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Fretless Banjos
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Some Comments About Fretless Banjos
Whether constructed with a steam bent wooden
hoop or a gourd, our fretless banjos
are authentic looking and affordable. They give you
that wonderful 19th Century low bass toned minstrel sound. Each
banjo is a unique hand made original by John Salicco. They
are
designed to be played "stroke style" (a simple type of frailing
or claw hammer stroke) typically tuned 2 1/2
steps below modern tuning. From about 1830 to 1860 this was a common tuning for the banjo.
For those of you who have not yet enjoyed the freedom of
a fretless banjo,
please do not let these instruments intimidate you. They are no more
difficult to play than any modern fretted instrument. In many ways,
they are easier. For the better
part of two centuries, they have been played by people from all walks of
life with little to no instruction. If you would like to pursue a
formal 1855 approach to stroke playing, please click here:
Brigg's Banjo Instructor.
Remember, that for every professional minstrel master in the 19th century, there were dozens of ordinary folk,
stroking and plunking out their favorite tunes by the firelight. Some could read
musical notation, most could not. No matter the level of proficiency,
all shared the common satisfaction and enjoyment of making music!
You'll be amazed at how addicting fretless banjos are.
A note on construction:
I use a two piece construction for the neck where the spike is part
of the heel of the neck glued on as a separate piece. I used to
make round spikes when I first started selling on-line, but now I make
all spikes rectangular or square in cross-section. Please be aware
that the rawhide on the head of the banjo can vary in color and texture
from white to tan and from clear to opaque depending upon the hides I
have available. No two banjos are completely alike.
If you have photos or drawings of an old gourd banjo that
you'd like me to duplicate, then lets talk. I'm fairly handy with a
carving knife. I'll work up a quotation for you.
Position of the 5th String Tuning Peg I've had a number of questions asked about the 19th century positioning of
the 5th string tuning peg position. The 20th century "standard" is at
approximately the 5th fret position. This corresponds to modern guitar
tunings and with the addition of a string "bracket" (I use a miniature model
railroad spike on my modern fretted banjo) at the 7th fret to stop the short string
a modern player can capo up 2 frets on the bottom 4 strings to change keys
without re-tuning. On the early 19th century fretless banjos,
the 5th string tuning peg did not have a standard position. In fact it
was often at the corresponding 7th or 9th fret position on the neck.
I prefer the 7th fret location because, at the 5th stop, the the tuning peg
sometimes gets in the way when playing up-neck on the 4th string. That
being said, I can place the peg wherever you want. I've also noticed that the 5th string often doesn't run over the neck in the
originals. Like
the drone strings on a harp guitar, the string runs along the outside edge
of the neck. I make my banjos with the 5th string running barely over
the edge of the neck.
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