Yellowstone Jewelry Banjo #010

Converted from tenor to 5-string by adding walnut molding (wings) to both sides of neck, ¹/₄" fretless walnut fingerboard on top of existing fingerboard, ¹/₄ in deep brass-floored frailing scoop just below octave.

This is a short-scale banjo, since it uses the original tenor neck. No maker's stamp, peghead looks like Gretsch. "Yellowstone" stamp on dowel and my number #010 stamped on dowel and pot by me.

Rosewood violin pegs, Nylgut strings, Yellowstone banjo head. Original diamond peghead inlay. Grooved, brass brad 5th string nut. Perforated black walnut bridge.

I suspended the original rolled-over, iron tone ring on brads similar to the suspension on my Cole Eclipse.

Tailpiece is a brass replica of a vintage J. E. Dallas tailpiece.

DIMENSIONS:

Head dia. = 10 in. 20 hooks.

Set up w/scale length approx. 19 ³/₄ in.

String span @ nut approx. 1 ³/₈ in

String span @ heel approx 1 ⁷/₈ in.

Bridge approx ⁵/₈ in. tall

SETUP:

action @ scoop approx. ¹/₂ in.

action @ octave approx. ³/₁₆ in.

FLAWS:

I used flat brass plate for the scoop. I personally don't like the appearance of a very flat scoop base as compared to the slightly irregular-surface scoop bases that I make using thin brass shim material.

Wood of neck appears to have separated along grain roughly behind the octave. This had been partially repaired when I got the banjo.... I also stabilized w/ very thin varnish.

Finish on wood around exterior of pot is in fairly rough shape in places. Light wood of pot is visible beneath the orange-brown finish in areas. I stabilized w/ very thin varnish.

Normal scuffing due to age.

SOUND CLIP

#010 sound clip - Moses Hoe the Corn

This link opens up a YouTube clip in high-quality stereo (the default YouTube layer is low-quality mono). You can turn the fiddle or banjo tracks up or down.