A visit to Bollman's

[Moschella Banjos]

So, I paid a long overdue visit to Jim Bollman’s house this week. Not that it will come as a surprise to any of you, but in all honesty I found it to be utterly beyond
categorization. I have really never seen anything like that collection—not only
of banjos (laying haphazardly here and there, gathering dust, precariously
hanging from tiny nails banged into the walls) but the ephemera collection was
utterly astounding—the toys, photographs, broadsides, miniatures, furniture,
accessories, parts, &c. &c. &c. were an incredible survey of banjo history, and a testimony to just how deeply ingrained the instrument was in this country's imagination at one point.

 

I went there to take some measurements for a Stichter copy I am making (that banjo is totally bizarre in person), and had the pleasure of talking to Jim about all
sorts of subjects, from motorcycles to jigsaw puzzles to banjos—he was
incredibly generous with his time, and I left with all sorts of new ideas
spinning in my head.

 

Stichter copy should be done in September, and I am going to embark on a true Boucher copy right after that, but in the meantime, I can’t wait to visit this place
again.

[Tim Twiss]

Did you play any really old ones that have been strung up?

[Greg Adams]

Huzzah, Jay! Congratulations. I can't wait to see what you develop as a result of this trip.