gourd – We Saw a Chicken …

Banjo at home

Got some better pictures of the banjo yesterday. And sounds, too!

Please excuse the ropeyness of the following playing; I’d never played fretless until I built this:

Gourd Banjo workshop, day 5: the last day and the finished product

Be glad you can't smell Jeff cutting bone on the bandsaw

Finished bone tailpiece

Gourd with neck test-fitted

Pegs cut, drilled and doped

Mostly strung

Tailpiece, tail gut and cherry bridge

Jeff's workshop

Jeff helps Michael move some tacks

Michael and Jeff

Michael, Jeff, me â€” and our banjos

The finished banjo

Gourd Banjo Workshop, Day 4

Sam the shop dog

My gourd, with the skin still wet

Jeff and Michael's gourds

My gourd, dried now

Oiled necks drying in the sun

Gourd Banjo Workshop: the third day

Sam

Gourd: neck hole

Gourd: neck and dowel stick holes

Rough neck fit to gourd

Lipstick for fit checking

Final gourd/neck fit

Almost looks like a banjo

Artisanal Sound Port Installer

Gourd with sound port

Rooster

Gourd Banjo Workshop: Day 2

Finishing tuning pegs with the devil's pencil sharpener

Reaming the peg head

Gourd Banjo Workshop, day 1

I’m taking a gourd banjo building workshop at Jeffrey Menzies’ place up near Innisfil.

Uncut Gourds

My gourd, cut and faced

Rough neck blank

Jeff removing everything that doesn't look like a banjo neck