• Quartersawn three piece neck with non-adjustable truss rod
• Handcrafted, four-ply maple rim
• Short scale length - 25 1/2"
• Ebony fretboard, peghead overlay, heel cap and rim cap
• Handmade rolled brass tone ring
• Nickel plated hardware (round hooks with closed end Vega reproduction nuts)
• Handmade bridge with ebony tip
• Satin Tru-oil finish
• Traditional wooden dowel stick
• Gotoh tuners
• 17 frets with frailing scoop
• Dot position markers (top and side of fretboard)
• 26 hooks in notched tension hoop
• Fairbanks style heel
• Tapered peghead
• Bone nut
• No-Knot tailpiece

Building Details

For optimal strength I construct my banjo necks using two pieces of straight grained, quartersawn wood with a center laminate and a rigid, non-adjustable truss rod. I make the rims using four layers of steam-bent wood; hard maple for the inner three layers and wood matching the neck for the outer layer. I like using a short scale length, like that used by Kyle Creed, which moves the bridge closer to the center of the head providing a deep, rich tone. For my bridges, I use a solid foot design with a hole under each string. This design, inspired by the work of Roger Siminoff, Ray Alden and Will Fielding, provides continuous contact with the banjo head for excellent sound transmission, resists sagging and, by providing an equal mass of wood under each string, creates an even, balanced response between strings. I usually construct these bridges of cherry with an ebony tip. I cut and engrave all my inlay by hand. Although hand-cut inlay is not as perfect as that cut with a CNC machine it has a warmth to it which I prefer. My peghead designs are inspired by the great makers of the late 19th century although I usually alter them slightly. I use a hand-rubbed, polymerized-oil finish rubbed out to a warm, satin finish.

Pegheads: Square, Bay State, Mystic, Vega, Buckeye, Stewart, Cole
Inlay material: White Mother-of-Pearl, Black Mother-of Pearl, Abalone

Peghead Transition: Standard, Volute
Tuner buttons: Ebony, Ivoroid