Just received my DIY BANJO KIT 12” RIM kit

[Steven Francis]

looks absolutely fantastic, looking forward to starting. Loving the black walnut neck.
Question:
1-I see the markings on the rim for the tacks – were they supposed to be pre-drilled?
2- There was no instruction sheet – should I hold on until the videos come out?

[Carver Banjos]

Great Steven!
I no longer pre-drill tack holes because I think you should be able to set them without too much trouble.
Probably best to wait on the assembly video. It’s a pretty simple process but the dowel can be tricky and I go over it thoroughly in the video.
I wanted this video to have everything anyone could ever need to make these kits. I’m pretty sure I’ll have it wrapped up and posted tomorrow or the next day. It’s about an hour long. I know it’s not a masterpiece but phew editing all the clips and trying to get the info condensed has been a project.

[Steven Francis]

Thanks for the quick response – that’s what I thought about the tack holes – I will probably make a nailing jig for that so I don’t overstress the rim or my knee – I’ll send pics when done with the jig.
I am in no rush for the assembly, so I will wait for the video. Last question: is there any caveat about staining the rim? leaning toward black walnut for the rim.

SPF

[knoxjl]

I’m really curious about the sound of the 12″ compared to the 11″. I’ve built one of the older Americana kits and get comments all the time about how nice it sounds. With the 12″ option, I might consider building one more. I suppose I could just order it fretless and it’ll be different from the other no matter what. 🙂

[Carver Banjos]

Feel free to stain the rim. You will want to scuff up the top so wood glue will stick. This is a crucial step to keep the skin on tight for a long time. It’s in the assembly video, which I am wrapping up at this very moment.

[Carver Banjos]

The cool thing about the new Americana neck is that I’ve added some ogees to the side of the fingerboard. The older model did not have this feature. These shapes are unique to the Americana kit; the minstrel kit also has side ogees but they are shaped differently. The ogees line up with certain frets and can be very helpful for the fretless option.
As for the sound difference in 11” vs 12”. I think it could be debated but to me it is subtle.

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[ThomasH]

Regarding the ogees. I noticed that the fretted models have a zero fret. Will the fretless ogees still line up with where the frets would be? (Just ordered a 12” minstrel fretless) Am I over thinking this? 😀

[Carver Banjos]

Thanks for the question ThomasH, you’re not overthinking it. I account for the zero fret or lack thereof and cut the nut slot so the scale still lines up with the ogees. I do this on both the minstrel and Americana necks.

[ThomasH]

Good to know! Thanks keymaster!!

[Steven Francis]

Just completed yesterday – waiting for the strings to stretch out before tuning. final assembly steps are fast and easy as long as you watch the videos a couple of times

• This reply was modified 9 months, 2 weeks ago by Steven Francis.
• This reply was modified 9 months, 1 week ago by Carver Banjos.

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[Carver Banjos]

I like how you color matched the rim to the neck, looks really nice

[Carver Banjos]

(I merged your threads, trying to keep the forum simple to navigate.)

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