5-string Openback Banjo no. 21E "GRANJO"

"GRANJA"

This banjo began as an experiment. It is built from spruce/pine. Can you build a banjo from spruce/pine at all? Will it play? Will it hold up? Spruce is used in both guitars and violins, but I have not seen spruce banjos. Spruce is easy to obtain.

Since finishing the banjo, I have been pleasantly surprised. It plays really well, clearly and with good power, fully on a par with other banjos. It has its own sound profile, towards the bright end of the tonal spectrum. It is not lacking in power. The pot is more solid and substantial than on my other banjos, to make it robust and increase the contact area between the wood and the fibre head. The neck is laminated from 5–7 strips of spruce set on edge.

11-inch pine block rim with a decorative mahogany ring.

Integrated tone ring. Extra-wide contact area with the fibre head. The shallow slope of the wooden tone ring increases contact with the head.

Substantial laminated spruce neck

Two brass coordinator rods

Rosewood fretboard

Ebony peghead

Quality gold-coloured tuning pegs

Beech armrest

The banjo is now in its testing phase. It plays well and matches other banjos in sound quality. The sound is brighter than that of a mahogany banjo. Tone colour is a matter of taste. This banjo is fitted with standard strings. It holds its tuning very well over time and plays in tune along the frets. So far, nothing suggests that spruce and pine cannot be used. As described, I have built it more substantially than my hardwood banjos, so it feels pleasantly firm and robust to play.