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Bill Rogers - Posted - 11/03/2009: 15:31:47
That's weird one. Looks like Vega flange pieces, which means it's a bolts-through the shell rim.
Bill
jethrobodine - Posted - 11/03/2009: 16:49:56
What's the deal with that tailpiece? Looks like a part out of a meat grinder. 
lethegoodtimesroll - Posted - 11/13/2009: 03:43:35
QUIZ TIME..what familier part is out of sequence on Reno's Banjo in this picture?
earl91 - Posted - 11/13/2009: 05:23:25
The inlays on the neck are in the wrong place and up side down. :)
For some reason my wife does not like banjo music. But I cant see why i love to play it all the time.
"This here man is such a sap he won't hold you on his lap. Unless you are an old 5 string banjo."
Jason Skinner - Posted - 11/16/2009: 15:21:46
There is an interesting history behind that banjo and the builder. We had a recent discussion about it on The Don Reno Fan Club. My good friend Jeremy Stephens provided a lot of info on it. Here's the discussion as it appeared on The Don Reno Fan Club:
"Topic: Don's archtop?
Post #1
Frankie Allen Revell (Washington, DC) wrote on October 27, 2009 at 6:49pm
So, I've heard rumors that Don played an archtop banjo at one time. Is this true?
Post #2
Jason Skinner wrote on October 28, 2009 at 2:47pm
Hi Frankie. Well the answer is yes and no. You can see Don playing a ball bearing banjo (arch top) and Raplh Stanley's arch top in the Reno and Smiley "The Early Years" video on youtube. But that was a pretty rare occasion and he didn't own the ball bearing banjo. But Don did play a custom made arch top banjo for a very short time in the 70's. He didn't keep it very long and eventually moved on to the Stelling. You can see a picture of it on cover of the rare album Mr.5-String Banjo On Stage. But for the most part he has always played a flat head as his main banjo. But an archtop would seem to be a good fit for him since he liked his banjos tight and bright.
Post #3
Frankie Allen Revell wrote on October 28, 2009 at 2:53pm
Wow. Do you know who made the custom banjo? Also, do you have a pic of the album cover that you are talking about?
Post #4
Jeremy Stephens (Liberty) wrote on October 29, 2009 at 8:27pm
Hey Frankie! Jason called me today to tell about your question there. I know a little bit about the custom made banjo that Don played some in the mid 70s. It was built by Don's good friend, Andy Boarman, who from the Shenandoah Valley of VA (there's a song in there somewhere). Andy is most noted as the maker of the "Dixie Grand" banjo. There are a few of these still around, and they are very nice banjos. Anyway, Andy built an archtop banjo for Don. Don played it for a while and figured that it didn't really suit him, so instead of selling it, he gave it back to Andy. This information comes to me from the person that owned this banjo until he passed away about 8 years ago. His name was Jim Coley. I haven't seen this banjo since probably 1999, but I remember it pretty well.
Post #5
Jeremy Stephens (Liberty) wrote on October 29, 2009 at 8:41pm
I'm not sure how Jim came about getting the banjo unless he bought it directly from Andy. What I remember about the banjo is that Don's name was inlayed on the peghead (which doesn't match up with the picture I have of don with the banjo - I think Andy probably changed the banjo around some before reselling it....just speculation) I also recall the tailpiece being unplated brass and warped: it dipped in the middle so there was space between the strings and the metal....very strange. It was a really long tailpiece too. There was an eagle or some sort of design inlayed in the resonator like a mosaic of mother of pearl (little squares of mother of pearl). Also the banjo had no wood rim. It was all metal and VERY shiny...possible chrome plated. It wasn't an extremely heavy banjo, so I don't know what kind of metal it was made of, but when you took of the resonator (which I did quite a few times) I remember that the metal shell was like a 1/4" thick at the botton, and it stayed that thickness up to the "tonering," which was the same piece of metal and it just fanned inward until about the right distance for where a normal archtop ring would stop and it came up above the level of the outside of the "rim" to make it an archtop. The banjo also had a multi-piece flange. By that I mean that it was like the old vega flanges where there was a piece of flange for each bracket, except Andy had his own design for the pieces. They didn't look like the Vega flanges.
Post #6
Frankie Allen Revell (Washington, DC) wrote on October 29, 2009 at 8:41pm
WOW! My Dad's 36 RB-3 Archtop Conversion Banjo that was built by Andy Boarman. My uncle has a banjo that Andy made for Don but Don gave back. My Dad is always talking about the "Dixie Grand" banjos. Did you know Andy? He was an interesting person. And, if I'm not mistaken, he actually lived in West Virginia. He has an album that was produced a while back which features Andy playing the banjo on one side and the autoharp on the other. My dad owns this LP. BTW, my Dad got his banjo from Andy by shaming him! Andy took ill in the 1970s and was brought back to health by several doctors, each of whom received a Dixie Grand! My Dad cornered Andy at a festival and shamed him by saying, Andy, none of these people that you are giving these damn banjos to can play them! Andy replied, "Freddy, I'ma got just enough stuff for one more banjo (he said this all the time) and I'ma gonna make it for you!" There is a song in there somewhere too! Do you know of anybody who owns a Dixie Grand?
