Dave Brown
Dave is a blacksmith and banjophile who lives in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Boy, can he make tone rings!
Here are a few pictures of his "Round Peak Goodtime":
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front |
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back |
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side |
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pot rear |
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frailing scoop |
Dave stripped, sanded and stained the wood a nice medium pecan (Colonial Pecan stain, shellac sealer, Tru-oil finish).
He reshaped the peghead
and finished it with black automotive acrylic finish (also on the flush-fretted
zone and along the binding area for faux ebony fingerboard look).
He removed the frets and in their place
put some .025" brass shim
stock. They are now set, filed and sanded (to 400 grit emery paper) flush. A
flush brass fingerboard occupies the position of the first 9 frets.
Dave made and installed a 1/4"-round rolled brass tone ring for the semi-archtop effect and cut a frailing scoop (above 20th fret).
Hear this banjo played by Dave himself : Liza Jane
The head is the stock Deering/Remo unit supporting a Cocobolo bridge (larger/heavier food print for mellow tone). Strings are Dave's own select synthetic (not nylon) strings. Unlike the Sands and LaBella strings, his are are NOT nylon, nor are they Nylgut. They are a Fluorocarbon monofilament of his own choosing.
Tools Used: Band saw, rasp, file, sanding drum mounted in drill, sand paper. Tin snips and a file for the flush frets and the brass board. Filled the original peg holes with maple dowel and sanded flush, redrilled for repositioned pegs.
Dave is working on another mod. We'll have it here when it is ready!
note: The photos are Dave's and have not been edited by me.