'Mountain Minstrel' Fretless Banjo

[KingMilesTagoyet]

What a gorgeous banjo. Beautifully played too. Cheers. Paul

[sparkyfiddle]

Hi Sergio, sorry for the late reply. The pot assembly consists of the top part of an aluminium flower pot (cut to the same depth as the recess in the banjo). The skin of the head has a circular flexible metal cable (picture wire) sewn in. The skin is first soaked and then attached and tensioned using electrical cable ties which pass through evenly spaced holes in the skin and small holes drilled through the bottom of the pot. The ties draw the cable down towards the bottom of the pot. John

[oscarwoodtools]

I love your banjo. I am trying to make one but I am having trouble in the design of the drop-in pot. Can you please help by explaining how you did yours. thanks Sergio

[rpashoukos]

Wow!, looks and sounds great, I dare say a masterpiece....

[grenadezeroone]

dang that thing is gorgeous

[Hikikomori013]

I just finished making a banjo (also with a drop in pot) so I can sympathize with the "At long last" part. It's such a good feeling to finally have the strings on and hear it for the first time, isn't it?

It's an exceptionally handsome instrument. I especially like the ammonite cutouts on back and the fern scroll peg head. It looks as good as it sounds.

[clockguy2]

nice job!

[patchbod]

WHAT IS THIS TUNE!!!!!!!!!

[sparkyfiddle]

@patchbod It's an oldtimey tune called Lonesome John

[G1le]

@sparkyfiddle It sounds a bit like Old Joe Clark. Do you know if they are related tunes?

[mandolinchuck]

Beautiful banjo, love the depth and curves on the back of the peghead.  Nice.

[bilbo60]

Beautiful job, and very sweet sounding

[FlatfootJohnny]

Really beautiful.

[guywolff]

John congratulation on this beauty .. I want to try a brass necked fretless sometime .. They sound so good .. All the best , Guy

[Bisbonian]

Wow. Beautiful work. Really like the soundhole and the peghead, and the unusual tailpiece (for a mountain type banjo). You've combined a lot of unusual elements into a very traditional instrument, and made it come out looking natural, and beautiful. Sounds really good, too :)

[passingbynight]

Didn't think banjos could be made like that.

Beautiful work.

[twiggydogtunstall]

lovely sweet sounding banjo and a joy to hear a banjo piece played slowly (piece sounds lonesome john!). there is an obsession out their to play banjo at break neck speed...this sounds loads better

[locustvalleystring]

Nice job.... sounds great too. Pretty nautilus design on the back. Wow. I am impressed.

[silasbanjo]

Wow ! That looks and sounds great.

[Luthval]

Beautiful instrument (and nice tune) I love the ammonite sound hole too !

V.

[YoppyKyabetsu]

That is some seriously nice looking work. I loved that sound hole even before knowing that it mirrored the inlaid fossil - which i think is very cool.