Tackhead grainmeasure banjo

Comment by Andy Chase on February 29, 2012 at 11:53pm

Love the finish.

Comment by flatfoot johnny on March 8, 2012 at 4:07am

Thanks. Ive just re worked this one my adding (or removing) a frailing scoop and making an arm rest... i wonder if i should have been braver with the antiquing and taken it a little bit further.

Comment by Bart McNeil on March 8, 2012 at 7:28pm

I guess civil war soldiers, on both sides, all had lots of money and brand new factory and custom made instruments.

Would you take your new expensive banjo off to war with you? I sure wouldn't,,, but I would take a piece of junk. I would be surprised if they didn't have wear marks. I would suspect lots of them, like msny   of us, didn't even have adequate cases. An exception would be of course a military band player who needed a higher quality instrument. But i've seen plenty of ratty instruments in official type bands.

Comment by flatfoot johnny on March 9, 2012 at 3:45am

Thanks guys. The reason i was antiquing it is because the pot is really old and full of lovely patina and i thought sticking a new looking neck on it would look slightly out of place. Generally i don't like faking the age of new objects (there's lots of dodgy looking furniture about) and would normally agree with Dan'l. But i feel it works with the pot... plus its a good exercise in  restoration / preservation techniques. Also i do love to see the character and age of old pieces... the wear marks of generations of use... the way the wood has aged etc. Cheers.

Comment by Steve Jeter on March 9, 2012 at 8:07am

 I think it looks great!!  btw   re-enactor "antiquing" is from what Ive seen wide spread.  Dirty Billy of Dirty Billy hats,  got the name cause he was always rubbing dirt and stuff on his uniform to get a authentic  look.     I think a lot of this is   strain a gnat and swallow a camel.  ie ,,, did you drive you truck, or ride your stted to the re-enactment. Did you stop at a stop & rob on the way. 

This is supossed to be fun, Ive ran into a few farbys,, but I think I was having more fun than they were.  Im not saying to take a Taylor guitar to a event , just use the common sense God gave us.

Comment by Steve Jeter on March 9, 2012 at 8:09am

duh that would be stud , mare or gelding

Comment by flatfoot johnny on March 9, 2012 at 1:24pm

Thanks. I forgot to mention that Civil war re-enacting isn't so big over here (U.K) so im hoping people would like it for its exoticness... if you know what i mean. I cant imagine selling any of these to the U.S. what with the exchange rate what it is - makes them pretty pricey compared with what you can get there.

Although im taking a lot of inspiration from the American minstrel banjo, im hoping that they will eventually develop a somewhat British twist to the style (as they did in the late 1800s when they came over the pond) as i feel a bit at odds making something that has little to relate to my direct culture or history and would worry that it would become a pastiche... but having said that i wear a quiff, drive a 1950s car, listen to 1950s American music wear 1950s American clothes and generally live the Americana dream :-D

Had to google farby - we call them "train spotters" - no matter what the obsession :-)

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