The Glory-Beaming Banjo

Thirty-seven years ago, before the pandemic, the September 2018 issue of The Old-Time Herald (Vol. 14, No. 10) featured an illustrated story about Dick Justice by Taylor W. Rushing . That led me to follow him and his illustration company Not Bad Illustration on Instagram.  Rushing shares his various art projects, such as wood carvings and drawings, as well as items for sale, such as tote bags, T-shirts and stickers. As Rushing is also involved in the old-time music community, some of his art reflects this interest. He recently posted about a new fiddle-related sticker available through his online store .  I couldn't resist. For $4, including shipping and handling, I quickly received this awesome "Old-Time Fiddling" sticker. This is a perfect case sticker.  The quality is superb, as the sticker is thick and adheres well. If you're in the market for a new case sticker, I highly recommend Rushing's offerings. He has a number of other designs you might be interested...

Local old-time sessions have been canceled amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and I suspect festivals will start feeling the effects soon as we move toward summer. For instance, organizers have recently announced that the John Hartford Memorial Festival  has been postponed until September. My local festivals don't start rolling along until July, so hopefully they'll still be able to continue. Chances are I won't be hauling my banjo anywhere soon. However, I did get chance the last two months to test my new Boulder Alpine gig bag . I lugged my banjo to the Lake Erie Folk Festival in February and to a local jam at the beginning of March before Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine closed local businesses and issued a stay-at-home order. Now, the only place I take my banjo is to my front porch. And I don't need a gig bag for that. In my two experiences using it, however, I was very pleased with the results. The Boulder Alpine gig bag is lightweight and comfortable to carry. There are a se...

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...

It may seem like a silly notion, but a new strap might be helping me play more banjo. For the longest time, I had a homemade strap fashioned from a leather belt blank, some grommets and leather shoelaces. It worked fine, but it was a royal pain in the you know what to put on and take off. For Christmas, I received a brown Neotech Slimline Strap , and I couldn't be happier. As shown in this video , the attachment loops have a quick connect clasp for easy installation. Also, when I'm sitting down to play, I can quickly remove the strap without removing the attachment loops. Furthermore, the leather is attractive, and the overall strap seems very sturdy. The memory foam padding provides a high level of comfort, especially compared to my DIY strap that had no padding whatsoever. However, the best thing about the strap is that I can stand up to play, and that new development has been a real boon to my playing time over the last month. Having an active 16-month at home, sit...

Last month I mentioned  ordering a new bridge for my banjo from Bart Veerman . After a thorough test drive of my revamped banjo, I'm here to deliver a thorough review . What I ordered: Basic two-footed bridge, 5/8-inch tall, mystery wood, no top, 46-millimeter “clawhammer” string spacing. (Cost: $20, including shipping.) My banjo specs: Short scale, walnut neck, 12-inch thin maple rim (Keller drum shell), Dobson tone ring, thin goatskin head, Chris Sands heavy strings. (See review here .) Selection: Bart offers a wide variety of bridge styles with a long list of options to customize each bridge order. You can specify number of legs, height, wood, finish, string spacing, compensation and more. Price: Bart’s bridges start at $15 and escalate in price depending on the myriad options available for customization. Your base option offers choice of height, wood and string spacing. Shipping is $3 within Canada, $5 to the United States and $7 elsewhere. Availability: You can or...