Nashville Banjo Company
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Nashville Banjo Company
  • Home
  • Music
    • Players
    • ShopTunes
    • Lessons
  • Models
  • Options
  • Pricing
  • Order
  • FAQs
  • Pocket-Dial
  • About Us
  • Contact

Custom Banjo Options

Just as no two songs are the same, each banjo also has its own personality. Varying textures in wood grain, density, and skins coupled with the careful and confident lines of each hand-carved neck, ensure that no two of our banjos feel or sound exactly the same.

Apart from these finer differences, there are a number of more visible options to choose from that affect both sight and sound. There’s a lot here to choose from, so please let us know if you have any questions. Our desire is to craft a banjo that’s unique to only you.

Please visit the “gallery” link under each section for more pictures and options.

Neck & Rim Wood

Choose either Cherry or Walnut hardwood for your banjo neck and rim. Both are dense hardwoods and create great sounding banjos. Walnut is our most popular wood, with a good balance between projection and warmth and presents a rich, dark-colored hardwood when finished with natural beeswax. Cherry tends to produce a slightly warmer and softer tone in a light-colored hardwood with a red glow that will deepen with time and sunny days.

Other wood types available include beautiful Osage Orange (Bois d’arc) and Eastern Hard Maple. Also, we can use special wood you’ve saved from a family farm or home place to build an heirloom banjo.

All our necks are built from two-piece book-matched blanks to give a stable, attractive grain pattern, and each neck is accentuated with a crisp and attractive center stripe from heel to peghead.

Gallery: Neck & Rim Wood
Ebony Rim Cap
Ebony Rim Cap
Heat-infused natural beeswax finish on Walnut
Heat-infused natural beeswax finish on Walnut
Walnut neck & rim
Walnut neck & rim
Walnut neck & rim
Walnut neck & rim
Cherry neck & rim
Cherry neck & rim
Cherry neck & rim
Cherry neck & rim
Osage Orange (Bois d'arc) neck & rim
Osage Orange (Bois d'arc) neck & rim
Heirloom Walnut from owner's family farm
Heirloom Walnut from owner's family farm
Tobacco-stained Eastern Hard Maple neck & rim
Tobacco-stained Eastern Hard Maple neck & rim
Banjo Skins

Perhaps the most recognizable feature of any banjo is its head. All our custom banjos are fit with natural goatskin heads, with a wide choice of shades, textures and patterns ranging from clean and crisp to rugged and mangy. We often soak the skin in dark coffee for a truly unique and aged look.

Natural skin was once the traditional, if not only choice, for banjo heads up until about 1960. They produce a wonderful thumpy, breathy tone that distinguishes their sound from more modern synthetic heads, but they are more sensitive to changes in weather and humidity.

Gallery: Banjo Skins
Custom mounting a natural and a coffee-stained goatskin
Custom mounting a natural and a coffee-stained goatskin
Molted natural goatskin with no stain
Molted natural goatskin with no stain
Natural goatskin with strong pattern and moderate coffee stain
Natural goatskin with strong pattern and moderate coffee stain
Natural goatskin, light color with mild patterns
Natural goatskin, light color with mild patterns
Natural goatskin with moderate coffee staff and strong patterns
Natural goatskin with moderate coffee staff and strong patterns
Natural goatskin with no stain and natural shades
Natural goatskin with no stain and natural shades
Natural goatskin with light coffee stain and moderate markings
Natural goatskin with light coffee stain and moderate markings
Natural goatskin with mild coffee stain and diffused patterns
Natural goatskin with mild coffee stain and diffused patterns
Natural goatskin with moderate coffee stain and large pattern
Natural goatskin with moderate coffee stain and large pattern
Natural goatskin with light coffee stain and mild patterns
Natural goatskin with light coffee stain and mild patterns
Natural goatskin with extra-dark coffee and moderate diffused patterns
Natural goatskin with extra-dark coffee and moderate diffused patterns
Choices, choices, choices...
Choices, choices, choices...
Brass Hardware

All our banjos are assembled with brass hardware made in North America. We offer a variety of choices regarding rim shoes and tension nuts on our custom models, allowing you to further personalize your banjo.

Our standard hardware includes 2-point style brass-plated zinc shoes, with the option to upgrade to premium solid brass hardware in a variety of styles.