Post #7
Frankie Allen Revell (Washington, DC) wroteon October 29, 2009 at 8:42pm
BTW I also started a forum on Andy Boarman on the banjohangout but only a few people replied, you should chime in.
Post #8
Jeremy Stephens (Liberty) wroteon October 29, 2009 at 8:43pm
i know 2 people that have Dixie Grands. This is great that you're familiar with Andy. I never got to meet him. He probably was from WV.
Post #9
Frankie Allen Revell (Washington, DC) wroteon October 29, 2009 at 8:46pm
Interesting, my uncle's banjo had Don's name in the fingerboard but he had it taken off before he bought it (we all thought that was kind of dumb!) That banjo also had an eagle in the resonator. Andy did some interesting (and fine) work. It is a great old flathead. Unfortunately my uncle has Alzheimer's Disease and isn't able to play it anymore. It is so great to run onto another person who knows Andy Boarman.
Post #10
Jeremy Stephens (Liberty) wroteon October 29, 2009 at 8:47pm
this is all new information for me. sounds like andy probably made several banjos for Don. Who knows which one is actually in the picture!!
Post #11
Frankie Allen Revell (Washington, DC) wroteon October 29, 2009 at 8:48pm
My grandfather used to tell me that Don Reno cut an album with my uncle's banjo before returning it to Andy. I don't know if it was just one of Ray Davis' albums or if it was another one.
Post #12
Jason Skinner wroteon October 29, 2009 at 9:09pm
Hey Jeremy thanks for the information. Frankie that's really interesting that you have a connection to the banjo and didn't even know it!! I played one of Boarman's Reno banjos at a festival years ago. It had an eagle on the back too. I thought it was the Jim Coley banjo that I played but maybe it was your uncle's banjo. I can't remember who had it. It was at Christopher Run Bluegrass festival in VA. Could it have been your uncle's banjo? I wonder how many Reno banjos Boarman made? Maybe the one your uncle has is the one Reno recorded that live album with. The mysteries continue!!
Post #13
Jason Skinner wroteon October 30, 2009 at 3:31pm
Here's some interesting info I found on Andy Boarman.
http://books.google.com/books?id=hv...rman&f=false
Post #14
Frankie Allen Revell (Washington, DC) wrote on October 31, 2009 at 8:50pm
Jason, I doubt that you played my uncle's banjo as he is an introvert and never goes out, also with the Alzheimer's he really isn't able to anymore. Also, my uncle's banjo is a flathead and not an archtop. A distinctive feature of the Boarman banjos does seem to be the eagle in the resonator. Andy was a great guy, I got to meet him several times. I guess he has been gone for over 15 years now. He was a very private man. He never taught anybody else his techniques for fixing, building, repairing, or setting up banjos so when he died, so did his knowledge. It's a shame because he had so much to share with the banjo community. He has a son that still lives in the area near my parents, I should look him up sometime.
Post #15
Jason Skinner wrote on October 31, 2009 at 10:58pm
hey Frankie,
When I played that banjo it was at least 15 years ago. Plus I don't remember if that particular banjo was a flat head or archtop. Did your uncle ever go to Christopher Run Bluegrass festival back then?
Post #16
Frankie Allen Revell (Washington, DC) wrote on November 1, 2009 at 6:17am
I don't think as recently as 15 years ago. I think he stopped traveling the festival circuits back in the 70s."
Be sure to come join the Don Reno Fan Club for more interesting discussions about the great Don Reno!!
No matter what level or how bad a picker is, they will have something you can learn from them.
For my Reno Style Instruction DVDs: www.renopicker.com
The Don Reno Fan Club: http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=133...140030464342
For rare Don Reno videos go here: www.youtube.com/user/renopicker
robbif - Posted - 11/16/2009: 17:21:13
How about here?
robbif - Posted - 11/16/2009: 17:39:59
Thanks Jason. I forgot this one...
New Paltz, NY 1974
renopker - Posted - 11/16/2009: 18:42:10
Hay Jason what songs he playing???
renopker - Posted - 11/16/2009: 19:00:05
and sitting in the best spot.
SandyR - Posted - 11/16/2009: 20:40:06
Great '74 shot. That's the look that made me say Bill Harrell was "the Henry Kissinger of bluegrass."
revellfa - Posted - 11/19/2009: 19:33:14
Wow that's the first time that I have seen a picture of Don's archtop. Did he cut that album with that banjo? All of this serves as a reminder to me of how much experimentation Don did with his banjo--I mean not just his playing, but with his banjo.
Also, it could very well be a Vega flange. Andy Boarman was known to mix and match quite a bit. As for that tailpiece, I think it is from the planet Zodar :)
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