Shunk, PA USA Later, Sweeny partnered with a drum maker by the name of William Boucher. In 1843, a troupe called Virginia Minstrels put on the first full-length minstrel show in a New York City theater. Pete Ross Banjos: open-back 5-string banjos based on the designs of late 19th century banjos made by Dobson, Buckbee, Fairbanks, and Cole, with modernizations for the contemporary player. Mastercraft banjos have been around since the early 1970s, when the company was founded by John W. "Jack" Martin in the small town of Pickens, South Carolina. The following are my criteria for inclusion in this list. Windsor, 94 Newhall St. Birmingham, England', 95 cm long, American ukulele banjo, by Gibson, Ub-1 model, Michigan, circa 1920s, 'The Gibson' decal to headstock, 49 cm long, Lida cased banjo with mother of pearl inlay. As is typical for this early banjo style, the neck and fingerboard are made from a single piece of wood. Black string bands still performed at community dances at this time. The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. www.deanocraft.com Most experts 7 years earlier was the. But as he grew older, disagreements with his . Matthew Sabatella plays "Pompey Ran Away" on a banjo built by Pete Ross. Matsumoto, Nagano Japan 399-0015 249 South Kane Street The sound of the banjo became commonplace with their theme song for the television show, (1962-1971) and the prominent placement of their instrumental Foggy Mountain Breakdown in the 1967 film, Other prominent bluegrass banjo players, including Don Reno, Sonny Osborne, and Bill Keith, followed in Scruggs footsteps and broke ground of their own. Many details of these early gourd banjos are evident in the instruments built by European American banjo makers in the mid-nineteenth century. +1 (303) 449-0041 The instruments were at the core of White, Black, and integrated string bands, which might also include guitar, mandolin, harmonica, or other instruments. In some historical records, "playing banya" or "playing banjo" may have referred to the dance ritual, not the musical instrument. problem with this list? . www.quailcreekbanjos.com While musical tradition runs strong in bluegrass, a generation of younger players started taking the music in new directions in the 1970s. www.deeringbanjos.com Now owned by Geoff Stelling. It was tuned in fifths, like a mandolin or violin, and played by strumming with a plectrum, also known as a pick. The best banjos will utilize premium materials and produce rich vibrant tones. For several decades, minstrel shows were the most popular form of entertainment in the United States. However, bluegrass incorporates jazz influences and emphasizes instrumental virtuosity and improvised solo breaks, which were not prevalent in old-time music. SC.nb("tom", "banjo.ie", "", "", ""); Jeffrey P. Kramer Provenance: The Alex & Annette Hood Collection, NSW, An Italian mandolin with label 'Giov. Excellent student model, The Windsor 'Pyxe' banjo, c. 1920's, with original case. The banjos must be available for sale in the United States. Black musicians played the banjo to accompany singing and dancing, sometimes with percussion or hand clapping. Mike C. clocks4u NAWCC Member Sep 2, 2000 684 28 28 Played in the rural South since the second half of the nineteenth century, the banjo rose to become prominent in folk, country, old-time, and bluegrass music. 7, Birmingham, circa 1920, 96 cm long, English zither banjo, by Windsor, popular model no. SC.nb("stelling", "stellingbanjo.com", "", "", ""); Steve Gerritsen The brand focuses primarily on creating high-quality acoustic stringed instruments, with options available to all ability levels, styles, and budgets. How many strings? 137 Utah Avenue , hailed by many as among the first country-rock albums. As a material, it is harder and more stable than ebony, and is increasingly used by world-class guitar makers. In 1958, Mike Seeger (Petes half-brother), Tom Paley, and John Cohen formed the New Lost City Ramblers, a young group that remained faithful to old-time music traditions. South San Francisco, CA USA 94080 The genre is part of the Americana or American roots music category, which includes elements of traditional folk, country. The instrument shares design elements and playing techniques with a family of approximately eighty known West African plucked spike lutes. S. Stewart, the Student model, Grade 2, Philadelphia, circa 1900, open back with the factory mark impressed to verso, 82 cm long, American Orpheum mandolin banjo, by Rettberg & Lange, no. Early, relatively primitive designs of the instrument are African in origin and modern (designs) vaguely resemble these early versions. There are more than eighty-five documented banjo sightings in North America between 1736 and 1840. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2018. Conway, Cecilia. In the early twentieth century, manufacturers introduced the four-string, or tenor, banjo. www.buckeyebanjos.com Known is that the African slaves in America (in the 17th and 18th century) used to play some kind of simple instrument made from local materials, to accompany their songs and dances. Length 56.5 cm, diameter of body 20 cm. . during the 1970's. This one produced in 1977 and just recently returned to us. Progressive bluegrass continues today with artists such as Alison Krauss and Union Station, Infamous Stringdusters, and Yonder Mountain String Band. They share features that differentiate them from West African lutes, including a flat, fretless fingerboard, wooden friction tuning pegs, and the way the neck enters and attaches to the gourd body. Poco, New Riders of the Purple Sage, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and others carried country-rock into the 1970s and beyond. John Tyler was US President, slavery was not going to be abolished in the USA for another 23 years . made exclusively for Elderly Instruments and can be found on their website here. 3563 Highway 231 North SC.nb("ken", "levandesign.com", "", "", ""); DP Hopkins, Inc. Fairview, TN USA The builder must make and sell at least 12 banjos per year or have a history of having done so. Virtually Unplayed, One of the Nicest Examples. As African American musicians continued their innovations in blues, rhythm and blues, and gospel music, the guitars sustain and deep bottom end suited their musical needs better than the banjo. They played in both the African-rooted downstroke style, now commonly called frailing or clawhammer, and the two- and three-finger up-picking guitar styles taught in the banjo tutors. 23 Goodwood Lane, PO Box 442 Mostly open-back models. 1922 West Banta Road Pete Seeger, son of musicologist Charles Seeger, first heard the 5-string banjo in 1936 at the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival in western North Carolina, organized by Bascom Lamar Lunsford. It was played exclusively by Africans in America and African Americans during colonial times and the early United States. Year 1974 Serial Nos. These "Minstrel Era" wooden rim banjos are the result of those years of study. The strings are attached to the neck with leather or cloth rings. One of the most comprehensive lines of banjos of all types from any company. +1 (615) 429-6835 +1 (417) 839-5951 Eminence, MS USA Want to get on this list? +1 (615) 456-5486 7 years earlier was the Well built in Philadelphia (note the rosewood pot) around 1886 this 130 year old Samuel Stewart Piccolo travelled the world and ended up except Samuel S Stewart was not a well man. Progressive bluegrass, or newgrass, draws from a wider pool of musical influences than traditional bluegrass and might include more rock and, , which prompted tremendous interest in the raw, rural sounds of the banjo. Carter's Price Guide to Antiques in Australasia is Registered Trademark of John Furphy Pty. Early Baltimore Banjo Manufacturers Pete Ross and Greg Adams will revisit the Baltimore Museum of Industry exhibit on William Boucher and what we've learned about Baltimore banjo manufacturers since then. SC.nb("info", "tranjo.com", "", "", ""); Colin J. Vance By the end of the decade, other White solo banjo players in blackface became popular on the circus and variety show circuit. Length 76 cm, A Windsor Premium No. Furthermore, he continues his research and fine tunes his banjos regularly so that they look and sound as much like the banjos of the early minstrel period as possible. On June 19, 2022, I finally removed Gibson from the list. Does the peg head profile really tell you the maker? In its earliest form, the banjo can be traced as far back as 1620. . More than period recreations, these are instruments you can comfortably bring any banjo repertoire to. A Reliance banjo hardwood neck with nickelplated and wood body in a wood case. Copyright 2003-2023 by Will Fastie. SC.nb("laurie", "grundybanjos.com", "", "", ""); Arthur Hatfield These builders may make other types as well. Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five with Johnny St. Cyr on banjo: "Gut Bucket Blues" (1926). $4,000.00 USD - Used - Excellent Condition. In 2019, Giddens, in collaboration with Black banjo players Amythyst Kiah, Leyla McCalla, and Allison Russell, released the album Songs of Our Native Daughters. Somerville, TN USA 38068 The album included their interpretation of Tom Dooley, a song that was already old when G.B. 1026 W. 6th Place The body is a hollow gourd, calabash, or carved wood, covered like a drum with an animal hide. SC.nb("info", "deeringbanjos.com", "", "", ""); Scott also heads the Recording King custom shop in Japan. +1 (724) 943-4581 Also during the second half of the nineteenth century, banjo manufacturers began