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It’s still a long term goal for carverbanjos. I imagine having a large workshop and space for about 10 people for a long weekend retreat. I think it will be within the next 5 years. I’m not planning to stay where I currently live, so I don’t want to build a shop here. I’d like to find a property where I can make this happen, there are lots of things that will have to line up before then.
I’d like to do a few “camps” throughout the summers, emphasizing different banjo constructions: gourd banjos, rim banjos, mountain banjos. I’d like to provide space to sleep/camp with option for hotels nearby. I’d like to provide meals and invite musician friends for entertainment in the evenings.
I see all this being the final product of my life work with banjos. Finally making banjos in person and interacting with people face to face.
I know Jeff Menzies hosts banjo building camps as well and I don’t want to copy or take anything away from his events and success. I make similar banjos to Jeff but I don’t see what we do as in competition in any way. I think we have some overlap in customers but mostly we reach different audiences.
Kirby and others,
What would you like to see from a banjo building workshop?
What are reasonable price points for such events?
How long does the typical person have to spend at an event like this?
I’m located in central indiana, how many people are local enough to join?
Any other suggestions?Thanks everyone
Hi Kirby, welcome to the forum!
If you are looking at the 10” full scale minstrel model here are my recommendations:
Option 1: use the provided strings and use the high set to tune to E.
Option 2: use the provided strings and use the low set to tune to low A (almost a full octave below standard G. If you go all the way to low G the strings are going to be maxed out and they won’t intonate very well).
Option 3: purchase a set of banjo nylgut, gut, or nylon strings that are intended for G tuning and tune to standard G.My provided string set allows you to choose from a wide range of tunings, but to get up to standard G they don’t quite allow it or want to hold tuning. I make the sets from classical guitar nylon sets. I discuss this in a previous thread about strings here on the forum.
Hope that helps out and hope to make a kit for you.Good job Thomas! Excellent pictures and review. Great to see these kits being put together. I like the added fret dot markers.
I can address the not so good points you made. They are valid points and I understand it is constructive feedback, which is always appreciated.
The frailing scoop is a little short, I put it there in all these necks though it could be longer on the fretless necks. I wanted a full 19 frets, so the scoop had to be shorter, it begins right after the 19th fret and that doesn’t leave a whole lot of length. You could extend the scoop easily since it’s a fretless neck.
The tacks will pass through the rim, you could test and trim the tacks before assembly. I talk about this in a lot of my previous assembly videos, I can’t remember if I mention it in the specific video for this kit.
The neck is what it is for thickness. I work with 1” lumber, so I understand but that’s not something we can change. As for roundness, you can shape the neck to your liking. I talk about this in my other assembly videos, but I left it out of this specific kit video.
The dowel is a bit wonky on yours. If it’s my error I sincerely apologize. It can happen because I was drilling the holes by eye, I’ve since developed a jig to help with the process. I’m not sure if it could have been glued into the neck at an angle to correct the offset or not. I’m glad the strings still line up and the banjo looks like it plays as intended.
I appreciate your feedback and pictures!Alrighty, got my calipers out.
For standard g tuning, I recommend using a set of nylgut banjo strings that are made for g tuning.I provide strings that are made from nylon classical guitar sets. Mainly because these strings are much cheaper, last a long time, and sound nice on the kits.
E tuning is recommended for most of my kits- this is a few steps below g. The guitar strings like e tuning, so I work with that. We take the top 4 strings from the guitar and add another top string or simply use a 50lb fishing line so you don’t have to buy extra guitar strings. Heavier fishing line can be suitable for the other strings. I think it’s best to use the guitar string for your 4th banjo string though because this string is wound.
1…0.025”
2…0.030”
3…0.040”
4…silver wound 0.035”
5…50lb line, 0.025”For the low octave tuning or “cello” tunings we are using the bottom five strings from the guitar set. An octave below standard g is a bit low and the strings don’t have enough tension to intonate very well, so I say tune up one step from that to low A.
1…0.040”
2…wound 0.035”
3…wound 0.038”
4…wound 0.043”
5…0.030”(you could use another 0.040 guitar string here if you want).If you can find strings +/- 0.001” or so you should be fine.
Please don’t feel limited by your strings. Try different gauges to find the sounds/tuning ranges you are looking for.
Thanks guys,
-BrianWelcome to the forum Patrick, thanks for posting! Your banjo looks great. I’m seeing a few customers are staining the rim to match the neck and I think that’s awesome.
A few threads below yours, there’s a member asking about staining the rim. Maybe you could pop into that thread or share a picture here of your rim? Specifically, the question is concerning the scarf joint taking stain as well as the rest of the rim.
The classic minstrel is my flagship kit and I have refined this kit over the years. I started making banjos just like this one almost 20 years ago! The price is a little higher than most other kits I offer, but I try to deliver on the quality. Thanks again, hope you enjoy your banjo for many years.Hi Alexander, thanks for posting
You can remove the small brass string guide with a flathead screwdriver, it’s just a wood screw.
