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How is a Banjo Made?
by Lewis R. Farley
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Body
Banjos begin with a piece of wood for the side of the body. Because the wood is straight and the body is round, the wood is steamed and bent into a circle. Using a special router, the edge of the resulting ring is given a lip upon which a metal ring will be placed. A wooden back is fitted on the banjo to act as the resonator. The surface gets an initial sanding so that any trim applied to the back fits flush against the wood.
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Neck
A long piece of wood is cut out in the rough shape of a banjo neck. A long slot cut out in the middle of the neck allows a metal adjusting rod to be installed later. The slot is later covered over by the fretboard. Two pieces of wood about 5 inches by 1 inch by 1 inch are glued onto the sides of the end of the neck for the tuning pegs to go into. For most professionally made banjos, a decorative slice of wood is inlaid with mother-of-pearl designs and then glued and clamped onto the peg head.
Another long, thin slice of ebony or other strong wood will become the fretboard. In professional factories, a special saw with 22 blades is used to cut the slots that hold metal frets. After any inlaid decorations are placed in the fretboard, it's glued and clamped onto the neck.
Once dry, the edges of the neck and peg head are trimmed to size. Another router gives the back and sides of the neck smooth contours.
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Construction
The end of the neck that will attach to the banjo body is given a final shape with a hand tool called a rasp, then sanded with fine-grit sandpaper. Metal frets are tapped into the slots in the fingerboard, and the overage is trimmed with a wire pincher.
Before joining the wood pieces together, stain is rubbed into them. When the stain dries, as many as 12 coats of lacquer are applied and allowed to dry, after which the pieces are buffed to a high gloss. The tone ring--which is a prefabricated, round, metal piece--is attached to the wooden rim. A plastic covering called the banjo head fits over the tone ring and is secured with a tension hoop and a series of hooks. Tightening the hooks causes the head to stretch, changing the overall tone of the banjo.
The banjo neck and peg head are secured to the body with metal rods that stretch the length of the body. Tuning pegs are screwed into the peg head. Strings are attached and tightened over a wooden bridge that sits on the banjo head and is held in place by the tension of the strings.
Finally, the back of the banjo is screwed into place, a professional checks and adjusts the neck alignment, and the banjo is ready to play.