We can also antique your instrument’s brass hardware for a distinct vintage look with a patina ranging from mild to heavy, a particularly attractive choice when paired with a dark walnut rim and neck.

Gallery: Brass Hardware
Unassembled set of premium solid brass hardware
Unassembled set of premium solid brass hardware
Standard 2-point brass-plated shoe on Walnut with moderate antiquing
Standard 2-point brass-plated shoe on Walnut with moderate antiquing
Premium solid brass ball-style shoe on Walnut with moderate antiquing
Premium solid brass ball-style shoe on Walnut with moderate antiquing
Premium solid brass L-style shoe on Cherry with no antiquing
Premium solid brass L-style shoe on Cherry with no antiquing
Premium solid brass L-style shoe on Cherry with moderate antiquing
Premium solid brass L-style shoe on Cherry with moderate antiquing
Premium solid brass L-style shoe on Walnut with fine polish
Premium solid brass L-style shoe on Walnut with fine polish
Standard 2-point brass-plated shoe on Walnut with heavy antiquing
Standard 2-point brass-plated shoe on Walnut with heavy antiquing
Premium solid brass 2-point style shoe on Walnut with moderate antiquing
Premium solid brass 2-point style shoe on Walnut with moderate antiquing
CUSTOM INLAYS

We can design and install custom inlays for your banjo peghead or fingerboard. Our unique specialty is brass and copper inlays, but other materials are available. Some of our clientele have offered their own designs, while others choose from a variety of designs we help them develop to select.

If you are interested in a custom inlay, let us know and we can help prepare a design proof and cost estimate for your review.

Gallery: Custom Inlays
Copper Moon & Brass Bat
Copper Moon & Brass Bat
Copper Phoenix
Copper Phoenix
Ebony Scoop with Copper Flame Inlay
Ebony Scoop with Copper Flame Inlay
Brass & Copper Koi Fish on Ebony Peghead
Brass & Copper Koi Fish on Ebony Peghead
Brass White Oak Leaf
Brass White Oak Leaf
Paua Abalone inlay on ebony fingerboard
Paua Abalone inlay on ebony fingerboard
Paua Abalone inlay on ebony peghead
Paua Abalone inlay on ebony peghead
Jumping red fox copper inlay
Jumping red fox copper inlay
Bigfoot fingerboard inlay
Bigfoot fingerboard inlay
Antiqued brass Bigfoot and moon peghead inlay
Antiqued brass Bigfoot and moon peghead inlay
Brass Bigfoot neck inlay at frets 10 & 12 in process
Brass Bigfoot neck inlay at frets 10 & 12 in process
Custom brass cowboy & copper moon inlay
Custom brass cowboy & copper moon inlay
Engraved solid prass peghead overaly
Engraved solid prass peghead overaly
Acid-etched brass Sankofa bird inlay
Acid-etched brass Sankofa bird inlay
Custom "BanjoBen" brass logo layout & design
Custom "BanjoBen" brass logo layout & design
Brass & copper star constellation on ebony peghead
Brass & copper star constellation on ebony peghead
Mother-of-Pearl compass rose on ebony peghead
Mother-of-Pearl compass rose on ebony peghead
Walnut peghead overlay with burned logo brand
Walnut peghead overlay with burned logo brand
European mount elk brass inlay on ebony peghead
European mount elk brass inlay on ebony peghead
Brass moon & star inlay
Brass moon & star inlay
F4 Phantom Jet inlay design
F4 Phantom Jet inlay design
Ancient Celtic script brass inlay on ebony peghead
Ancient Celtic script brass inlay on ebony peghead
Paua abalone bluebird inlay on ebony peghead
Paua abalone bluebird inlay on ebony peghead
Brass & copper Celtic cross inlay on ebony peghead
Brass & copper Celtic cross inlay on ebony peghead
Brass crow on ebony peghead with tunneled 5th string
Brass crow on ebony peghead with tunneled 5th string
Brass shotting star inlay on ebony peghead
Brass shotting star inlay on ebony peghead
Copper moon & brass owl inlay on ebony peghead
Copper moon & brass owl inlay on ebony peghead
Celtic cross design using brass & copper
Celtic cross design using brass & copper
Brass & Copper red-tailed hawk inlay on ebony peghead and osage orange neck
Brass & Copper red-tailed hawk inlay on ebony peghead and osage orange neck
Custom inlay design and layout
Custom inlay design and layout
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HeEl Shape

We offer two hand-carved heel shape styles. A “vintage” style heel has a traditional classical look, and features an ebony heel cap overlay.

