Clawhammer Banjo

  that I've accumulated a number of banjos over the years; to my frustration and sorrow, it appears that it's pretty much impossible to play more than one at a time. So, one at a time, I play the following:

A banjo composed of the pot from a Vega Little Wonder banjo guitar, with a five-string neck made by Bob White.  A real workhorse, as this one gets dragged around everywhere I go with Hotpoint and the Taters.  Non-banjo geek types should just ignore the following:  I mic this with an Audio-Technica Pro 7-a miniature cardioid mic attached to the dowel near the heel but pointing toward the tailpiece. In case you're interested. (It's surprising how often I get asked that, so that's why the info is here!)

Fielding Banjos Rooster.  What a honey!  I fell in love with the sound of the thing in Will's booth at Clifftop a couple of years ago; the fact that it was unbelievably gorgeous was just a plus. When I got this I had no business getting another banjo as I was pretty well set in that department.  But I couldn't resist.  Will has tons of great pics on his website. (note: I was pinched for bucks a couple of months ago, and had a banjo student who also loved this banjo. Knowing it was going to a great home, I managed not to cry when it went, but just barely. Next time I'm in the money, it's another Fielding for me!)

An old Lyon & Healey George Washburn banjo that's been on long-long-term loan to me from my dear friend Mark Hanesworth for like 25 years or more.  It used to be my main banjo but it's in semi-retirement now, wearing Aquila Nyl-Gut strings and a skin head.  I find myself picking it up a lot just lately, and have recorded a bunch of stuff with it recently too.

A fretless gourd banjo made by Ohio maker Bill Van Horn.  You can't get more old-timey-sounding than a gut-strung fretless gourd banjo, and this one's no exception.  I get lost in the thing just fooling around with it.  Seems like it's always the low notes that get me hooked on a particular instrument, and this one's no exception.