How to Make Appalachian Banjos
The banjo can trace its roots to Africa, and became a staple of Appalachian music making as slaves and their descendents brought the sound to the eastern mountain ranges. The stringed instrument is prevalent in bluegrass and jazz music, and can have between four and six strings. Two types of banjos include the resonator and open-back. Most bluegrass and Appalachian music uses the resonator (closed back) banjo to amplify the sound and push it toward the audience.
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Things You'll Need
- banjo neck
- tuning pegs
- tailpiece
- Armrest
- Resonator
- Pot assembly
- String nuts
- Assembly bridge rods/mounting nuts
- Sandpaper (assorted grits)
- Paint
- Wood glue
- Small handsaw or jig
- Stain
- Lacquer
- Strings
- Pitch pipe
Instructions
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Most supplies can be purchased at specialty music stores or online. You can purchase finished neck assemblies, or, if you have woodworking skills, create your own custom work and save money.
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Start with your neck, using a light-grit sandpaper to smooth it. Prepare the string nut seating with a notch, then glue the nut in place. Stain or paint the neck as desired, lacquer and let dry.
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To prepare the fretboard, cut slots with a small hand saw or jig and install the frets and attach the fretboard to the neck with wood glue. If you purchased a pre-made fretboard, you can simply glue the board to the finished neck. Allow 24 hours for the glue to dry before installing the tuning hardware.
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While the neck and fretboard dries, you can assemble pot assembly. Like the fretboard inlays, this can be ordered pre-assembled, or you can construct it yourself. If your board is pre-assembled, you can attach it to dry banjo neck with lag bolts or the coordinating rod. Ensure the neck and assembly pot are flushed and centered before securing the neck.
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To assemble the banjo pot yourself, drill holes as instructed by your kit, fitting the tone ring, flange and rim together. Your resonator should have hardware and specific directions (these vary from model to model) on installing it to the banjo pot.
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Once your pot and resonator are completely assembled, attach the neck to the pot assembly. Ensure the neck and pot are flush to each other and centered, then secure the neck, using a coordinating rod or lag bolts.
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Setting the pot assembly face up (resonator side down) and screw the tailpiece onto the banjo.
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String your banjo, holding the bridge upright to position and secure it as you add the strings. Make sure the bridge is straight up and down relative to the sounding membrane and perpendicular to the strings. Tune your banjo by adjusting the tuning pegs and the bridge position. Use a pitch pipe or electric tuner as a guide to adjust the pitch.
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