THUMPY BANJOS
This is a build I’ve been prototyping for a while. It’s an ultra-light with an inline peghead. I call this unique combination of elements the Thumpy Bantam Banjo. Purchase offers welcome. Here are the details…
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.
Shoeless Ultra-Light Banjo
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.
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 Banjos are available in variety of configurations from nylon-strung fretless gourd banjos to contemporary steel-strung fully fretted 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.
I make some banjos that are designed to be light weight, I describe some of my instruments as being ultra-light banjos, weighing less than four pounds. My lightest banjo build to date weighs in at 1 pound and 12.8 ounces, pictured below. Click on over to the Build Log to read more about this banjo.
The next lightest banjo weighs in at just under 4 pounds and features standard bracket hooks. Read more about this banjo in the Build Log.
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.