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 an 12″ rim with a Fyberskin head. Very articulate for a fretless nylon strung banjo. Rim features a 45° bearing edge, no tone-ring.
Hand-Crafted in Radford, Virginia.
Maple neck, non-adjustable carbon fiber reinforced
Sometimes I get tired of the hardware on the banjo rim poking me. For years I pondered over how to build a banjo that I could play without being poked. The Shoeless Ultra-Light is what I came up with. Inspired by tackhead banjos, the Shoeless Ultra-Light has a non-adjustable, permanently fixed head. However, instead of using a head made from an animal hide, this banjo uses a synthetic renaissance head made by the Remo company. The head is pre-stretched before fixing to the rim. It’s very light weight and comfortable to play.
Technical Specs
Weighs about two pounds, eight ounces
22.25″ scale length
Fretless
Nylon strung
11″ multi-ply maple rim
Renaissance head
String through at the tail of the rim
Carbon fiber re-enforced (non-adjustable) walnut neck and stick
If you’d like to get on the notification list for a Thumpy Banjo, use the contact form to get in touch. You’ll be contacted via e-mail as new Thumpy Banjos become available. If you’d like to order a banjo or discuss a custom build, please get in touch.
Thumpy Banjo Builds
Thumpy Banjos are available in variety of configurations including nylon-strung fretless gourd banjos to contemporary steel-strung instruments and a lot of things in between. Take a look at the Build Log to see what I’ve done and what may be possible for the build you have in mind.
Pictured below are two of the banjos I currently build the most commonly. Both are fretless, However, I do have a bunch of fretted banjos in the works.
Thumpy Ogee Banjo
The Ultra-light model is a lot like the one shown below. They are made to be light.
Thumpy Ultra-light Banjo
Both models are hand-crafted, so variations on the basic theme is the norm. Other variations, such as short-scale steel-strung fretted banjos and flush-fret banjos can be found among recent builds. Please browse the site to see recent explorations! Get in touch and let me know what strikes your fancy.
Five string banjo, slightly short-scale, nylon strung, fretted. This banjo has position markers on the fingerboard and on the side of the neck. 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 hard tension nylon strings. Very articulate for a nylon strung banjo. Rim features a 45° bearing edge, no tone-ring. Includes new gig-bag.
Hand-Crafted in Radford, Virginia.
Fully fretted walnut neck with adjustable truss rod
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.
Lightly flamed maple neck, non-adjustable carbon fiber reinforced
>>> Currently Available at Fretmill Music in Roanoke, Virginia <<<
Five string banjo, short-scale STEEL strung fretless. Has flush frets and fret markers to aid in way finding around the fingerboard. Great for clawhammer and finger-style parlor music. Plays well in common old-time tunings like A, C, D, and G. This particular Thumpy Banjo features a 12″ rim with a renaissance head. Rim features a bearing edge, no tone-ring.
Five string banjo, short-scale, nylon strung, fretless. This banjo has flush frets and mother of pearl position markers on the fingerboard. Also has dot markers on the side of the neck. 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 an 11″ rim with a renaissance head. Has hard tension nylon strings. Very articulate for a fretless nylon strung banjo. Rim features a 45° bearing edge, no tone-ring. Includes new gig-bag.
>>> Currently Available at Fretmill Music in Roanoke, Virginia <<<
Five string banjo, short-scale, nylon strung, fretless. This banjo has position markers on the fingerboard and on the side of the neck. 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 an 11″ rim with a renaissance head. Has hard tension nylon strings. Very articulate for a fretless nylon strung banjo. Rim features a 45° bearing edge, no tone-ring. Includes new gig-bag.
