Do You Like Banjos

[Les Young]

I'd like to see a complete banjo build. Welcome aboard.

[Paul Roberts]

Originally Posted by John Eldredge

Hi Paul. I'm in the Bahama part of 'bama; sandy beaches, palm trees, magnolias, and honeysuckle riding on the vine. We do have roads though (got them a couple years ago) and can get purt' near anywhere, now
I do use a drum-dial to refine the process. I start by simply mechanically tightening cross-pattern-wise till the nut resistance feels right and they all feel pretty uniform. Then I run the drum-dial over the perimeter targeting about 92 (different targets for different heads). Tune to pitch and then tap tune in a hex pattern to G#(or G, or A, or whatever, depending on what voice the customer wants). Final check with the drum dial.
For head tuning, I have a setup with a directional mike and a spectrum analyzer that's accurate to within 0.05 Hz. Way more than necessary, but I use it for evaluating wood and voicing guitar plates and bodies at various stages of a build; it's just really convenient. I call it 'bonging'.

John - What instruments do you make? Where can we see them?

[John Eldredge]

Paul; I build acoustic instruments at, and for, Fritz Bros Guitars. My company is Magnolia Stringed Instruments, DBA Magnolia Strings. All the instruments are branded Fritz Bros on the headstock, but the acoustics have Magnolia Strings included on the interior label.
The website hasn't been updated for years, so there isn't much in the way of acoustics included. When I joined Roger, I redesigned what we had and developed a line of acoustic instruments which will go on the website, as soon as we have time to get it updated. We have an FB Parlor model, an FB-SD model (slope-shoulder jumbo), a range of FB-00 models that includes a deep body, 13 fret, long scale powerhouse "Special" version, an FB-D (dreadnought), and the FB-R resonator. I'll get into more detail when I start a build thread over on the guitar side of the forum. Still new on the forum and haven't learned my way around yet, so please be patient with me.
For banjos, it's mostly repairs and component upgrades (rims, tone rings, tuners, etc.), but I am reconstructing a Morgan/Monroe prototype for my own self. I'll start a new thread for that project as well, although I'm more than half way through, already.
Sneak peak at guitars, though; this is my Fritz Bros/Magnolia D-1, voiced for bluegrass.
Whoops, almost forgot, red spruce top, Panama Rosewood (tucurensis) b&s, mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard and bridge, bone nut and saddle, ebony pins, Grover sta-tite tuners.