THUMPY BANJOSFive-string, short-scale, fretted, steel-strung banjo. Great for clawhammer and finger-style parlor music. Plays well in common old-time tunings like A, C, D, and G.
Hand-Crafted in Radford, Virginia.
Five string banjo, short-scale nylon strung fretless. Has very, very subtle fret markers to aid in way finding around the fingerboard. Fret markers may be tough to see in the photos. Great for clawhammer and finger-style parlor music. Plays well in common old-time tunings like A, C, D, and G. Will also go down further than G, plays well in F and B-flat. This particular Thumpy Banjo features a 12″ rim with a renaissance head. Has extra hard tension nylon strings. Very articulate for a fretless nylon strung banjo. Rim features a bearing edge, no tone-ring.
What is a Thumpy Banjo Anyway? Thumpy Banjos are short-scale, nylon-strung, fretless, open-back banjos. They are a slightly different animal than steel strung open-back banjos. The short scale length can be helpful with shoulder fatigue. The fretless feature facilitates certain playing styles. The nylon strings, IMO, make it easier to get clean notes from a fretless fingerboard and they have a mellower tone than steel strings.
What’s so Ultra-Light about it? This banjo weighs 3 pounds and 9.8 ounces. As banjos go, that’s light!
What’s precision about it? This fretless banjo has fret markers that are set flush with the fingerboard. This gives the player the best of both worlds, the sound and feel of fretless with the precision of a fretted banjo. As a long-time fretless player, this feature emboldens me to play stuff up the neck even in performance setting.
What’s minus about it? This banjo features a deep thumb scoop. These can be a great comfort feature for some players.
Five string banjo, short-scale nylon strung fretless. Great for clawhammer and finger-style parlor music. Plays well in common old-time tunings like A, C, D, and G. Will also go down further than G, plays well in F and B-flat. This particular Thumpy Banjo features a 12″ rim with a renaissance head. Has extra hard tension nylon strings. Very articulate for a fretless nylon strung banjo. Rim features a bearing edge, no tone-ring. Includes new gig-bag. Hand-Crafted in Radford, Virginia.
