Ordering my banjo felt like a back-alley deal. I had driven almost an hour to a travel plaza just off the interstate. I was looking for a guy in a minivan and a small arsenal of banjos. Were these some kind of contraband goods? All I knew is that I wanted one.
I met Bill Van Horn in a gas station parking lot off I-76 in Lodi, Ohio, on a steamy summer day. We first corresponded through the Banjo Hangout, an online forum for players. He had compared the banjos he built to the Enoch Tradesman, only way cheaper and with a Dobson tone ring. His banjos felt solid in my hand, and I loved the sound. After the meeting, I devised a savings plan and placed my order in mid-September.
The banjo would have a thin 12-inch maple rim, a Fiberskyn head, no-knot tail piece, 24.25-inch scale walnut neck with Chechen wood fingerboard, a frailing scoop and a paddle-shaped peg head. Van Horn said it would be ready by the New Year. Being unmarried and having relatively few financial responsibilities at the time, I was able to squirrel away the money fairly quickly. Which was good, because my banjo was done early.
Today marks 10 years since I picked up my banjo, meeting Van Horn in the food court of the Ohio Station Outlets.
The idea of saving up money for a new banjo today seems mystifying, with a family, a mortgage, two car payments, etc. During the past decade, I have lusted after many a banjo that have crossed my path. However, none have made me so desperate that I would sell my B&P Blackfork banjo.
This instrument has served me well, and I've even gotten a few others interested in Van Horn's banjos. Every once in a while I'll get an email from someone asking about them. Sadly, he stopped building and playing banjos a couple years ago because of pain in his hand. Someone emailed me about year ago telling me he had bought Van Horn's personal banjo, and then asked if I was interested in selling mine.
I've tinkered with my banjo quite a bit. Shortly after getting it, I switched to a goatskin head, which I only just recently replaced with a thicker calfskin head. That previous head lasted almost eight years. I changed out the no-knot for a Will Fielding tailpiece. I've gone back and forth between nylon and steel strings over the years. I got a Bart Veerman bridge that sounds great. Anytime I start to get bored with the sound of my banjo, I just change something and find a whole new level of joy.
Truthfully, I think that's the greatest thing about the banjo in general. There are so many variables that you can adjust to change the sound of your instrument. While I would like a new banjo someday, I still love this banjo. It has served me well for the last 10 years. Happy birthday, old chum.
Posts to reminisce about my Bill Van Horn banjo:
I met Bill Van Horn in a gas station parking lot off I-76 in Lodi, Ohio, on a steamy summer day. We first corresponded through the Banjo Hangout, an online forum for players. He had compared the banjos he built to the Enoch Tradesman, only way cheaper and with a Dobson tone ring. His banjos felt solid in my hand, and I loved the sound. After the meeting, I devised a savings plan and placed my order in mid-September.
Today marks 10 years since I picked up my banjo, meeting Van Horn in the food court of the Ohio Station Outlets.
The idea of saving up money for a new banjo today seems mystifying, with a family, a mortgage, two car payments, etc. During the past decade, I have lusted after many a banjo that have crossed my path. However, none have made me so desperate that I would sell my B&P Blackfork banjo.
This instrument has served me well, and I've even gotten a few others interested in Van Horn's banjos. Every once in a while I'll get an email from someone asking about them. Sadly, he stopped building and playing banjos a couple years ago because of pain in his hand. Someone emailed me about year ago telling me he had bought Van Horn's personal banjo, and then asked if I was interested in selling mine.
Truthfully, I think that's the greatest thing about the banjo in general. There are so many variables that you can adjust to change the sound of your instrument. While I would like a new banjo someday, I still love this banjo. It has served me well for the last 10 years. Happy birthday, old chum.
Posts to reminisce about my Bill Van Horn banjo:
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