Minstrel Banjo

For enthusiasts of early banjo

And it sounds awful!  Heheh, not really.  As promised, the Nylgut strings are still stretching, so it doesn't just go out of tune, it goes out of tune while I am tuning it!  It actually has quite a loud clear sound, I think, but I'll let others be the judge of that when it settles in.

 "Character", I believe, is the word the Victorians used for "screw ups", and this has character in spades, things I measured twice, cut once, and then hid, and things I just didn't understand until the thing started going together, but all of those things will be instructive going forward.  I look forward to suggestions and critique from anyone who can point me forward, as I'm sure there are still things I don't see.

Thanks to everyone here who answered my many newbie questions along the way!

I still have five skins left, what to do, what to do...

Tony

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Fun is good!

Strumelia said:

Anthony, think about just starting with the first few moves of the right hand.  Then think about playing around with using those moves to play Juba.  I found that Juba was a real FUN way to practice the right hand moves.  It's like playing a real fun tune, disguised as practice.   :)  Keep it fun, and don't worry about how fast or slow you progress. I have found that, like love, progress usually sneaks up on you when you stop worrying and looking for it. 

Of course there are mistakes, but if you don't draw attention to them, few if any folks will notice them. You covered your mistakes nicely.... A sign of professionalism....

Very nice!!!

I think the beauty of these is that as a woodworker you can take some liberties with with design and construction without much fear of being un-authentic... as so many in the 19th C were made with a lot fewer tools than you have in your shop. and of course most or all of their hardware was home made as well.

Thanks for the kind words, Bart!  Yes, the question of how things actually got made in period is one of the big draws, I think.  I'm still surprised how much I can do with just a hand axe!

Tony



Bart McNeil said:

Of course there are mistakes, but if you don't draw attention to them, few if any folks will notice them. You covered your mistakes nicely.... A sign of professionalism....

Very nice!!!

I think the beauty of these is that as a woodworker you can take some liberties with with design and construction without much fear of being un-authentic... as so many in the 19th C were made with a lot fewer tools than you have in your shop. and of course most or all of their hardware was home made as well.

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