DIY Network

Old-Time Banjo, Part 1: Stock for Neck From "Handmade Music" episode DHMM-207

Unlike the familiar bluegrass banjo, this old-time banjo has an open back. This one was handmade by luthier Dave Ball.

The banjo conjures up a singular image in the mind of most people, but as seen in the extensive display at the Museum of Appalachia, the banjo has come in many forms over the years -- and over the centuries. And for devoted banjo enthusiasts, they still do. Bluegrass icons like Earl Scruggs certainly influenced the popularity of 5-string bluegrass banjos, and that's the image that most people associate with the instrument. But in this three-episode Handmade Music series, we focus on another variation -- the old-time open-back style of banjo first popularized in the 1800s. This first segment provides a bit of history of the instrument, and work then gets underway on preparing the stock for the neck.

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Beginning in this episode, DIY's Handmade Music continues the tradition of educating viewers with a step-by-step demonstration of building a musical instrument -- in this case an old-style banjo. These three installments demonstrate how a one-of-a-kind banjo comes to life while also introducing viewers to a traditional but relatively little-known musical style known as old-time music. Just as old-time music differs from bluegrass, old-time banjos are designed and built differently from their bluegrass counterparts, and they're played differently. The sound is unique and exciting, and the style is reflected in our craftsman Dave Ball.

Dave dedicates this episode of the banjo making series to neck construction. Starting with a 4x4 piece of maple stock, he cuts the shape of his banjo neck and refines it to final dimensions. He also adds ebony veneer to the fingerboard and peg head, and finishes this first stage by carving the neck with a rasp.

Instrument-maker and musician Dave Ball.

Dave Ball has been building instruments most of his life, but his focus lately has centered on banjos. "The Banjo is a very simple instrument." he says. "There's really not that much to it when you think about it. It's skin or head stretched over a drum with a stick coming out of it. There's something about that simplicity, but being able to do more with it . . .To be able to take a basic, simple form that limits you to a point, so that you have to work within that basic form, but you can do a lot of things within those constraints."

In this episode, and the two that follow it, Dave takes us through all the phases of the banjo's construction.

Figure A

Picking wood for the neck is Dave's first decision, and his choice is curly maple (figure A). He wants the stock to be attractive with straight grain, but mostly he wants it to be dry. He only uses wood that has been thoroughly dried and typically, even after drying, sitting in his shop for a year or two. Well-dried wood is essential for stability.

Once the wood is selected, Dave flattens one side of the stock on a jointer. Then he uses a template to mark a neck outline onto the stock and rough-cuts the basic shape on the band saw (figure B).

With the basic shape cut, Dave uses an eighth-inch dado-blade on his table saw to cut a slot down the middle of the neck blank. The channel makes room for a reinforcement rod that will support the neck and peg head (figure C).

Figure B

Figure C

The slot in the neck serves another purpose during construction as well: helping Dave create a curve in the neck's heel. The banjo's round rim creates issues when joining the neck to it. The heel has to match the rim's curve (figure D). The channel Dave cut down the middle helps him lock the neck into a jig that will transform the flat edge (figure E, right) into the perfectly fit heel (figure E, left).

Figure D

Figure E

The jig uses two pins inserted into the channel to hold the neck perfectly still while Dave works the heel against a drum sander (figure F). This technique yields precise results that are better than what could be achieved with a chisel and other hand tools. Using the jig and sander, Dave is able to achieve a precise curvature for a good fit where the neck matches up with the rim. He uses a mock-up of a banjo rim to check the fit.

With the curvature cut at the heel, Dave can glue in the reinforcement rod. A little epoxy bonds the carbon fiber piece to the neck (figure G). Dave then sands the rod level with the maple. He does this to clear the way for an ebony fingerboard and an ebony peg-head. But first he adds a decorative touch that will rest between the maple and ebony.

Figure F

Figure G

Figure H

In 1890-era banjos, it was traditional to add a brightly colored veneer to accent the look of the instrument. After cutting a veneer and a piece of ebony to match the peg head, Dave attaches both to the maple. He uses locator pins to hold everything in place while the carpenter's glue dries. After a day has passed, Dave trims with a block plane and reveals a look at the effect the colorful veneer has on his handiwork (figure H).

	Not all banjos are alike, as can be seen in this display at the Museum of Appalachia.
	Dave Ball and friend playing in the old-time style at The Laurel Theater, a converted church and performance hall in Knoxville, Tennessee.

In the segment that follows, Dave creates the fingerboard for the banjo.

RESOURCES :

The How and the Tao of Old Time Banjo
Author: Patrick Costello
Publisher: Pik-Ware Publishing (September, 2003)
ISBN: 0974419001
To order this book from Amazon.com, click here.

America's Instrument: The Banjo in the Ninteenth Century
Authors: Philip F. Gura, James F. Bollman
Publisher: University of North Carolina Press (September, 1999)
ISBN: 0807824844
To order this book from Amazon.com, click here.

That Half-Barbaric Twang: The Banjo in American Popular Culture
(Music in American Life)
Author: Karen Linn
Publisher: University of Illinois Press; Illini Books ed edition (August 1994)
ISBN: 025206433X
To order this book from Amazon.com, click here.

Ring the Banjar
Authors: Robert L. Webb, Margaret Hutchinson
Publisher: Centerstream Publications (2nd edition, 1996)
ISBN: 1574240161
To order this book from Amazon.com, click here.

Jubilee Community Arts is a regional, community cultural center dedicated to preserving and presenting the traditional arts of the Southern Appalachians. The organization's stated mission is "to promote, preserve and present the performing arts of the Southern region and to nurture the cultural milieu responsible for the birth and evolution of these and related art forms." The organization owns and operates the Laurel Theater, a 19th century converted church located in the Fort Sanders community of Knoxville. The building now houses an acoustically and visually excellent concert hall and archives of concert and field recordings.
Web site: www.jubileearts.org

The Museum of Appalachia
The Museum of Appalachia
Website: www.museumofappalachia.com

Clawhammer Style Banjo
Author: Ken Perlman
Publisher: Centerstream Publications (1989)
ISBN: 0931759331
To order this book from Amazon.com, click here.

How to Play the 5-String Banjo
Author: Pete Seeger
Publisher: Music Sales Corporation (3rd edition, June, 1969)
ISBN: 0825600243
To order this book from Amazon.com, click here.

GUESTS :

Dave Ball
Luthier
Knoxville, TN