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| With my son, Henry, in 2014. Photo: Rob Howard |
My aim is to create unique objects of beauty at a fair price. I want my banjos to be well-made, comfortable and sensuous to play, solid, simple and tasteful. Each banjo is different, but I always seek a satisfying mix of the powerful, evocative, soulful, deep, resonant, plunky, thumpy, clucky, pingy, plingy and plongy sounds that we love about the 5-string open-back banjo. I prefer goat- and calf-skin heads. For wood, I use mostly black walnut from a tree that used to be behind my barn, as well as cherry and maple. I use mostly raw-brass hardware, which receives a rich patina before leaving the shop. I specialize in and prefer slotted pegheads and slotted 5th string tuners, which are placed at the 7th fret. I am also partial to "spunover" pots.
In the end, it's up to you. We'll discuss what you're looking for.
One thing that distinguishes my banjos is the finish - I use a natural, 'open' finish of shellac, hempseed oil, beeswax and propolis that gets better as it ages and can be 'fed' whenever it wears thin.
One thing that distinguishes my banjos is the finish - I use a natural, 'open' finish of shellac, hempseed oil, beeswax and propolis that gets better as it ages and can be 'fed' whenever it wears thin.
I first got into clawhammer banjo and old-time music in 2008. But I have always loved making music and making things. I have an MFA from Hunter College, CUNY and studied Painting and Sculpture at Bennington College. I taught art and aesthetic theory at SUNY New Paltz from 2000-2012. I played in bands in high school and college.
I began making banjos in October of 2012 when I attended Will Fielding's 2-week workshop at the Whetstone School of Lutherie in Brattleboro, VT.
When I'm not making a banjo, I'm probably skiing. I'm also Executive Co-Director of North London Mill Preservation, Inc. (NoLo), a Colorado non-profit I co-founded that is working to rehabilitate an historic gold-mining site near Alma, CO for backcountry recreation and education.
