Banjo Players Unite!

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Banjo Players Unite!

Just a place for all things banjo, 5 String, Tenor, Plectrum...and of course DIY creations.

Members: 100
Latest Activity: Jul 6, 2020

Discussion Forum

Tambourine banjo. Skin bending pretty much.

Started by Sebastian Mueller. Last reply by Sebastian Mueller Sep 15, 2018. 1 Reply

Hello fellow banjo playersI just finished my first musical instrument. A banjo with a skateboard fretboard and a tambourine as a resonator. I have never build an instrument before. Nor can I play…Continue

Cigar Box Banjo, Cookie Tin Banjo, Canjo, Dulci-jo, Diddley Bow Banjo, Gas Canjo, Etc... Jo!

Started by Brian Revels. Last reply by Brian Revels Mar 3, 2017. 2 Replies

So... I have been building handmade musical instruments for about 2½ years, or so, now. I primarily build Cigar Box Guitars ( 2, 3, and 4 stringers), as well as some Diddley Bows (up to around 50+…Continue

not technicaly a banjo, but banjo-ish

Started by Iain T.S.. Last reply by turtlehead Aug 23, 2016. 1 Reply

hey,I have been making strinnged instruments with a round body, 1-3 strings and a fretless neck, one played with slide, one with slide or fingers and an (upright) bass thats "fretted" with fingers…Continue

Tags: trash, sign, hubcap, bucket, banjo

Laser cut bridges cbgitty

Started by egyptpunk Aug 4, 2016. 0 Replies

Hi everyone! I'm thinking about purchasing some of these laser cut bridges from C.B. Gitty, and was wondering if anyone has any feedback on them, particularly the maple ones if anyone has experience…Continue

Tags: cbgitty, products, cut, laser, banjo

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Comment by Rand Moore on April 5, 2014 at 1:40am

On my recent Reso-Box Banjo build, I used a modified guitar tuner as a "5th string tuner" (actually it's the 4th string on this instrument). To better document how I did that, I have included some closeup photos....

-Rand.   

[Entry was updated to correct spelling.]

Comment by Jim Morris on April 4, 2014 at 11:21am

Yeah Rand, there's no noticeable smell from the correct plastic. Still you could melt a hole through the plastic if the heat's too high. Mike Gregory on Banjo Hangout uses epoxy to hold the plastic in place. Haven't tried that yet but it should work as long as the heat doesn't cause the epoxy to release. I've got a couple of gigs this weekend so might not get back in the shop for a few days. I'm looking forward to more experiments since free materals and re-using things is where it's at for me.

Comment by Rand Moore on April 4, 2014 at 10:46am

Hi Jim,

Thanks for the update. Sounds like a cool technique. So, I should try it on low heat first, and outside rather than inside especially when experimenting with unknown plastics until we know how they react. Anything smelly probably is putting out unhealthy chemical vapors and should not be done in an enclosed space. Good safety tip. Hopefully all the type 1 recyclable plastics shrink without releasing sizable amounts of unhealthy vapors. I'll take a trip over to Banjo Hangout and see if I can read more about the technique.

-Rand.

Comment by Jim Morris on April 4, 2014 at 10:01am

Hey Rand and anyone else reading about shrinking plastic for a banjo head, I'm afraid I mis-spoke about the type of plastic. It should have read "pete or peta 1" in the recycle triangle. Hope nobody got overcome by fumes but if you use soda bottles they clearly have a 1 in the triangle. I'll post more on this experiment as it progresses.

Comment by Jim Morris on April 4, 2014 at 6:14am

I should mention that I got this idea from Mike Gregory at Banjo Hangout who makes some cool little banjos he call Squared Eels and also has a method of wrapping packing tape around a box for a banjo head. Check him out for some interesting ideas.

Comment by Jim Morris on April 4, 2014 at 6:09am

yeah, I was in a rush to pick up my grandson and didn't go into as much detail as I should have. The peta 3 symbol is what to look for. It's on soda bottles as well as many other plastic containers. This type plastic shrinks when heated- I used a heat gun set on low. I think I'll do a video of the next experiment so folks can get a better idea of this cool use for stuff that often goes into landfills. For the salad bowl I used some plastic packaging from my grandson's toy truck that didn't have any symbols but worked just fine. If you're not sure about the plastic try it on a small piece with good ventilation as some plastics don't shrink but do give off harmful vapors.

Comment by Rand Moore on April 4, 2014 at 5:01am

Hi Jim,

Tell us more... You took an old soda bottle an made a banjo head out of it? If so, how did you do it? A detailed build write-up with photos would be great if you have the time.

-Rand.

Comment by Jim Morris on April 4, 2014 at 4:00am

Salad bowl test piece- 3 liter bottle I can't find the discussion from a few weeks back concerning alternate materials for banjo heads. I found some info at banjo hangout about shrinkable plastic so I gave it a go. Turned out pretty well.

Comment by Rand Moore on March 21, 2014 at 11:44pm

Hi All,


I just wanted to bring your attention to a mountain banjo that ChickenboneJohn made for Hollowbelly. You can see it and some build photos at this link. Enjoy.


-Rand.

Comment by Rand Moore on March 19, 2014 at 9:45pm

Here's the photo of my 4-string Reso-Box Banjo.

I've been playing it tuned a-D-A-d and it sounds good and loud. The short 4th string is tuned re-entrantly so I can practice claw-hammer style banjo playing on it. I also color coded the frets so I could more easily find my diatonic frets and thereby be able to play all my old dulcimer tunes. So, this 4-stringer is kind of a cross between a 3-string stick dulcimer and a 5-string banjo. I like these metal-resonator instruments, so I'm planning to build some more.

 

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Discussion Forum

Tambourine banjo. Skin bending pretty much.

Started by Sebastian Mueller. Last reply by Sebastian Mueller Sep 15, 2018. 1 Reply

not technicaly a banjo, but banjo-ish

Started by Iain T.S.. Last reply by turtlehead Aug 23, 2016. 1 Reply

Laser cut bridges cbgitty

Started by egyptpunk Aug 4, 2016. 0 Replies

Large book with banjo plans

Started by Wade. Last reply by Jim Morris Mar 12, 2016. 4 Replies

Tin can banjo: Neck-thru options?

Started by Noam Berg. Last reply by Rand Moore Apr 4, 2014. 3 Replies

Building Round Sound Boxes for Banjos

Started by Rand Moore. Last reply by Rand Moore Nov 6, 2013. 5 Replies

Some specifically general questions

Started by Matt Quinney. Last reply by Rand Moore Oct 11, 2013. 33 Replies

4 string banjo strings

Started by Mr. Toad Sep 30, 2013. 0 Replies

4 string or 5 string banjo for blues?

Started by JIm Trussler. Last reply by Gerald Readore Aug 22, 2012. 1 Reply

5-String Banjo Discussion Area

Started by Rand Moore. Last reply by Ryan Rose Feb 4, 2012. 10 Replies

a free banjo album, sort of

Started by Matthew Borczon. Last reply by Matthew Borczon Jan 15, 2012. 2 Replies

Banjo Blues Tab

Started by Gary Davis. Last reply by Matthew Borczon Jan 12, 2012. 5 Replies

CB Banjuke Project

Started by John Hopper. Last reply by Rand Moore Nov 30, 2011. 1 Reply

Banjo Ukulele

Started by John Hopper. Last reply by Rand Moore Nov 27, 2011. 4 Replies

Need help identifying a banjo

Started by DonnieC. Last reply by Mark Bliss Sep 28, 2011. 1 Reply

General Questions

Started by Kyle. Last reply by Mark Bliss Sep 4, 2011. 3 Replies

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