I've been working towards building a gourd banjo for a couple years now. I'm waiting on the gourds to dry out after my second to last wash. I'm a bit anxious, but this is giving me some confidence. Woodworking is one thing, but building an instrument is a daunting task.
I usually get my gourds already dried out but I hope to grow some next year just for the complete experience. Before I started making instruments I made tables, chairs, and music stands from maple and walnut. Making an instrument uses many of the same tools and skills. Good luck!
My mom is eighty three and still a pencil jammer, no internet. But When I show her your music , great playing and sing ability :-) she always gets a smile on her face.
That sounds real nice! Knitting needles were a great idea. Also, it seems that screwing the dowel end in (instead of punching an exit hole through the gourd) makes setting the neck angle much easier. As I’m marshalling my resources (knowledge and materials) in preparation for my first attempt at a gourd banjo, that neck angle step of the process is giving me some anxiety, and you’ve provided a simple solution that ends up sounding just fine! Thank you for that.
Great Sugar in the Gourd rendition; great banjo too, though yes, it'd be neat if the neck made full contact with the gourd. Gourd instruments are interesting that way though, kind of difficult in their own way.
+Michael McGowan I may make another gourd fiddle soon and will try to do some vids. It's actually pretty much the same steps for both instruments just with a violin neck attached.
Ive now learned two songs because of your videos (sugar in the gourd and waynsboro) and you've inspired me to try building a fretless gourd banjo of my own. Do you have a suggestion for a place i could find a good neck template?
Cool! They're both great tunes! I used a factory made banjo to trace out the neck shape when I was first starting'. On fretless banjos I make the neck a bit wider than a factory banjo with frets usually is. About 1 1/4 at the nut and 2'' at the other end. Good luck with your banjo!
Thanks Dan. Not just the cow but also the gourd and the wood used live on thru the music. And, in a way, myself too since I expect some of my instruments to still be vibrating after I'm gone!
Looking back at this I think I should have fit the neck and heel to contact the gourd. It would likely have transferred more vibrations that way. With the uneven shape of most gourds it takes some skill and patience to do that and I may have been short on one or both of those when I made this!
Hey Old Crow, these are Aquila Super Nylgut Classic Banjo Medium Tension. 1B. I've ordered what I thought was the same set in the past and they contained a normal looking wound 4th string so I'm not sure about the difference. Both sets sound good to me!
This one cost less than 50 USD. $8 for the gourd, $10 strings, $12 wood for the neck and $14 for the calfskin head. The violin tuners were about $5 for all five. Of course some of the tools cost more money but this can be done with a few basic woodworking tools.
Wow..such incredible sound and craftsmanship. Thank you!
I've been working towards building a gourd banjo for a couple years now. I'm waiting on the gourds to dry out after my second to last wash. I'm a bit anxious, but this is giving me some confidence. Woodworking is one thing, but building an instrument is a daunting task.
I usually get my gourds already dried out but I hope to grow some next year just for the complete experience. Before I started making instruments I made tables, chairs, and music stands from maple and walnut. Making an instrument uses many of the same tools and skills. Good luck!
My mom is eighty three and still a pencil jammer, no internet. But When I show her your music , great playing and sing ability :-) she always gets a smile on her face.
Hearing that makes me very happy!
Here's me playing with my 94 year old mother.
ruclips.net/video/s0iwzOOAMDg/видео.html
That sounds real nice! Knitting needles were a great idea. Also, it seems that screwing the dowel end in (instead of punching an exit hole through the gourd) makes setting the neck angle much easier. As I’m marshalling my resources (knowledge and materials) in preparation for my first attempt at a gourd banjo, that neck angle step of the process is giving me some anxiety, and you’ve provided a simple solution that ends up sounding just fine! Thank you for that.
Thank you! Good luck with yours.
@@morbanjo2503 Thank you!
You really make the best instruments. Awesome job.
Thanks Aaron.
That is pure genius,,.....
Thank you!
@@morbanjo2503 can I ask how much you are asking...
