.