Greetings fellow banjo pickers,
Just joined as Silver today to check out this site,
Been tinkering, building and playing for a while now.
Favorite playing style is melody with embelishment.
Mostly older Hymns, gospel, praise and my own songs.
3 finger for instrumentals, often use strum for sing along.
Live out west, southern Oregon, one mile from the Pacific.
Born in 1949, due the math. Not really up to date with high tech, still use a pen and paper.
Interests include : Bicycles, boats, banjos, books, Bibles, bullets, and burnt beef.
The pic below is now about 30 years old. Sold the “banjumbo”, still have the music stand.
New Member Introduction
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Welcome!
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Welcome!
Post a video of you playing that banjo bass sometime!
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Welcome from a mandolin picker (really mandolin learner), thanks for the introduction.
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Welcome to the forum!
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Indeed, welcome! You’ll find a lot of helpful information here, no judgements and frequent chuckles.
I noticed some of those banjos show some practice has been put into them! 
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Welcome! That’s a sweet music stand! I suspect I couldn’t get that hat down without a ladder or stick.
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Thank you all for your welcomes,
That bass banjo (banjumbo) waas sold around 2001 to someone who played bass.
The music stand was made to be a travel stand, and unbolts , if needed, for transit.
At present there are about a dozen working banjo around here, most all I have assembled,
or built. The only “storebought” is a Gold Tone Banjola.
The parts came from Stu Mac or 1st Quality. Been a while since I bought anything.
Might be looking to buy one more flathead tone ring to put the “bowtie” back together.
Used that tone ring for the “Purple Heart” open back.
Some where around 1992 I started making the necks all longnecks, even for the BG pots.
I did order some inlaid fretboards from Custom Inlay for those.
Also branched off into areas that most players and builders don’t bother with, and have had fun doing so.
Like the “banjumbo”.Another using a snare drum for a pot. That one was fretless.
A few “minis”, both 5 string and Uke. One that is in the wall pic, with 5 extra frets.
One that is still around is a “Banjacaster”. Strat body with a maple long scale 5 string neck.
For that one I found some “Select” pickups that have bars instead of polepices so string spacing is no issue. Also installed “Ghost” pickups in the bridge.
One more that might be way out in left field is a 10 string.
First try was back in 1989. Still using that “doubled up” fiddle shaped peghead, but now
have a strong maple neck under it that is a bit wider and thicker. Also a longneck,
tuned to an open D, with thicker strings and capoed up to F.
Two others are also tuned to D with thicker strings, capo on the 3rd, for open F.
one open back, one BG pot. The key of F works out at times for a lower singing range.
Why ??? I have asked that question myself.
Seemed like a good idea at the time. I was wondering how these setups would sound,
and the only way to find out was to make them.
Like the 10 string. Been together and apart so many times I’ve lost track.
Uses up two sets of tuners. So the tuners would be taken off and used for a 5-string.
Then I would miss having that sound and buy more tuners.
One time I tried using a 12 string guitar neck and tuners, had the sound but not the “look”.
Back to using up double tuners.
My favorite these days is a Pete Seeger style longneck, home built, with a SS Stuart
style peghead. Has a StuMac archtop tone ring, maple for wood, and a set of brackets
from an 1880s broken down pot.
Great tone, and a bit lighter than a full on BG banjo.
Well I’ve about written a short book, and I do hope someone finds the time to read it all
and get something from doing so.
Looks like I can upload some pics here with the Silver Pick, and will do so if there is any interest in the builds .
Still thinking about the upgrade, so sound clips might need to wait.
Happy Pickin’ kent r
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Welcome to the forum @bkentr! Let us know if you ever need help with anything- it’s such a helpful and responsive community here. Cool to hear about your banjo collection!
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I love the fact you build banjos. (“Some assembly required.”)
I have an old homemade banjo, circa 1960. According to the legend, the tone ring is a torque converter plate from a 1957 Buick DynaFlow transmission. The wood is black walnut.
It’s well-worn, but plays well & sounds good.
I often wonder about they unknown guy who built it. You can see his tool marks all around the flange.
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Welcome to the forum!
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Hi,
Because I’m on a silver pick and testing out the lessons, and this is my first thread here,
I’ll post some reactions to the lesson here, to keep them “connected” with my first post.
Working on the first Bag O’ Licks Blues Roll Lick, I’m reminded of how long it takes for me
to understand and remember what should be simple instructions.
It’s like there is a roadblock somewhere between my head and my memory.
Been here before. 30 years or so.
I have learned some things from tab, and I can often pick up things by ear, but not without
a major fight. I do OK with licks I make up, and i can remember the melody from old
hymns and such , and play them with some embelishment, but it doesn’t sound bluegrass
enough to really fit.
I’ll keep on at the lessons that are “unlocked” and work at it.
At 73 , I might not have the time to learn the things I might have learned 30 years ago,
but I will continue to pick and play what I do know, and keep on writing some songs.
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Hi @bkentr I’m 75 and whilst I can retain most things I learn, there are some things I struggle to remember. Repetition helps. You’ll find there is a lot of help and support on the forum if you have any question feel free to ask.
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As a member of the Geezer Clan, I can appreciate what you’re saying. I wish I still had 40 years to practice so I could play like Jens Kruger. But I’m still the best banjo player on my street! I’ll bet you are too!
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Thanks for your replies
Archie and Benjoe.
Repetition, yes. Lots or reps. Thanks too for the offer of help, but there is no substitute
for practice and work. And reps. Which takes time and effort, sometimes money, all of which
seem to be running out faster than ever,
I have a Jens Kruger DVD. Very good stuff. But he does not play true bluegrass, even though
he showed he can.
Truth is that after his vidio I was more inclined to keep on playing the way I know and love to play, even if not traditional BG. Bluegrass Gospel is still my first choice to listen to, and why
I keep on coming back to try learning the licks.
If I had to pick a genre for my songs , I would say 'Americana Gospel", but I’ve never heard
that term used.
As for help, i could use help taking the right steps to record and upload.
Don’t use social media, don’t want to start, don’t have a DVR or a U-tube channel.
Still use a flip phone.
Don’t really understand how to “cut and paste” URLs from one place to another.
I have posted a URL by using the one key at a time method. Very slow. Not worth the trouble.
The bottom line is that I am mostly content with who and what I am, and how I play the banjo, and it’s very late in life to try to be somebody else.
It would still be good to add some BG licks into the mix.