Had a neighbor who was a good friend and fellow vet die a while back and his brother found an old banjo in the house which he gave to me. I'm thrilled to have it but its a 4 string righty and im a 5 string lefty. Im a little out of the loop with who's building what as i have a couple of Hatfields and a Stelling which have made me content enough to not keep looking for the last 5 years or so. I'd like to make a lefty neck for this old banjo and play it. I heard Arthur wasn't taking orders. Can y'all drop a few names i should research for a custom lefty 5 string neck for this? im keeping an eye on the classifieds for one as well. TIA
Richie Dotson of AcousticBox.com
Fantastic luthier . But hes here in Va. a long way from you .
He s a former bandmate of mine and one of the first banjs he ever built was a lefty for me.
https://acousticbox.com/
Edited by - stanleytone on 05/26/2025 10:59:31
It is extremely easy to convert a plectrum (or even tenor) to be played left. A 5th string neck however is a different beast.
I see some cheap lefty 5 whole banjos on Amazon but none with a dowel stick. If you were willing to convert to coordinator rods it might be a project you could do yourself. I play lefty but do not have a left handed 5 string. It's frustrating. I have made a few necks and will eventually make myself one. They are a lot of work. I am curious to know what a custom neck would cost. My best guess is $300 - $500?
I see left as an option for some Gold Tone necks, none with a dowel stick.
https://goldtonemusicgroup.com/goldtone/parts/b1013-01
Edited by - Maurice McMurry on 05/27/2025 04:47:15
quote:
Originally posted by Maurice McMurry
I see left as an option for some Gold Tone necks, none with a dowel stick.
Left is out of stock for the previous link. here is one that is in stock. Another with no dowel stick
https://goldtonemusicgroup.com/goldtone/parts/b10065
quote:
Originally posted by Maurice McMurry"If you were willing to convert to coordinator rods it might be a project ..."
Being on a similar quest I did some reading and see that this is bad advice.
I also see that $300 -$500 is a low estimate.
Mark Hickler, Hickler Banjo is a name mentioned is a video about a similar conversion.
Edited by - Maurice McMurry on 05/27/2025 14:12:50
