rudy - Posted - 11/02/2019:  19:30:04

For those interested in neck shaping templates (including volute and heel transitions) for a pre-war Gibby you can now get them from StewMac. They are currently on sale and might make a nice stocking stuffer if there are any banjo builders on your gift list...  

30's TB-11 five string neck shaping template set

Edited by - rudy on 11/02/2019 20:27:58

Ken LeVan - Posted - 11/03/2019:  04:08:14

Very nice set!  I think it's nice that they include the heel profiles.  Many will now use these to make a program for their CNC routers—perhaps Stewmac will sell those, too.

This will certainly demystify the PW Gibson neck profile (although it's too thin for my hands).  Do they also sell templates for Gibson & Fairbanks/Vega pegheads?  That would be popular.

They also have templates for popular guitars like Les Pauls.

rudy - Posted - 11/03/2019:  05:17:15

That's the only banjo set they currently have, but it wouldn't surprise me if they didn't add a few more banjos. 

StewMac tends to "follow the money", so they concentrate their efforts on what's most profitable.  For acoustic guitar they list 4 different vintage Martins, 2 Gibsons, and Taylor's "universal" pattern.  The problem with supplying a template, especially where Martin guitars are concerned, is the necks vary a lot, depending on who hand-carved a neck on a given day.  It's part of the unique charm in truly hand made products.

I wouldn't want to be responsible for being the person who chose a particular neck as the best example to base a pattern after.  There are several comments from Martin template purchasers about the final shape being different from what they considered representative of a given model's typical profile.  You can't please everyone, though.

The banjo template wouldn't be anything I'd personally use, as what I've come to prefer is entirely different from the pre-war neck profile.  I have the typical profile I've developed in CAD on a single page pdf that I can simply print out any time I want one, but the store-bought plastic template should be a useful tool for newish builders to use when double-checking their neck shaping progress.

Hopefully this winter when things slow down in Santa's workshop I'll get time to post a new step by step "Complete Traditional 11" build here on the forum, and I'll include the complete plan in pdf form along with some of those single sheet pdfs for neck profiles, peg head shape, fret layout, nut and bridge string center guide, etc.  I have to figure out the logistics of doing the topic, as there are around 300 photos taken of the building process.  It's more detailed than the "Complete Tackhead Build" that I posted a while back, and those photos were combined into 4 photo grouped pictures to reduce the number of photos I had to deal with.

Edited by - rudy on 11/03/2019 05:21:13

Ken LeVan - Posted - 11/03/2019:  07:53:50

quote:

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Originally posted by rudy

That's the only banjo set they currently have, but it wouldn't surprise me if they didn't add a few more banjos. 

StewMac tends to "follow the money", so they concentrate their efforts on what's most profitable.  For acoustic guitar they list 4 different vintage Martins, 2 Gibsons, and Taylor's "universal" pattern.  The problem with supplying a template, especially where Martin guitars are concerned, is the necks vary a lot, depending on who hand-carved a neck on a given day.  It's part of the unique charm in truly hand made products.

I wouldn't want to be responsible for being the person who chose a particular neck as the best example to base a pattern after.  There are several comments from Martin template purchasers about the final shape being different from what they considered representative of a given model's typical profile.  You can't please everyone, though.

The banjo template wouldn't be anything I'd personally use, as what I've come to prefer is entirely different from the pre-war neck profile.  I have the typical profile I've developed in CAD on a single page pdf that I can simply print out any time I want one, but the store-bought plastic template should be a useful tool for newish builders to use when double-checking their neck shaping progress.

Hopefully this winter when things slow down in Santa's workshop I'll get time to post a new step by step "Complete Traditional 11" build here on the forum, and I'll include the complete plan in pdf form along with some of those single sheet pdfs for neck profiles, peg head shape, fret layout, nut and bridge string center guide, etc.  I have to figure out the logistics of doing the topic, as there are around 300 photos taken of the building process.  It's more detailed than the "Complete Tackhead Build" that I posted a while back, and those photos were combined into 4 photo grouped pictures to reduce the number of photos I had to deal with.

