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Gourd banjos

These have been great for experimenting with some new ideas

If getting into fretless banjos is what started me on this path, interest in gourd instruments has kept me going. I've used these as a way to try different variations for things like the fifth peg and the tailpiece. The leather on the one here was a recent experiment that has worked out well. There's room to try some improvements on future gourd builds, too. This one is maple and hickory, both local, with violin pegs. It's more of a prototype, but looks good and plays well.

View of the front of the gourd

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View of the full instrument
View of the front of the peghead
View of the back of the neck