Noah Cline - Posted - 04/29/2013:  16:55:23

I have read in the Foxfire 3 that maple, cherry, and walnut were used often. I have been thinking about making a mountain style banjo for a while. What are your preferences?

beegee - Posted - 04/29/2013:  17:03:47

Walnut. But cherry will darken with exposure to light. Maple can have beautiful grain. I'd make one of each with identical features and appointments. One can never have too many banjos.

Noah Cline - Posted - 04/29/2013:  17:07:51

HaHa yeah that statement is definately true :). I do like the color of cherry. Maybe I'll go with that.

kmwaters - Posted - 04/29/2013:  17:14:03

I'm with Beegee. One of each!! I suppose despite the beauty of maple, many mountain music folks prefer a little mellow in there, so perhaps the walnut or cherry would soften things up. A friend out here in AZ makes internal resonator and open backs and I really like the sound of the walnuts best on those.

Montanarick - Posted - 04/29/2013:  17:18:34

I used poplar for the pot and maple for the neck......Would like to try cherry, walnut, etc.......soon as I get some time I will have one of each.....Rick

chip arnold - Posted - 04/29/2013:  17:20:28

Poplar is nice to work with. I like walnut but breathing the dust is awful. I'm making two of cherry right now and i think it's beautiful wood. Mahogany is nice too.

Camden - Posted - 04/29/2013:  17:20:43

Agreed with both the two above, there is a plethora of woods that are great for mountain style banjo building.
I'm having one built for me (i know, i'm cheating.) made from wormy chestnut and walnut.
I've seen people make them out of cool stuff like curly maple and curly poplar, just use what you like the look of!

Noah Cline - Posted - 04/29/2013:  17:32:38

Camden, sounds like a beautiful banjo that's being built for you.

Dan Drabek - Posted - 04/29/2013:  17:39:09

Personally, I'd go for curly maple, about the color of an old Kentucky long rifle.

DD

wcstringuy32 - Posted - 04/29/2013:  19:38:17

I cheated too and had John Peterson make mine....I couldn't decide on the wood so the top rim and neck are walnut, the center rim ring is maple and the back rim is cherry....I don't have a good picture right now but I think it looks and sounds great. wc

Fathand - Posted - 04/30/2013:  05:42:24

How about Ash?

Ken LeVan - Posted - 04/30/2013:  06:11:55

I just made a banjo that had a walnut rim, and a cherry neck and resonator. They look really nice together.  Cherry is stable and closed grain, and makes a very nice neck.

Cherry gets darker over time, walnut gets lighter, so after a hundred years or so, they meet in the middle. You can dye curly maple so that it matches both - as Dan says, like an old "Pennsylvania rifle" (We prefer to call them "Pennyslvania rifles" here in PA, because that's where they were made).

Why not use all three kinds of wood?

Ken

janolov - Posted - 04/30/2013:  09:46:29

I am planning to make a MB (I already have one of Chip Arnold's to use as prototype). I want to use Swedish wood if possible. It is possible to import any kind of wood, but it would be nice to have local wood. I guess that spruce or pine is too soft. I have some own pieces of birch, but is that enough hard? It may also be possible to get some oak. Is there anyone who have experience from birch and oak?

Fathand - Posted - 04/30/2013:  09:58:02

Local wood would be a nice valid traditional approach as old time instruments and music were often made with what was readily available locally.  I know that birch has similarities to maple and think it would be a good choice.

quote:

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Originally posted by janolov

 

I am planning to make a MB (I already have one of Chip Arnold's to use as prototype). I want to use Swedish wood if possible. It is possible to import any kind of wood, but it would be nice to have local wood. I guess that spruce or pine is too soft. I have some own pieces of birch, but is that enough hard? It may also be possible to get some oak. Is there anyone who have experience from birch and oak?

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Dan Drabek - Posted - 04/30/2013:  10:36:55

Your Swedish birch would be just fine. As would beech.

DD

Rowland - Posted - 04/30/2013:  18:40:55

I used African mahogany for mine because it was free. Also used some scrap red oak for the fingerboard and center strip in the neck. Looks and sound great. In fact the sound seems to be getting better all the time. pics on homepage. I really think any good hardwood will do. I also like my cat skin head. (road kill not pet)