Socks Comes to Visit!

Thanksgiving 2007 will be a memorable one. It was wonderful to have both boys home for the holiday and to travel to Bartlesville to celebrate with family. A new addition was welcomed...the center of attention actually. Brad has adopted a new puppy...mix of Australian shepherd and chocolate lab...Gorgeous dog and seemingly smart at 10 weeks old. A picture says more than a thousand words so here he is! Cute, huh! The name he came with is Socks but Brad is still trying to come up with another name. I like Socks but Todd thinks Thaddeus Cornelius Wellington the Seventh would be good...go figure. Poor dog doesn't know his name yet. For other Thanksgiving Day pics follow this link: http://picasaweb.google.com/John.S.Spain/Thanksgiving2007

A New Minstrel Banjo is Born!!!

The newest banjo has finally been completed! It is a minstrel type, typical of banjo construction before and after the Civil War. It has a 13" diameter pot and cherry neck with walnut fingerboard and peghead overlay. I started the project on the 4th of July weekend by steaming a 4 foot piece of 1/4" oak for the rim and bending it around a form. You have to be a little nuts to sit around a steam box on the 4th of July in Arkansas!

The banjo sounds similar to the gourd ones as it is tuned 2 1/2 steps lower than modern banjos and uses gut strings. These strings are actually Nylgut (made in Italy for banjos) which simulates real gut without all the stretching and weather related problems. Pegs are ebony violin pegs and tapered to fit the holes. A real violin reamer is essential for tapering that hole. The head is goatskin wetted and stretched with the hoops. Brackets were cut out of brass and the hooks are brass rod which I threaded on one end. The tension ring is steel (wanted brass but just couldn't find any!) but looks very authentic.

Here's a little video with pictures and the tune "Buffalo Gals" played on it. Hope you enjoy it!