Our modified “Dobson” folk-style heel presents a more old-time, folk flavor reminiscent of many banjos from the late 1800s.

Gallery: Heel Shape
Using a hand rasp to shape Vintage-style heel on Osage Orange neck
Using a hand rasp to shape Vintage-style heel on Osage Orange neck
Hand-carved classic Vintage-style heel on Walnut with ebony heel cap
Hand-carved classic Vintage-style heel on Walnut with ebony heel cap
Hand-carved Dobson folk-style heel on Walnut
Hand-carved Dobson folk-style heel on Walnut
Hand-carved classic Vintage style heel on curly Walnut with matching heel cap
Hand-carved classic Vintage style heel on curly Walnut with matching heel cap
Hand-carved Dobson folk style heel on Walnut with matching walnut scoop plate
Hand-carved Dobson folk style heel on Walnut with matching walnut scoop plate
Hand-carved classic Vintage style heel on Walnut with ebony heel cap
Hand-carved classic Vintage style heel on Walnut with ebony heel cap
Hand-carved classic Vintage style heel on Walnut
Hand-carved classic Vintage style heel on Walnut
Hand-carved classic Vintage style heel on Cherry with ebony heel cap
Hand-carved classic Vintage style heel on Cherry with ebony heel cap
Scoop Plates

Our custom banjos are fitted with S-style scoops that can be customized with a variety of scoop plate materials and designs. Most players choose a brass scoop plate personalized with their name and our Nashville Banjo Company logo.

We can also fashion the scoop plate out of copper or matching hardwoods, both attractive options to consider.

Gallery: Scoop Plates
Polished Brass standard-etched scoop plate personalized with name and logo on Walnut neck with ebony fingerboard
Polished Brass standard-etched scoop plate personalized with name and logo on Walnut neck with ebony fingerboard
Antiqued Brass scoop plate with logo on Walnut neck with fretless ebony fingerboard
Antiqued Brass scoop plate with logo on Walnut neck with fretless ebony fingerboard
Polished Copper scoop plate with logo monogram on Cherry neck with ebony fingerboard
Polished Copper scoop plate with logo monogram on Cherry neck with ebony fingerboard
Walnut scoop plate branded with logo on Walnut neck with ebony fingerboard
Walnut scoop plate branded with logo on Walnut neck with ebony fingerboard
"S" scoop in ebony with fillet and no overlay
"S" scoop in ebony with fillet and no overlay
Antiqued Brass standard-etched scoop plate with name and logo on Walnut neck with ebony fingerboard
Antiqued Brass standard-etched scoop plate with name and logo on Walnut neck with ebony fingerboard
Polished brass scoop plate personalized with name and logo on ebony fingerboard
Polished brass scoop plate personalized with name and logo on ebony fingerboard
Antiqued Brass reverse-etched scoop plate personalized with name and logo on ebony fingerboard
Antiqued Brass reverse-etched scoop plate personalized with name and logo on ebony fingerboard
Wood Finish

We offer several finish options. The most popular is a natural beeswax finished neck, with a hand-rubbed satin poly finish on the rim, but we can apply either finish to both the neck and rim.

Our heat-infused beeswax finish brings out the deep beauty of fine hardwoods with a satiny sheen. You can feel the natural wood beneath your fingers, and it bears the faint scent of honey. The only caveat with a natural beeswax finish is that it’s not impervious to moisture and may need a short and simple polishing from time to time with wax we’ll give you. Most players enjoy this caring relationship with their banjo.

Because the banjo rim is fitted with so much hardware and can be harder to shine, we prefer to finish the rim with a more durable hand-rubbed satin poly finish, which also looks and feels great on the neck if you prefer a more maintenance-free option.

Another great option for both the neck and the rim is Tru-Oil, a hand-rubbed polymerized linseed-based oil that yields a natural wood feel, slight sheen and very durable surface.