installing frets on the instrument. +1 (503) 568-3044 . Will's List of Banjo Makers, Builders & Manufacturers. SC.nb("hatfieldbanjos", "scrtc.com", "", "", ""); Allen & Monte Hendricks SC.nb("chuck", "chuckleebanjos.com", "", "", ""); As might be expected from the location, the majority of the business is in 4-string banjos. The disassociation of the banjo from its African roots is starting to reverse. Although there are a small number of individual craft makers of banjos in Britain, there hasn't been a 'banjo factory' producing instruments in large numbers since the 1950s. The Carolina Chocolate Drops with Dom Flemons on banjo: "Country Girl" (2012), Rhiannon Giddens and Dom Flemons, former members of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, continue to perform, explore, and tell the banjos story in live performances, recordings, writings, and interviews. SC.nb("banjobart", "aol.com", "", "", ""); Rob Bishline The book profiles the most important players and spotlights key luthiers and manufacturers. Create your own unique website with customizable templates. PETE ROSS is a banjo maker, researcher, and musician who lives in . Inclusion is at my sole discretion. SC.nb("Customer.Relations", "gibson.com", "", "", ""); Handcrafted, custom banjos for over 30 years. Fretted instruments, such as guitars and mandolins, are generally easier to play in tune than unfretted instruments, such as violins, violas, and cellos. Note that instruments made during the war by this renowned maker are rare. I'm happy to talk banjo if you have any special commission ideas youd like to talk about as well. The banjo is patterned after detail from "The Old Plantation" painting. +1 (339) 219-3047 Soon, banjo making consumed much of his spare time and began to eat into his business time. P.O. PO Box 89 The sound of the banjo became commonplace with their theme song for the television show The Beverly Hillbillies (1962-1971) and the prominent placement of their instrumental Foggy Mountain Breakdown in the 1967 film Bonnie & Clyde. 3 banjo with hardwood neck and nickel plated body, leatherette case. To this day, players who emulate his techniques are said to be playing either bluegrass- or Scruggs-style banjo. Search Enter Search Value: However, the nature of the fixed intervals requires some compromise in intonation. I have spent decades studying historic banjos and is happy to work with any early designs or collaborate on completely new design concepts beyond what you see here. They recorded string bands and solo musicians, often on location in makeshift recording studios, and released the music under the labels old-time, old familiar tunes, or hillbilly. Samantha Bumgarner from Dillsboro, North Carolina, recorded ten songs for Columbia Records in April 1924. Home of the Rickard "Cyclone" 10:1 tuners. www.banjo.ie The Banjo: Americas African Instrument. placement or size. Ken LeVan De Meglio & F. Glio' dated 1916, in original leather case. Banjo, Mandolin, and Guitar Club at West Virginia University in 1896. For all custom orders, I ask for a $300 non-refundable deposit, 1/2 of the total estimated cost of the banjo when I begin building, and the remainder upon completion. Franklin, TN USA Frank Goscha of Philadelphia is mentioned as having been one of the early banjo makers in America but no details of him or his products have ever come to light. The banjo clock was developed at the beginning of the 19th Century by renowned clock maker Simon Willard in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Badageoni Georgian Kitchen In Mt. 9700 Humboldt Avenue South Minstrel troupes marketed themselves as an authentic representation of Southern plantation life. Many White musicians learned to play banjo directly from African Americans. The tenor banjo lacked the short fifth string, which provided a single-note musical drone. Mills River, NC USA www.bishlinebanjos.com +1 (270) 646-5219 . 245 Industrial Pkwy S. 1865- Frank Converse Banjo primer published 1863-1897 James H. Buckbee Co., of New York largest maker. He has published detailed research into the banjo rim construction. , banjo manufacturers began installing frets on the instrument. Blue Lake, CA USA 95525 Carlin, Bob. The Banjo's Early Days. Tulsa, OK USA 74112 167 Walley Road, Franklin NY 13775 607-330-4330 Website Gallery Hartel Banjos are individually handmade with the finest materials using dimensions from original banjos of the Minstrel Era. Virtuosos like Bela Fleck have continued to extend the range of what a banjo can do. He had led the progress of the 5 string banjo to its peak, both as a piece of 1873 two Johns, Dallas & Brewster, were making banjos in Oxford Street, London but after a few years they split and Dallas went out on Was something wrong with the basic Sweeney design? In 1968, the Byrds brought it back home with their album Sweetheart of the Rodeo, hailed by many as among the first country-rock albums. 