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Pine Cone - Posted - 10/26/2012: 20:31:01
I'm starting the build of a 6-string LoJo. I made myself a DYI kit based on a Gold Tone OT-6 Neck and a 12" x 3.5" cherry rim made by Bill Rickard with one of Bill's raw brass Tubaphone-style tone rings and Rickard's nickle-plated hardware including his new grooved tension hoop.
JWalk started the whole though process when he posted about his Brooks 6-string. I saw a few 6-string LoJo's for sale here on the Hangout, but they weren't quite what I wanted. I have used Gold Tone necks in the past to build up three parts banjos, and also have two of their stock banjos. I really like their necks, but the stock Gold Tone OT-6 comes with a simple brass tone ring and I like Bill Rickard's tubaphones, and already built one of his 12" Tubaphone banjo kits as well as one of his Dobson-style kits.
I started out thinking I could use some parts I had on hand with a GT OT-6 neck. Then I realized that at the very least I needed to get a 6-string bridge and tail piece in addition to the neck. I also decided to get the set of turners from Wayne at Gold Tone. When the parts arrived, I realized the neck didn't really fit well with the parts I had around the house. The OT-6 neck has a pretty deep heel, and it is wide where the neck joins the pot. Not a major surprise, but I just hadn't considered how the neck would fit between the brackets closest to the neck or how the extra-wide neck would fit with a standard 5-string tension hoop.
I ended up ordering a new cherry 2-ply rim from Bill Rickard. While I was at it it seemed reasonable to have it machined for a tubaphone ring, and so that ment I also needed a tubaphone tone ring. I compared the width of the neck with the Rickard 12" tension hoops and thought they would work without modifications. I had seen a picture earlier this year of his new grooved tension hoop and thought it looked nice, so I added one to the order as well as brackets, etc. to complete the DYI kit.
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Should be a fun project. I'll keep you posted as I make progress.
 Most of the Parts |  Neck, rim, and tonering |  Headstock detail |  Tension hoop |
 Quick test fit |
Pine Cone - Posted - 10/28/2012: 21:30:54
So where to start? This is my 4th DYI parts banjo build.
First and most important is to figure out what you need to know. The real guts to a parts banjo is attaching the neck to the rim so everything fits as well as it can. You want to get the neck centered on the rim and you want the neck angle at the heel of the neck to mate with the rim with no gaps.
In this case, the rim has never been on a banjo before, so once you decide how you want to attach the neck, it comes down to finding the centerline location of the neck and tailpiece on the rim. The neck had been used on another banjo before, but the coordinator rod holes had been re-drilled and filled with dowel plugs. Start by finding the centerline of the neck at the heel, then find the centerline at the nut. Next find the correct angle for the connection of the neck to the rim. Normally this means finding a shim of an appropriate thickness that can be placed below the fingerboard near the nut so that the heel of the neck lines up against the rim without gaps.
Last and least important from a playing standpoint is to figure out what you want it to look like as a finished banjo. Do you stain the rim? Anything to add to the rim or neck? Carvings? Stains? Finish? Inlays?
So here are some pictures of the weekend's progress... Planning on installing a herringbone inlay strip in the rim. Routed the groove today. Probably stain the rim dark with transtint dyes, but I might let it darken naturally.
 Neck heel with plugs |  Neck Centerline on Rim |  Shim at 1st fret to set neck angle |  Rounded Rim Edges |
 |  Groove in rim for herringbone inlay strip |  Neck To RIm FIt wth Neck shimmed |
Pine Cone - Posted - 10/31/2012: 20:57:06
Decided to stain the rim with Transfast Medium Reddish Brown dye, added the herringbone purfling, and put on the first coat of MinWax Satin WipeOn poly. Had a scare when it came time to put the purfling into the rim. Used the same router bit I have used before, same source for the herringbone inlay strip, but tonight it didn't fit into the routed slot. It has been raining hard for the last few days, and the inlay strip had absorbed water and its diameter increased. The inlay strip was too wide to fit into the slot routed into the rim. Solved the problem by baking the purfling strip at 350 degrees for 1 minute, then letting it dry out some more for another 5 minutes before I glued it onto the rim. Heating the herringbone strip dried the wood and shrank the diameter of the inlay strip enough so it fit the routed slot in the rim.
Edited by - Pine Cone on 10/31/2012 21:07:38
 Transfast dye, herringbone purfling, MinWax Satin WipeOn Poly |
Pine Cone - Posted - 11/04/2012: 22:21:03
Got it finished this weekend. Here are some pictures of the finished product. Still working on setup issues and waiting for everything to settle in. I'll post some sound clips once I figure out what to do with the extra string. The scale length is about 25 3/4" and right now I have it tuned up to "A" or Double-D with the low 5th string tuned to A. Fun to play and has a nice deep sound.
 Front View |  Rear/Side View |  Side View |
Pine Cone - Posted - 11/07/2012: 22:22:23
Here is a version of Sally in the Garden, tuned aADADE Interesting trying to figure out how best to use the extra range.
 Sally in the Garden |
Pine Cone - Posted - 11/09/2012: 21:53:54
Thanks for the comments. Playing it is starting to come together. Here is another tune, Cold Frosty Morning, again in aADADE.
Cold Frosty Morning |
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