Gallery: Wood Finish
Applying heat-infused beeswax finish to walnut
Applying heat-infused beeswax finish to walnut
Natural beeswax finished walnut neck and hand-rubbed satin poly finished rim
Natural beeswax finished walnut neck and hand-rubbed satin poly finished rim
Hand-rubbed satin poly finished Walnut neck & rim
Hand-rubbed satin poly finished Walnut neck & rim
Hand-rubbed satin poly finished Cherry neck & rim
Hand-rubbed satin poly finished Cherry neck & rim
Hand-rubbed Tru-Oil finish on walnut neck & rim
Hand-rubbed Tru-Oil finish on walnut neck & rim
Hand-rubbed Tru-Oil finish on tobacco-stained Hard Maple neck & rim
Hand-rubbed Tru-Oil finish on tobacco-stained Hard Maple neck & rim
Tuners

We offer premium quality Gotoh planetary tuners on all our banjos, with the option to upgrade to the new precision 10:1 high ratio Rickard Cyclone tuners.

Brass tuners with cream knobs lend a traditional look to your instrument, whereas brass tuners with black knobs help create a more crisp and classical look for your banjo.

Gallery: Tuners
Polished brass Gotoh planetary tuners with black buttons on Cherry neck
Polished brass Gotoh planetary tuners with black buttons on Cherry neck
Polished brass Gotoh planetary tuners with vintage cream buttons on Cherry
Polished brass Gotoh planetary tuners with vintage cream buttons on Cherry
Hi-ratio precision Rickard Cyclone tuners with polished finish on Osage Orange
Hi-ratio precision Rickard Cyclone tuners with polished finish on Osage Orange
Hi-ratio precision tuners with antique finish on Walnut
Hi-ratio precision tuners with antique finish on Walnut
Neck Profile

The “neck profile” refers to the shape of the back of the neck where your fretting hand (typically the left hand) slides up and down as you play. We hand carve three different neck profiles.

Our personal favorite, a “V-Profile,” has a distinctive ridge along the back of the banjo neck that anchors your hand and lends a vintage-era feel to your instrument. A “C-Profile” neck offers a more common feel, similar to what most guitars or other stringed instruments offer. Our “Semi-V-Profile” bridges the gap between the two, offering the clear hint of a neck ridge line, but with softened curves arching back to the fingerboard.

Gallery: Neck Profile
Hand-carving neck profile with a spokeshave
Hand-carving neck profile with a spokeshave
Vintage "V-Neck" Profile
Vintage "V-Neck" Profile
Traditional "C-Neck" Profile
Traditional "C-Neck" Profile
Moderate "Semi-V Neck" Profile
Moderate "Semi-V Neck" Profile
Fretless options

We offer full-fretless and half-fretless versions of all our custom models. The full-fretless version has an ebony fingerboard with an optional brass “S” scoop plate.

The half-fretless version features a brass fingerboard “S” plate 1st through 7th frets, with an optional matching “S” brass scoop plate.

Gallery: Fretless Options
Walnut fretless with ebony fingerboard and Nylgut strings
Walnut fretless with ebony fingerboard and Nylgut strings
Half-fretless with brass overlay, frets one through seven
Half-fretless with brass overlay, frets one through seven
Walnut fretless with ebony fingerboard, steel strings, and custom elongated scoop
Walnut fretless with ebony fingerboard, steel strings, and custom elongated scoop
Walnut fretless with ebony fingerboard, steel stings and brass scoop
Walnut fretless with ebony fingerboard, steel stings and brass scoop
FRETBOARD MARKERS

Fretboard marker dots can be inlaid on the face and/or side of the fingerboard. Some players like to have both, while many prefer the sleek and classical appearance of a solid black ebony fingerboard with no markers on the face, choosing instead to have only small brass side dots.  

Our mosaic brass or mosaic brass & copper fret dot markers can add to a truly unique and custom look. We also offer matching hardwood (walnut or cherry) inlay fingerboard dot markers.

Gallery: Fretboard Markers
Solid brass fret markers inlayed on ebony fingerboard with brass inlay side dots
Solid brass fret markers inlayed on ebony fingerboard with brass inlay side dots
Mosaic Brass & Copper fret markers inlayed on ebony fingerboard
Mosaic Brass & Copper fret markers inlayed on ebony fingerboard
Mosaic brass fret markers inlayed on ebony fingerboard
Mosaic brass fret markers inlayed on ebony fingerboard
Walnut hardwood inlay dot markers in ebony fingerboard with matching scoop. Also available in Cherry
Walnut hardwood inlay dot markers in ebony fingerboard with matching scoop. Also available in Cherry
NUT MATERIAL

Each nut is individually shaped and slotted by hand to fit its banjo with a choice of two materials.  Black buffalo horn lends a distinctive and refined look to your banjo, as the nut tends to unify the ebony fingerboard and ebony peghead overlay into a single visual element. Unbleached bone has a light creamy color, and is the more traditional choice for instrument nuts. 

