i built this for the Knotwells former banjo player, joel2 (myself being joel1 or THE joel). here we are side by side, playing a barn show at aspen farm outside of viroqua, wi. this is the only live shot of the banjo i have. i'm playing my
paddle bass in this picture by the look of it.
back in those days we were still mainly writing and playing loud and fast. feedback was a constant issue with any acoustic instruments we tried to bring into the band amplified. joel2 had seen some other "solidbody" banjos made by other builders and brought the idea to me.
the concept at work is that the electro-magnetic(guitar-style) pickup is far less prone to feeding back than the piezo or contact pickup (mounted on the drum head) which is more frequently used in acoustic instruments.
so, the guitar pickup is for the loud shows with a p.a. and stage monitors. the piezo is for house shows or practices as it more accurately reproduces the acoustic sound of the banjo. i can't remember how i wired the controls but i think it's mag volume/piezo volume/tone.
the other main feature is the full length 5th string. i had also seen other builders using a similar set up on their banjos and really liked the idea of getting the tuner off the middle of the neck and up on the head with the other tuners where they belong.
the 5th string still begins at the 5th fret as usual, but then goes up to the head though a channel, running under a string ball-end between frets 2 and 3.
the fingerboard is wenge and the inlays are black pearloid shaped like bicycle gears. joel2 co-owned a bike shop in minneapolis before he moved out of state.
the scroll inlay, the corners, and headstock are all supposed to be reminiscent of an f-style mandolin by joel2's design request.
here's another version of the logo i wish i'd never used.
the body is made of mahogany with a flamed maple top. the neck, cover plates and armrest are flamed maple too. i used a water-based laquer for the sunburst finish. though it was nowhere near as toxic, it was a lot more difficult to sand and buff than regular laquer, so i'll probably not use it anymore either.
Beautiful instrument! I have been asked to convert a telecaster into an electric banjo, may I ask what you used for the tone ring and head? ANd how you mounted it? I have a few ideas but your instrument speaks for your opinion!
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Dave
i didn't know you were a luthier as well as a filmmaker! i really love "dumbland". i think i actually used a little latin percussion hand drum for the tone ring and head. the drum was a one piece moulded plastic rim. i had to rout some elaborate inner shelves so the drum rim would set in from the top and tighten from the rear. the rim hooks go through the body and thread into inserts. i had to use a plain round hoop instead of the fancy head rim that came on the drum in order to use hooks instead of the square drum lugs which would've required routing out the front gap more, which i didn't want to do( i don't remember exactly why).
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