I’ve been on a bit of an artist’s journey with the banjo. My entry point to banjo building was steel-strung banjos in the style of Kyle Creed. After having spent a few years working in that style I took a big step back in time and immersed myself in building gourd banjos. I worked with gourd banjos exclusively for several years.
My banjo focus has never been deeply historical. Instead, I often favor exploring the instrument as an artist and crafts person from my own contemporary experience and perspective. That said, my work is deeply influenced by banjos of the past as presented in paintings and photographs.
In exploring the banjo as a player and builder, I often like to ask, “What if…?”. The Thumpy Ogee banjos are inspired by just such a question. What if the fretless nylon strung banjo met with a more contemporary rim assembly? The resulting journey inspired by this question has been challenging, enlightening, and enriching.
Design Elements
The scroll-style peghead is a design element whose true origin is unknown to me. It appears on instruments from the contemporary Fender Stratocaster, to banjos of the mid-1800’s, to the guitar works of Johann Stauffer, and can be found on early violins and viols of various vintages and description. I’ve always liked the scroll-style peghead and chose to include my own rendition of it on the Ogee banjos as a way of honoring the rich history of stringed instruments.
Many banjos of the mid-1800’s featured contours on the fifth string string side of the neck. I included my own contours inspired by the rolling hills and mountains where I make my home. I later learned that in architecture the “S” shape is sometimes called an ogee. This term seems to fit the contours I’ve chosen for the fifth string side of the neck. I like the sound of the word and it makes think of the phonetic homologue “Oh gee!”.
Many contemporary banjos designed for clawhammer or frailing styles include a “scoop” on the upper portion of the fingerboard. I chose to use a big scoop on these banjos. I first began using this design element on gourd banjos and it seemed like a natural fit for the Ogee banjos. I really like the access it provides for playing above the head. I find the extra space in this area is especially helpful when playing the hard tension nylon strings found on most Thumpy Ogees.
Contemporary Vega-style banjos feature a neck whose heel is fitted to the rim with additional structure created by using a dowel stick that travels through the rim and glues into the heel of the neck. When I was working with gourd banjos I began to question the structural utility of this design. With some experimentation I found that using a larger stick continuous with the neck and fitting the rim to it instead of the other way around was a fine approach that suited my build style more comfortably. This has become my preferred method for fixing the rim to the neck on all my banjos.
Scale length, the length of the active portion of the string from nut to bridge, has a variety of impacts on the feel and play-ability of any stringed instrument. In my years in playing banjo and spending time with other banjo players, I’ve known some who could have had more fun with a shorter scale banjo. For this reason the Ogees have a 22.5″ scale length. Hard-tension nylon strings provide a driving rumble and grumble that works well with a shorter scale length. Hard tension strings provide a firm feel and a snappy response.