DIY Network

Old-Time Banjo, Part 2: The Neck and Fingerboard From "Handmade Music" episode DHMM-207

The neck on one of the old-time banjos handmade by luthier Dave Ball.

In this three-episode Handmade Music series, we focus the building of an "old-time" open-back style banjo first popularized in the 1800s.

In this second segment, we learn a bit about the style of music known as old-time. Then luthier Dave Ball continues work on the banjo with the cutting of the neck and fretboard.

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The Mumbillies are a loosely formed old-time string band that, for nearly thirty years, have been playing together in the traditional style of the Southern Appalachians. Here, they perform at The Laurel Theater in Knoxville, Tennessee.

What Exactly is "Old-Time"?

Old time banjos should not be confused with bluegrass banjos. The two styles sound different and they are played differently. Likewise, old-time music shouldn't be confused with it's "younger kin," bluegrass music. Well known purveyors of bluegrass include Bill Monroe (sometimes called the father of modern bluegrass), Flatt and Scruggs and The Stanley Brothers. Old-time bands and artists have names that may not be as well known -- names like The Red Clay Ramblers, Gid Tanner and The Skillet Lickers and The New Lost City Ramblers. Modern (but authentic interpreters) of old-time music include bands like The Freight Hoppers and The Reeltime Travelers.

"Old-time music is basically dance music," says musician and banjo-builder Dave Ball, "It's fiddle and banjo music, with other instruments mixed in, that was originally done for old-time dances and barn dances. It's very community-oriented music, unlike bluegrass which is very solo-oriented and designed to show off the specific talents of individuals. Old-time music is more of a group effort. Everyone is sort of playing at the same time with no one particular individual standing out."

The Banjo Neck and Fingerboard

With the basic shape of the banjo rough-cut, and the reinforcement rail installed, work can continue with the cutting and shaping of the neck. The next step in the process is to cut fret slots into a blank using a table saw. He uses a template with the positions of the frets laid out and a specialized fence on the table saw for consistent spacing of the frets (figure A).

When the fret slots are laid out on the ebony blank, Dave uses a template to mark the outline of the fingerboard. Then he saws out the shape as close to the marks as possible (figure B). The band saw can only do so much, so Dave trims the fingerboard closer to the final dimension using a hand plane. He planes very carefully since ebony is prone to chipping.

Figure A

Figure B

This process creates the final shape of the fingerboard. According to Dave, the fingerboard will later effectively serve as the template that will affect the final shape of the neck itself.

Next, the fingerboard is glued to the top of the neck, making certain that it is aligned properly to the center line (figure C). At this point, the neck itself is still wider than the fingerboard. It will be trimmed in a later step. Before that, however, another colorful veneer is added. On the finished banjo, a red veneer is nestled between the maple and the ebony. It's a small detail Dave certainly believes is worth the extra effort. The veneer and the fingerboard are glued to the neck stock (figure D). After Dave lays out the peg head shape he's ready to trim.

Figure C

Figure D

Using the band saw he cuts out most of the remaining material that's on the side of the neck blank, cutting as closely as possible without nicking the ebony (figure E). Dave is careful to place the neck in a jig when he's trimming the peg-head (figure F)because stylistically he wants the cuts to be perpendicular to the plane of the fingerboard -- not perpendicular to the plane of the down-sloping peg head.

Figure E

Figure F

Rather than simply being "squared off," this cutting technique, which is traditional in banjo design, gives a visually interesting angle to the peg-head (figure G). The band saw is used to rough in the shape. A router table with flush-trim bit and an oscillating spindle sander are used for the finer work. While at the router table Dave will also create the fingerboard's frailing scoop. This area at the lower end of the fingerboard that lacks frets. This is left this way intentionally since, in old-time style playing, banjoists play using a technique called claw-hammer style, playing the strings at the lower end of the neck rather than directly over the body. This fretless portion (figure H), or scoop, gives the player clearance for the fingers and thumb for this style of playing.

Figure G

Figure H

	Figure I

The next phase is a session on the drill press. He drills through the maple, ebony and veneer to create four holes in the peg head (figure I). Recall that this is a five string banjo, so a fifth tuner will be needed. It's hole is drilled into the neck.

With a fingerboard complete and tuner pegs install, Dave could technically play with this neck, but it wouldn't look or feel like much of a banjo. In the segment that follows, work continues with the shaping of the neck

RESOURCES :

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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