Archtop banjo

[Scout]

I’m totally inspired by the DIY builders here and have found the mojo to finish my archtop banjo.

Maple neck , one piece through body, spruce top, gaboon ebony fingerboard.

Abalone electric bolt inlays, I’m gonna put a piezo under saddle pickup in it.


I hope this gives someone as much pleasure as I get looking at other folks creations. Go make some noise.

[Shadoweclipse13]

This is cool as hell. I wonder how much different it'll sound. Maybe like a tenor guitar?

[Scout]

I'm curious as to how it will sound also.I just saw a flatish pickup I may try to fit . I used to gig with acoustic back in the day but I've gone all the way to the other end of the audio spectrum, this banjo will sustain like crazy . More to come, for sure.

[somanytoys]

Very cool, nice work.

Let us know how it turns out - it looks badass.

[antisymmetric]

Cool, I'm very curious as to how it will sound.

[somanytoys]

Yeah, I’ve never heard one with a wooden top, that seems interesting. I have seen a “banjitar”, a banjo with 6 strings, that are tuned like a guitar.

I’m guessing that it’s the “drum head” top that gives normal banjos a lot of their distinctive sound. I’d love to hear how this sounds.

[Scout]

Slow but steady, I fit a nut and started roughing in a bridge. I’ve been working out the design for an ebony tailpiece. That and the amplification. And I deep cleaned and semi organized the shop area.

[Shadoweclipse13]

Looking good Scout!!

[antisymmetric]

I really like the way the inlays and the fingerboard wood work together, very cool!

[Scout]

I hope you’ll indulge me posting progress on this, I am enjoying the process. I realized quickly with guitar projects as with my music that if I relied on this for my food , clothing and shelter I would surely be starving, naked and homeless. I spent today’s lockdown on the tailpiece, I sawed some of the elm from the other project into the radius of the banjos so it would fit , the elm does have some wavy interlocked grain.

The ebony is hard but nice to work.

I’m fairly happy with the result, after I finish shaping the outside and glue it up the gaps will fill in.

Some more rounding and a little drilling still left, ran out of time. Enjoy,I hope.

[Shadoweclipse13]

Whoa!! That's beautiful!!!

[somanytoys]

Damn, that is definitely turning out beautifully.

Good work, like the process pics.

[Shadoweclipse13]

Amy more progress Scout?

[Scout]

No, reality has kicked back in along with a stretch of decent weather to pull me out of the basement. I’ve not forgotten my new friends here, as a matter of fact I keep diving in deeper to read previous build posts and can’t believe the depth of the DIY folks that have posted projects, from the CNCers to the forstner and filers. Much admiration and love for you all, I’ll be sure to update with plenty of pics.