 

---

Five years ago, I did a detailed set of instructions about how to build a banjo (built two with resonators), which I think was an 18-part thread.  Since then, Photobucket took everyone's photos offline in an attempt to extort money from their users, so the archived threads have no pictures. PLUS most of what I detailed has become obsolete (to me) since I have moved forward.

I have thought about doing it again, but there are a couple of reasons why I am not going to do that.

I think a large number of budding banjo builders out there don't want to learn woodworking and metalworking and make a banjo of their own design as much as how to make a Gibson Mastertone copy, which is why I think the Stewmac templates will find a ready audience by providing information heretofore obscure.  Stewmac could also do the builder community a great service by redrawing their Mastertone plans so that they were actually accurate.

Zachary Hoyt - Posted - 11/03/2019:  09:01:36

It's an interesting idea to sell a pre-war Mastertone neck template, but I have never made nor been asked to make a neck as narrow as that. I wonder if bluegrass banjo players want narrower necks like that when they're not actually original necks. I am not involved in that end of the banjo world much so I don't know.
Zach

rudy - Posted - 11/03/2019:  10:18:57

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ken LeVan

quote:

---

Originally posted by rudy

That's the only banjo set they currently have, but it wouldn't surprise me if they didn't add a few more banjos. 

StewMac tends to "follow the money", so they concentrate their efforts on what's most profitable.  For acoustic guitar they list 4 different vintage Martins, 2 Gibsons, and Taylor's "universal" pattern.  The problem with supplying a template, especially where Martin guitars are concerned, is the necks vary a lot, depending on who hand-carved a neck on a given day.  It's part of the unique charm in truly hand made products.

I wouldn't want to be responsible for being the person who chose a particular neck as the best example to base a pattern after.  There are several comments from Martin template purchasers about the final shape being different from what they considered representative of a given model's typical profile.  You can't please everyone, though.

The banjo template wouldn't be anything I'd personally use, as what I've come to prefer is entirely different from the pre-war neck profile.  I have the typical profile I've developed in CAD on a single page pdf that I can simply print out any time I want one, but the store-bought plastic template should be a useful tool for newish builders to use when double-checking their neck shaping progress.

Hopefully this winter when things slow down in Santa's workshop I'll get time to post a new step by step "Complete Traditional 11" build here on the forum, and I'll include the complete plan in pdf form along with some of those single sheet pdfs for neck profiles, peg head shape, fret layout, nut and bridge string center guide, etc.  I have to figure out the logistics of doing the topic, as there are around 300 photos taken of the building process.  It's more detailed than the "Complete Tackhead Build" that I posted a while back, and those photos were combined into 4 photo grouped pictures to reduce the number of photos I had to deal with.

 

---

Five years ago, I did a detailed set of instructions about how to build a banjo (built two with resonators), which I think was an 18-part thread.  Since then, Photobucket took everyone's photos offline in an attempt to extort money from their users, so the archived threads have no pictures. PLUS most of what I detailed has become obsolete (to me) since I have moved forward.

I have thought about doing it again, but there are a couple of reasons why I am not going to do that.

I think a large number of budding banjo builders out there don't want to learn woodworking and metalworking and make a banjo of their own design as much as how to make a Gibson Mastertone copy, which is why I think the Stewmac templates will find a ready audience by providing information heretofore obscure.  Stewmac could also do the builder community a great service by redrawing their Mastertone plans so that they were actually accurate.

---

You very well could be correct, there's been a LOT less interest in The setup, building, repair forum than in years gone past.  I know part of that was due in part to forum members who found some of the topics to be rather acerbic in nature.  I know that for a fact because several messaged me directly to relate WHY they would no longer be participating in discussions.  Hopefully that's a thing of the past, but it does seem like there's not nearly the interest shown previously.

As far as past topics go, third party image hosting has always had the possibility of changes that would negatively effect the ability to use images stored on those sites so I made a conscious decision several years ago to only use photos uploaded directly to the photos section of the member home page, and then refrain from editing or manipulating them.  For the most part all of my posts still have the photos attached as originally intended.

I'll have to re-think your ideas about posting long and extensive topics.  It might not be worth the effort.

Edited by - rudy on 11/03/2019 10:22:25