Category: Banjos For Sale

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
• Indian Laurel Fingerboard
• Gotoh 2-band tuners
• 12″ multi-ply maple rim – 3 & 3/16″ deep
• 22.5″ scale length

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.

The Ultra-light model is a lot like the one shown below. They are made to be light.

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.

>>> 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.

• Walnut neck, non-adjustable carbon fiber reinforced
• Flush fret
• Gotoh 2-band tuners
• 12″ maple rim
• 22.25″ scale length
• Indian Laurel fingerboard

>>> 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.

Hand-Crafted in Radford, Virginia.

• Weighs in at 3 pounds 10.8 ounces
• Walnut neck, non-adjustable carbon fiber reinforced
• Gotoh 2-band tuners with geared Gotoh fifth peg
• 11″ multi-ply maple rim with bearing edge
• 22.25″ scale length
• Indian Laurel fingerboard and peghead overlay
• Nickel hardware
• Thumb scoop
• Strings through the rim at the tail