Can you ID this guy and his banjo?

[Jon Whitney]

I captured this from a DVD set entitled "The American Civil War".  This is not the more famous Ken Burns documentary, but it is simlar.  This re-enactor is playing a fine version of "Old Dan Tucker" at the beginning of Episode 2, Act 6.  He is not mentioned in the credits as far as I could see.  I'm especially interested in the seeming contradiction between the fancy headstock and the rather primitive-looking rectangular rim.  It looks to me that someone took a manufactured neck and stuck it on a home-made pot.  I'm sure this kind of thing must have happened once in a while, but I'd like to know if there are any historical references, photos, etc. that substantiate this banjo.

[Bart McNeil]

I don't know of any American made banjos with a square head but there are a few Japanese banjos with squareish or rectangular heads seen in 19th C. japanese prints and a few more three string banjos (if I remember correctly) on Youtube... Quite interesting.

[Joel Hooks]

If they'd a had it, they'd a used it.

I guess one must prove beyond reasonable doubt that they did not have something before it could be deemed inappropriate for a certain era.

[Bart McNeil]

Looking more carefully at the photo in question i noticed that the square pot shows a considerable bend in the longitudinal sides of the pot. This is exactly where a bend would be expected. The Japanese builders solved this problem by making the "rectangle" of the pot extend latitudinally while the dowel stick forms a support to counter the tension of the skin head. I would suspect that the tension on the rectangle in the photo in question would force the pot further out of shape, or perhaps break the pot, in short order.

There are pretty good reasons why the majority banjo pots are circular.

[Bart McNeil]

Dan'l said:

Joel -

 

On your outlook "If they'd a had it, they'd a used it"

 

I've heard that a lot. I just can't find any useful meaning in it. To whit: they certainly would have used mylar banjo heads, automobiles, laptop computers if they had 'em.  Rectangle or round head justify either way ...pointless.

 

What is useful is to determine what was likely (PEC). As far as CW reenacting (which fortunately is not the concern of most here) there's a lot of information indicating most soldiers barely had a change of clothes while on campaign let alone a purchased factory instrument.  It was long-term camp (winter camp) where you'd have time to cobble together a homemade instrument or borrow one from a local, but it would be left behind on the march. That's maybe an indication that the instruments shown in this thread are PEC for CW reenactment, rectangles being easy to construct.

 

But, as a reenactor, even a serious one, if you must have a factory instrument on campaign you can gloss over PEC. You'll find, beyond reasonable doubt, that minstrel Sam Sweeney (Old Joe's brother) was on an officer's staff and enlisted because he played banjo and fiddle -- factory instruments that he "a played 'cause he a had 'em." Also, officers generally had some wagon allowance on campaign, so another way to gloss over PEC is to be an officer. The ratio of officers to men is wildly disproportionate in reenacting today anyway.

 

As to what's inappropriate or not; that becomes a value judgement.

 

Dan'l

[Bart McNeil]

Bart McNeil said:

Dan'l said:

Joel -

 

On your outlook "If they'd a had it, they'd a used it"

 

I've heard that a lot. I just can't find any useful meaning in it. To whit: they certainly would have used mylar banjo heads, automobiles, laptop computers if they had 'em.  Rectangle or round head justify either way ...pointless.

 

What is useful is to determine what was likely (PEC). As far as CW reenacting (which fortunately is not the concern of most here) there's a lot of information indicating most soldiers barely had a change of clothes while on campaign let alone a purchased factory instrument.  It was long-term camp (winter camp) where you'd have time to cobble together a homemade instrument or borrow one from a local, but it would be left behind on the march. That's maybe an indication that the instruments shown in this thread are PEC for CW reenactment, rectangles being easy to construct.

 

But, as a reenactor, even a serious one, if you must have a factory instrument on campaign you can gloss over PEC. You'll find, beyond reasonable doubt, that minstrel Sam Sweeney (Old Joe's brother) was on an officer's staff and enlisted because he played banjo and fiddle -- factory instruments that he "a played 'cause he a had 'em." Also, officers generally had some wagon allowance on campaign, so another way to gloss over PEC is to be an officer. The ratio of officers to men is wildly disproportionate in reenacting today anyway.

 

As to what's inappropriate or not; that becomes a value judgement.

 

Dan'l

 

Dan'l

 

I just found your photo of the primative violin.... Some years ago I made a dulcimer and had almost no tools at all... It looked something like the box violin with hand cut tuners and even a "scroll" of sorts. But it was fun and it worked.

 

[George Wunderlich]

I made that banjo.  It was made after a Civil War era sketch of a cigar box guitar.  I do not remember where I saw the original.  I also have cigar box fiddle images.  That is why I made it, to copy a period design used in other stringed instruments.  I do not know who the player is.  That may be the banjo I made for HBO at their request, or, it may be the other one I built and sold to a collector in New England.  In either case, this banjo has held up since 1996.  Both were made in that year.  

 

 

[George Wunderlich]

One other note.  It is a commercial neck on a home made rim.  That is exact what I was going for.  There are several examples of neck replacements on commercial rims in the period.  Sweeney made one on a Boucher hoop.  There are also several originals where a neck  has been placed on a hoop not original to it.  This was made to simulate the latter of the circumstance.  

 

I hope this helps. 

[Jon Whitney]

Thank you very much, George - that's exactly the info I was looking for and I knew Minstrelbanjo.ning would come through for me.

[Scott House]

That explains why it looks like the one I made. I copied one I had seen that George had made. The one I made had a red box, but I think the peg head was rectangular also.

[Carl Anderton]

Here are complete instructions for building a cigar-box banjo, or as they call it, an "Uncle Enos" banjo, from The American boys handy book, pub. 1890.

 

http://books.google.com/books?id=VpICAAAAYAAJ&dq=banjo%20boy&am...

[Bell Banjos]

Carl, I built one like that in the early 70's. I did the bum ditty and my grandma was so proud. Then I graduated to the Harmony bakelite.

The last sentence of the article sounds like a good name for a tune..

"Half A Day's Labor And Forty Cents For Strings."

[Jon Whitney]

I'm working on a simple banjo design that I can sell as a low priced kit to young people - scouts, clubs, and the like.  A rectangular pot is the ticket for simple building.  I'll offer frets as an option but I think most will want fretless because they are easier to make and less expensive - so maybe it will be carrying on a great minstrel banjo tradition.