3733 Kenora Drive In original case, early 20th century. The earliest historical record of the banjo in North America was from a 1736 New-York Weekly Journal article. I owned an Epiphone long-neck in the '60s and it was an excellent banjo. The rigors of raising a family took precedence over banjo making, but eventually he returned to his craft and maintains a shop in Mesa Arizona. BJ005, length 101 cm. SC.nb("sales", "SHSAudio.com", "", "", ""); Frank Neat www.washburn.com, 56771 Lunar Drive Aurora, ON CAN L4G 3V5 Call me a sap; it hurt. When ragtime and blues music melded into jazz in the 1910s, the tenor banjo was one of the principal instruments in the rhythm section. The Birth of the Banjo: Joel Walker Sweeney and Early Minstrelsy. Stedman's specification of the Creole-Bania 's four strings as being "three long and one short" is the first and only period textual description of the typical string configuration for a 4-string early gourd banjo. No banjos currently in production, a sad condition for a past great name in instruments. Patrick Heavner & Topher Stephens With the group The Weavers, formed in 1948, Seeger took the banjo to the top of the popular music charts multiple times, though the orchestra arrangements on many of their recordings obscured it. He called it his "Willard's Improved Patent Time Piece". No. Eggleston, VA USA 24086 The Banjo Reserve recently contacted Simon Middleton, Founder and Managing Director of The Great British Banjo Company, . Mazow, Leo G. Picturing the Banjo. 791 Burton Ridge Road A plain round stick serves as a neck. It was tuned in fifths, like a mandolin or violin, and played by strumming with a plectrum, also known as a pick. James Hartel has been making and playing banjos on and off since 1973 when he made a banjo for his 2 year old daughter. Banjo: An Illustrated History. The practice continued in various forms, including film, radio, and television, into the 1950s. . 183 Cloverdale Dr. Gaddy, Kristina R.Well of Souls: Uncovering the Banjo's Hidden History. www.sagamusic.com. Many of the
www.levanbanjos.com Most colleges had banjo orchestras (sometimes calling them "banjo clubs") by the 1890s [29]. These banjos can have 10.5, 11 or 12 inch pots; with any rim/ tone ring combination available including Electric Prototype, Bacon reproduction, Whyte Laydie, Tubaphone, Dobson; and a standard 25.5 inch scale length, or a shorter 23.5 inch. A c.1920s George Houghton & Sons 'Model 3000' small banjo mandolin, eight steel strings, original bridge, fittings and case. 133 Marion Drive It has simple friction tuning pegs, and is strung with nylon strings. Downright Divisive: Examining the Early Banjo in Colonial Jamaica Early Version with Nickel Hardware and Full-Thickness Maple Rim. www.morganmonroe.com Prague CZ 3 special model, serial number 8382, New York, circa 1920s, intricate abalone shell inlay to fingerboard and headstock which also bears the Company logo. The collection became popular with urban college students and inspired many young musicians, including Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Jerry Garcia. Though there is little documentation, some may have picked up the instrument before the rise of minstrelsy. Realizing the recordings were made only a few decades earlier, disciples of the Anthology began seeking out some of the performers. Other musicians polished up the old sounds and made slick new commercial recordings. While some continued to play the instrument, there was a steep decline in the presence of the banjo in Black music. www.hicklerbanjo.com SC.nb("fnbanjo", "duo-county.com", "", "", ""); Unique. In 1992 he met banjo builder Bart Reiter who became a tremendous supporter of Mike's advising him about his work and helping him set up a production shop. Afton, VA USA 22920 Price 2 The Best Banjo Brands for Beginners 2.1 Rogue 2.2 Ibanez 2.3 Epiphone 2.4 Fender 2.5 Deering 2.6 Rogue When, Through the 1920s and early 1930s, the guitar gradually replaced the banjo in, As the banjo made inroads into middle-class American parlors during the second half of the nineteenth century, it also became integral to the music of the rural South. Haslett, MI USA 48840 Please contact us with any questions or inquiries. 3 special model, New York, circa 1915, the fingerboard intricately inlaid with abalone shell along with the Company logo to the headstock, with an open back, the label to interior of rim, 78 cm long, American banjo, by Samuel. Click the bar to view more details about the maker. www.hussanddalton.com. But in the early twentieth century, the banjo began to move to town. www.stealthbanjo.com Box 124 5, circa 1920, maker and model number impressed to the head stock, the fingerboard inlaid with mother-of-pearl.