Playing Since: 1973
Experience Level: Intermediate
Interests:
[Jamming] [Socializing] [Helping]
Occupation: Retired
Gender: Male
Age: 75
My Instruments:
Stewart MacDonald Kit circa 1972
Traded my 11" Chuck Lee with Mesquite fingerboard and wood tone rim (Rosie) for a gorgeous 24.75” scale cherry mountain banjo by Ryan Navey of Carolina Banjos. 8” goat skin head, Evo frets, brass tone ring, partial resonator back
Gorgeous Roy Smith 12" custom whyte laydie, the Snakewood Special
Concert Ukulele built from StewMac kit.
Baritone Ukulele being built from StewMac kit
Eastman 305 mandolin
Larrivee LV-03RE guitar
Two self built 26 3/8” scale 11” flat head tone ring open back banjos with mahogany and walnut block rims.
Favorite Bands/Musicians:
Steve Martin
Fred Sokolow
Vassar Clements
Dutch Cove Old Time String Band
The Haints
Wade Ward
Dave Macon
John Hartford
Leon Redbone
Michael Franks
Norman Blake
Leo Kotke
The Tillers
Rosey Carson
Old & in the Way
Loudon Wainwright, III
Janice Joplin and Big Brother
ZZ Top
Mary Travers
Emmy Lou Harris
StringBean
Grandpa Jones
Pretty Little Goat
Hogtown Squealers
Outside Dogs
Rabbit Hash String Band
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Profile Info:
Visible to: Public
Created 4/15/2011
Last Visit 4/6/2024
Built a Stewart MacDonald kit banjo in the 70's, began learning frailing and dreamed of building banjos seriously. Basically left both efforts in the basement for decades. Finished both into very nice, albeit quite heavy banjos a couple tears ago
Just play clawhammer. I picked my banjo up a decade ago and started playing maybe an hour a day or so. I've learned a lot of tunes and even new techniques since then and now go to several local jams a week. I’ve made a lot of progress in playing skills and luthier skills both in the last decade or more.
As for who I am....I worked as an environmental chemist for 30 years. Finished my working career doing computer support and network security work. I'm a DIY sort and I do most of my own home remodeling/repair, etc. I love dogs. I'm a fan of cosmology and try to understand as much of the development of the frontline theories in physics and understanding the universe as I can.
I like kayaking, bicycling, and hiking. Pleasure reading usually consists of science fiction when I feel like wasting time. I'm retired and living in the mountains near Asheville. Built a couple of Ukuleles from StewMac kits a few years back. Love it here. Lots of Jams to play in and lots of friends in old time music now.
