banjotef - Posted - 02/09/2012:  18:27:56

I went to my favorite hardwoods outlet today,  Northwest Lumber in Indianapolis.   Took my banjo and some parts in progress;  they're always interested in what someone is building.  One of the guys there makes guitars using their extensive shop in the back.  I played on his latest build:  a nice dreadnaught guitar with quarter-sawn white oak back and sides.    The back was beautifully book matched,  and it has a great sound.

    They told me of a local guy that built a very simple banjo,  using.....GET THIS...hide from a rawhide chewing bone that you buy for a dog.   He bought the rawhide bone,  unrolled it,  and used in on a banjo!!   Never heard of that before,  but they said it worked just fine.   Hopefully I can see it sometime. 

Quartermaster James - Posted - 02/09/2012:  18:49:28

My first hide head was a skin I bought from MidEast. I wanted plunky, so I ordered one of their thick hides. Add to this that I'd never seen an actual hidehead banjo and new no better. The skin was about as thick as the cardboard backing on a writing pad, and about as stiff as a thin board when dry. Yep, them's were the daze!

Jason Wilkerson - Posted - 02/09/2012:  19:15:21

I bet that banjo really barked.

jduke - Posted - 02/09/2012:  19:19:10

My first hide head came in a tight roll from Stew-Mac.  I fumbled getting it out of the package and dropped it on the floor.  The fight was on between my dog and me; I won, but it was a tense few seconds.  He was a big dog and one of the cigar sized rawhide chews never lasted him very  long.

Jason Wilkerson - Posted - 02/09/2012:  19:22:03

quote:

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Originally posted by jduke

My first hide head came in a tight roll from Stew-Mac.  I fumbled getting it out of the package and dropped it on the floor.  The fight was on between my dog and me; I won, but it was a tense few seconds.  He was a big dog and one of the cigar sized rawhide chews never lasted him very  long.

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Did you ever catch your dog licking the hide after you mounted it?

mike gregory - Posted - 02/09/2012:  19:27:40

"...really barked..."

tkelsey - Posted - 02/10/2012:  03:38:18

'Growling Old Man...' must also have sounded great on that banjo.