In my current banjo quest I am considering a Hoyt banjo. I read somewhere that the necks are a bit large. To anyone who has one: is that true? Or are they fairly standard for an open back? Do they feel comfortable to you, or clunky?
I have played his banjos and they do not feel clunky he builds a nice banjo and he is a nice fella and always allows an approval period .
You could give him a call. He is a really friendly guy. He also builds custom items.
I have a banjo he built and a neck he built for a rim, and I would say compared to my other banjos, the necks are a bit thicker. As Bob mentioned, he's real friendly and does custom work. I'm sure you can ask for a thiner neck. Compared to other luthiers, he's fast.
I have a couple Hoyts -- can't say the necks feel thicker than other banjo necks, but the string spacing is a bit wider, which for me is ideal. (What we generally think of when we think of bluegrass banjo necks are too narrow for me.)
As others have noted, Zach is a sweetheart to deal with, and fast. Check with him -- he may be able to make a neck to your specific needs.
I had one of Zach’s necks. It was a good neck - it was larger but not necessarily large for an open back and not clunky.
I guess here is how I would describe it - I felt a Pisgah neck was larger than a Reiter neck. They’re both good necks for open backs. Zack’s necks are closer to Pisgah’s than Reiters.
Edited by - paulhealey on 03/18/2025 16:45:25
Thanks everyone!