I’ve already rough sanded the fingerboard and flattened it before sale. Just a quick hand-sand with a folded piece of 220 followed by 320 grit will have it ready for varnish. You could wrap a small flat block of wood with the sandpaper if you want to insure the fingerboard stays totally flat, but it’s not required in my opinion. Please post pics when you are all assembled!Thank you to everyone that has participated in this thread.
I enjoyed reading the posts and hearing how you’ve all gotten into the banjo.
It’s my hope that you all continue to check into the forums and post again in the future.
I know some people have had trouble signing up for this forum and that is something I am working on figuring out. If you have tried to sign up but we’re unable to post please email me and I will try to resend confirmation emails. I will do another giveaway in the future when I have all of these technical issues sorted out so that everyone will have a fair chance to participate.Now, the winner, drawn at random from a hat: tpierc
Please email your neck/fret choice for your 12” rim kit and shipping address to Brian at carverbanjos@gmail.comThanks 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.
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.Attachments:
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.
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.In theory you could probably take the body apart and put it back together without losing the head tension, but it’s not something I would do unless prepared to completely replace the skin in the worst case. You’ll have to replace the skin if you use a different tone ring because the dimensions of the tone ring are what the original skin has been stretched on and dried on and therefore uniquely fitted to that original tone ring.
Thanks for the entries so far!
I am seeing a lot of sign ups but only a few posts. Running this forum is a learning experience for me. I’m thinking confirmation emails might be sent on a delay to new accounts. So if you haven’t been able to login or post yet, let’s give it 24 hours and see if those confirmation emails come through.
I will be working on this and if the issue persists I will extend the deadline or find a new way to do the giveaway. Thanks everyone!(Example submission)
I first noticed the banjo when I was a kid, watching reruns of the Beverly Hillbillies. I was drawn to the sound. From there, I started listening to a lot of Earl Scruggs. I got my first banjo when I was about 16 and I tried learning the 3 finger Scruggs picking style. I had a lot of trouble getting the hang of this. Once I discovered Pete Seeger’s music I realized there are other ways to play and I took to the clawhammer playing style. Almost 20 years later and I’ve turned banjos into a complete way of life, but I still can’t pick a decent 3 finger (Scruggs) roll lol.Attachments:
Hey Martin, I’ve finally got the file size upload limit raised. Feel free to try it out. Thanks for bringing this to my attention!
Hey Martin, thank you for contributing to the forum! I’m still looking into a way to post larger pics here. Sorry I’ve not been here much, I’ll be checking the forum more often!
Hey Georgi,
Have you sorted the issue? It’s hard for me to understand exactly the problem just from your description. If you could post a picture it would be useful.
I’m thinking what could be dented? I suppose the skin could be loose which is causing the bridge to sit lower and this would cause string buzz. If this is the case, the skin might have pulled through the tacks due to shock, or sudden humidity changes. Maybe the skin was tacked on too tightly or maybe wood glue was not used when tacking the skin?
Does the neck angle need to be adjusted? You can change the string height by setting the dowel to the rim at a different position.
Is there extra string ends on the tailpiece where it was tied? Maybe the extra bit is resting on the drumhead and vibrating when you play.
I’m sorry for taking so long to get back here, I’ll be checking often for new posts. -BrianHey Kclason, I think you have the mountain banjo kit?
First make sure to watch my assembly video here: https://youtu.be/x7ZIUjqtkuQ
The first 4 tacks are the most important. Put them in then pop in the tone ring and close the top and bottom plates together to check the tension on the skin.
Remove the tacks and try again if the skin os so tight you can’t get the top and plates to squeeze together.
Once you have a good tension, fill in with the rest of the tacks. Pull the skin evenly and space the tacks about and inch apart. If you are seeing wrinkles, it’s not tight enough.
Be sure to use glue on the inner lip to insure the skin won’t pull through the tacks when it’s done.
Take your time and make sure to get a good tension right off the bat. The skin will be pliable for a long time so no need to rush the process. I believe I sent an extra skin along, so I’m sure you’ll get it.
If you need more help, post pictures. As many pics as possible to show where you are having the issues.Hey guys, my apologies for not being active on this forum this past week. I have been on a small vacation in a national park (BANFF) without any service. I’ll be back in a few days and follow up with everyone! Thanks for posting here!
Hello to anyone reading this out there. I’ve been wanting to add a forum to this site for a long time. There are now thousands of carver kit owners out there and over the years many have sent me photos and video links of their builds. I think it’d be cool to get people discussing their builds here. I am admittedly bad at answering all emails, so I figure it’ll be a lot easier to stay in touch with people here. I want kit owners to be able to help other kit owners with any questions. Once you put one of these banjos together you will likely have some tips to help out the next person.
I know there are other banjo forums out there, I don’t want to take anyone away from them. My main goal for this forum is to build a community based around the DIY banjo kits offered here on this site and my personal goal is to get to know my customers on a more personal level. Thanks for checking out the site! Anyone is welcome to join the forum, its free to join.
If this forum doesn’t really take off, as its just an experiment, I’ll use it to post updates on new kits and to give the backstories on how they came to be.
-Brian Carver