Gallery: Nut Material
Black buffalo horn nut with brass-plated half-fretless fingerboard and peghead overlay
Black buffalo horn nut with brass-plated half-fretless fingerboard and peghead overlay
Black buffalo horn nut with ebony fingerboard and peghead overlay
Black buffalo horn nut with ebony fingerboard and peghead overlay
Unbleached bone nut with ebony fingerboard and peghead overlay
Unbleached bone nut with ebony fingerboard and peghead overlay
STRING CHOICE

We offer two types of string choices for your banjo. Our custom gauge set of standard phosphor-bronze wound steel stings produce a clear and recognizable tone optimized for our wood tone ring openback banjos. For a markedly softer tone, we offer Nylgut Red Series strings from Italy. Imagine “classical guitar meets banjo.” They will stretch, stretch, stretch when first installed, but can be well worth the wait.

Installation of Nylgut strings requires wider string slots in the nut, pip and bridge, so a few modifications would be required to change to regular steel strings at some point in the future.

Gallery: String Choice
Custom gauge phosphor-bronze steel strings for traditional sound
Custom gauge phosphor-bronze steel strings for traditional sound
Red-series Nylgut strings for vintage sound
Red-series Nylgut strings for vintage sound
5TH STRING SPIKES

We can install 5th “railroad” capo spikes, typically at fret 7 and sometimes at fret 9, if you need them.

Spikes enable you to “capo” or raise the pitch of the shorter 5th string to play in higher keys with less risk of breaking the string.

Gallery: 5th String Spikes
5th-string spikes on ebony fingerboard
5th-string spikes on ebony fingerboard
BUILT-IN PICKUP

As an option, we can install an integrated linear transducer pickup designed and built specifically to fit and capture the unique sound of openback banjos. The sound quality is remarkably authentic, and a great option for players who perform on stage or want to make sure their neighbors can hear them!

We also carry a line of Fishman acoustic amplifiers that produce a warm, clear and quite natural sound from our banjos fitted with this pickup.

Gallery: Built-in Pickup
Flush mount 1/4" pickup jack, antique finish
Flush mount 1/4" pickup jack, antique finish
Rim with integrated pickup mounted
Rim with integrated pickup mounted
Linear transducer pickup mounted under goatskin head
Linear transducer pickup mounted under goatskin head
OTHER OPTIONS

Additional custom options are available. Please let us know what you’re interested in:

  • 4-string Irish Tenor Models
  • Left-hand Models
  • 5/6 (added low G string plus short 6th string drone)
  • Tunneled 5th String
  • Beveled Scoop
  • Fingerboard Inlays
  • Decorative Hardwood Overlays
  • Synthetic Heads
Gallery: Other Options
Beautiful tones from a banjo carved from local Osage Orange (Bois d'arc) wood.
Beautiful tones from a banjo carved from local Osage Orange (Bois d'arc) wood.
Hand-carved volute at Osage Orange (Bois d'arc) neck and peghead
Hand-carved volute at Osage Orange (Bois d'arc) neck and peghead
Tunneled 5th string on ebony peghead
Tunneled 5th string on ebony peghead
Tunneled 5th string on ebony fingerboard
Tunneled 5th string on ebony fingerboard
Hand-carved Eastern hard Maple (Rock Maple) neck
Hand-carved Eastern hard Maple (Rock Maple) neck
Hand-carved Eastern hard Maple (Rock Maple) neck with tobacco stain finish
Hand-carved Eastern hard Maple (Rock Maple) neck with tobacco stain finish
Eastern hard Maple (Rock Maple) block rim with tobacco stain
Eastern hard Maple (Rock Maple) block rim with tobacco stain
Custom beveled ebony scoop
Custom beveled ebony scoop
Custom beveled ebony scoop
Custom beveled ebony scoop
Curly walnut peghead overlay
Curly walnut peghead overlay
Curly walnut heel cap overlay
Curly walnut heel cap overlay
Mother-of-Pearl vine fingerboard inlay
Mother-of-Pearl vine fingerboard inlay
Nashville Banjo Company
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