@daviddavidstorch2307 usually around 200 bucks
@@morbanjo2503 that's reasonable, do you sell the banjo s ass well ?
@@daviddavidstorch2307 Yessir, banjos too.
Mighty impressive
Thank you.
Very nice!
This sounds twice as good as a "real" banjo
Thank you! I'm not a big fan of twangy, plinky bluegrass banjo sounds but love the plunk sound of this type of banjo.
@@morbanjo2503 same here
Great Sugar in the Gourd rendition; great banjo too, though yes, it'd be neat if the neck made full contact with the gourd. Gourd instruments are interesting that way though, kind of difficult in their own way.
Thanks!
Im making a salad bowl banjo, and these are awesome tricks I hope to use in the future!!
Thanks. Good luck with the salad bowl banjo!
Could you do a tutorial on the gourd violin? loved this series btw
+Michael McGowan I may make another gourd fiddle soon and will try to do some vids. It's actually pretty much the same steps for both instruments just with a violin neck attached.
I think you could play a 2x4 with string on it and it would sound good! Most enjoyable, Jimp
Thanks! I've made some fun instruments from 2x4's!
hello, I liked it, I'll try to do it, could you tell me what kind of strings you used? thanks for your videos
The strings are Aquila Nylgut.
love this tune!
Me too!
Ive now learned two songs because of your videos (sugar in the gourd and waynsboro) and you've inspired me to try building a fretless gourd banjo of my own. Do you have a suggestion for a place i could find a good neck template?
Cool! They're both great tunes! I used a factory made banjo to trace out the neck shape when I was first starting'. On fretless banjos I make the neck a bit wider than a factory banjo with frets usually is. About 1 1/4 at the nut and 2'' at the other end. Good luck with your banjo!
i am looking to build my first ever banjo, do i have to change the neck at all to add frets? I'm still a beginner
Toll! Sie singen das Lied sehr schön.
Danke!
Er ist schön. Lieben Sie dieses Musik? Ich spiele das Musik auch.
Hello Sir, i have been planning on making a gourd banjo. How large does a gourd need to be for a banjo?
Awesome :-)
+C Schmidt Thanks!
Do you think it would be a problem if I get a synthetic skin instead of calfskin?
The only problem with a synthetic head is devising a way to tension it. Natural skin shrinks when it dries and that's how it tightens up.
Do you have any pointers on putting on the Aquila strings. Tried putting on a set and could never get them to tune and ultimately broke one
I usually tune these strings down several steps so instead of G tuning it it's actually down around D or E.
Mighty fine clawhammer pickin` and banjer makin` with Cow skin top! In a sense that Cow lives on thru the music being played on this instrument!
Thanks Dan. Not just the cow but also the gourd and the wood used live on thru the music. And, in a way, myself too since I expect some of my instruments to still be vibrating after I'm gone!
Good point! The wood (Tree) will live on too! Were all apart of that big river of life with many tributaries a-flowin` into it.
Yessir Dan. That's the way I look at it.
Are you not supposed to have the heel in contact with the gourd like on a wood pot banjo?
Looking back at this I think I should have fit the neck and heel to contact the gourd. It would likely have transferred more vibrations that way. With the uneven shape of most gourds it takes some skill and patience to do that and I may have been short on one or both of those when I made this!
WHAT SIZE ARE THE AQUILA STRINGS WITH THAT RED 4TH STRING,THANKS MOR
Hey Old Crow, these are Aquila Super Nylgut Classic Banjo Medium Tension. 1B. I've ordered what I thought was the same set in the past and they contained a normal looking wound 4th string so I'm not sure about the difference. Both sets sound good to me!
thanks
How much it costs to build one?
This one cost less than 50 USD. $8 for the gourd, $10 strings, $12 wood for the neck and $14 for the calfskin head. The violin tuners were about $5 for all five. Of course some of the tools cost more money but this can be done with a few basic woodworking tools.
@@morbanjo2503 very nice! Thank you