Skip to main content

A New Golden Era

The banjo. What a glorious instrument.

The five-string banjo is an American invention. It has roots in a gourd-bodied instrument that slaves brought from Africa and then became mega-popular during the 1800s, when the black-face minstrel shows exploded like Rock and Roll did in the 1950s.

After the Civil War, banjos became a hot business item for manufacturers in New York City, Boston, Philadelphia and Chicago -- heck, even Cleveland had a banjo company headquartered there. From about 1880 until the Great Depression, innovations abounded in banjos from builders like the Dobson brothers, S.S. Stewart, Fairbanks, Bacon, Cole, Buckbee, Lyon & Healy and many more.

(For an in-depth history of the banjo, check out America's Instrument by Philip Gura and James Bollman. See Bill's Banjos and Mugwumps for some photos of these vintage gems.)

Banjos made during late 19th and early 20th centuries are highly sought after. Talk to any bluegrass banjo player and you'll likely hear them mention a "pre-war Gibson Mastertone" with a certain reverence. Old-Time banjo pickers often lust after Fairbanks White Laydies or Vega Tubaphones from the early 1900s. And these desires are well-merited, as these banjos were made during what might be termed a Golden Era for the instrument.

By in large, all those old manufacturers are gone. Their shadows appear in the models of current manufacturers that have bought the rights to a name, but have not duplicated the same quality as the originals.

However, if you look around today, you will find that building banjos has become a kind of cottage industry, with small boutique makers who are producing banjos that rival the vintage instruments made between the Civil War and World War II.

As this blog progresses, I will introduce some of the big names among the small builders. My primary focus will be on open-back banjos, as those are the banjos I'm interested in playing. We'll explore names like Jason Romero, Brooks Masten, Bart Reiter, Mike Ramsey, Doug Unger, JR Burns, and as many more as I can think of down the line. If you have a banjo builder you'd like me to write about, please make a suggestion in the comments.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Ultimate Banjo Joke Compendium

This post is dedicated to my friend Joel Specht. Ever since the Olitsky & Moskovitz concert last month, my son has been obsessed with banjo jokes. During one of the MANY tuning breaks, they asked the crowd to fill the time by telling their favorite quips about the old five-string. Joel told many that night. I've been trying to remember them, along with best ones I've heard over the years for when my son asks again, so I thought I'd make this list. Question: What's the difference between a banjo and an onion? Answer: Nobody cries when you cut up a banjo. Question: How do you know if the floor is level? Answer: The banjo player is drooling out of both sides of his mouth. Question: What's the difference between a banjo and trampoline? Answer: You take your shoes off to jump on a trampoline. Question: What's the definition of perfect pitch? Answer: When you can throw a banjo into a dumpster without hitting the sides. Question: How do yo

Clawhammer Picks and You: A Review

Clawhammer picks are a useful tool for increasing volume or to overcome fingernail challenges, such as broken, too short or weak nails. There are all sorts of commercial and homemade solutions available for banjo players, but it can be difficult to decide which options to choose. Thankfully, I've already done some of the work for you. Just to be clear, I prefer my natural fingernail for frailing. However, there was a time when I experimented with regularly using a pick, and there are instances now where I find that a pick is necessary. Today, I'll take you through the five options I've tried. These are all available online at prices ranging from about $1 to $13. Reversed/Reshaped Dunlop Pick ($0.75) This was the most common suggestion before other companies started addressing the gap in the clawhammer pick market. Take a bluegrass pick, flatten it out and wear it backwards. The problem is that it's hard to get the fit right. While Dunlop picks are cheap and r

Summer Blockbusters: Top 10 Banjo Movies

We’re nearing the end of the summer movie season, which this year has included blockbusters like Avengers: Infinity War , Solo: A Star Wars Story , Incredibles 2 and other movies, including some that weren’t produced by Disney. However, none of these films showcases a banjo in any way. It's not like the banjo hasn't been featured on the silver screen throughout film history. The five-string has starred in numerous movies, sometimes in its proper context as a musical instrument and other times as a comedic prop. Whether making a cameo or starring in the hands of the main character, it's well past time to present my Top 10 Banjo Blockbusters: O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000) Written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, this movie sucked me into the realm of old-time , bluegrass and country music in general. The banjo is featured in a number of songs on the soundtrack and shows up on screen a few times throughout the movie. Top Banjo Moment: Delmar picks the banjo b