Gardner Minstrel Banjo

I stumbled across a video of Rhiannon Giddens and Yo-Yo Ma playing “Build A House” – the song is simple but deep. Also, I noticed in the video that the banjo was different. I started down the rabbit hole of Minstrel banjos by following the Rhiannon Giddens lead.

There aren’t many places to buy a minstrel banjo but there are a few makers that I could find. James Hartel makes some really beautiful reproductions and is what Rhiannon is playing in her videos. Don Gardner also makes minstrel banjos that are very reasonably priced. I reached out to Don and we talked on the phone about his instruments. I ended up getting this banjo from him featuring a curly maple neck, and Brown style headstock with geared tuners. It also came in a fun coffin case that Don makes.

The sound is deep and plucky with overtones – largely from the lower tuning, nylgut strings, fretless neck, and larger open back pot. It is much different than the higher pitch of a resonator banjo I am used to hearing play the traditional Scruggs style with the distinct sharp attack of the steel finger picks on steel strings. I am now officially hooked on the bouncy old style of playing on these widely space strings.

About Gardner’s Dulcimer Shop

gardnersdulcimer.com
Located in Grafton, Ohio (about an hour and a half from my home town of Youngstown).
Gardner started making 19th century reproductions that represent the era for use in civil war reenactments.
The solid brass shoes are cast at a local Amish foundry from the originals.
the brass shoe molds were made from 3D scans of originals.
the neck appears to be made in two pieces, though not the traditional split down the middle methods. This neck is thick near the base where the second piece of wood is joined.
Don himself says these arent museum pieces – but I find the construction very good and am overly happy with how it is built. Likely he is referring to several areas that he could spend more of his time ($$) perfecting that are hardly noticeable unless really examining under the microscope: the neck back piece isn’t matched, so seams are visible with the curly maple pattern giving it away. This can also be seen in the headstock. The brass rim is bent and tacked together – some minor lack of infill material can be seen under close examination. The hole where the dowel penetrates the lower end of the rim has some minimal chipping. The inlay pattern around the rim is not matched perfectly where it joins (hidden behind the neck). Where the 5th string tuner is mounted, the saw cut shows a small witness into the side of the neck. Finally, the laminate on the back of the rim shows some small voids and pockets. Again, only the smallest of details – make no mistake, this is a well made banjo that will outlast my kids.

Me playing this banjo

What I have Learned

Banjo began in the Caribbean with Anglo/Celtic/African melting cultures, music and instruments
Early banjos were made by the owner with gourd bodies with a tacked animal skin, fretless neck and gut strings
1840’s Sweeny learned from the black banjo players and started performing banjo with a traveling show for white audiences
Minstrel banjo shows were done in blackface with tunes collected from black players.
blackface shows continued after emancipation.
Minstrel banjo shows were the start of big shows and the start Broadway.
early banjo was the beginning of syncopated rhythms.
The rim construction was deeper and larger than modern banjos and were generally single ply that was steam bent.
Minstrel banjos are tuned lower than modern banjo standard G tuning. I have mine currently tuned cGCFG (a modal tuning – I am not sure if this is a normal tuning – I got it from learning cluck old hen in A modal with a capo on the 3rd fret – everything went down 9 semitones.
The Smithsonian has lots of early banjo examples to explore online here

Original Banjo Makers and Styles

1840 Joel W. Sweeny

Helped popularize the banjo in America and Europe playing Minstrel shows
wood rim (vs gourds popular prior to the wood rim with tensioners)
scalloped rim with brass hardware for tensioning (see picture)
arched neck
fretless

1848 William E. Boucher Jr

1848 Boucher began making banjos in his Baltimore musical instrument factory.
W. Boucher Jr Musical Instrument Factory was located 38 East Baltimore Str.
Boucher banjos were carried by soldiers of both sides of the Civil War.
Commonly used in Minstrel Shows in the 19th century.
there are tens of Boucher banjos still around.
Boucher was a businessman who focused efforts on selling banjos that looked good and could be made quickly with cheaper materials.
Boucher family stories link

From Hartel Banjo – Union Calvary c 1864

1852 James Ashborn

The most technically advanced banjo of the early minstrel period.
James established his mechanized instrument factory in Connecticut in the late 1840’s
Ashborn was the first to apply mass production principles to banjo and guitar making, transforming the homemade artifacts to commercial products.
Operations closed in 1864 after producing several thousand high quality private-labeled guitars.
Ashborn banjos were not ornate and not designed to be a stage-prop.
Ashborn was the first banjo to have a patented feature: an 1852 tuning peg with large-diameter bearing surface for better friction and a small diameter string post to provide more accurate tuning.
Late 1850’s banjos were the first to come equipped with frets and geared tuners.
James Ashborn also filed a patent for a capo
The Smithsonian has an example from the 1850’s with pictures and description on their website

1858 Levi Brown

Contemporary of William E. Boucher Jr.
Also made banjos in Baltimore Maryland in the mid 19th century.
Levi Brown advertised in a 1876 German language newspaper Die Deutsche Korrespondent.
An 1860’s City Directory listed Brown Levi, 457 w Baltimore right above Boucher William, jr. 38 e Baltimore.
There are only 4 known Brown banjos and one image remaining.
Brown made banjos at a lower rate than Boucher as he was also printing sheet music, teaching and performing with various minstrel groups.