Curly walnut is a beautiful wood and difficult to come by. This board from Goby in Portland is multi-colored, swirly, knotty and filled with character. It was a real challenge to get the whole rim and neck from the one board, but I really wanted it to match. The rim is 12” across and features a wooden tone ring and goat skin head, which give it depth, warmth and character. But, I’ve started making the rims a little thinner, which gives it more vibrancy and volume. A really nice combination overall. The walnut is so crazy looking that I chose plain pistachio from California orchards for the fretboard and trim. This was a challenging build for me, as the larger rim maxes out my tooling capacity, but the beautiful sound made it all worthwhile.

“Hi Aaron,
Just wanted to let you know that #468 arrived today, safe and sound. Got her all tuned up and I’ve been playing it in between meetings I’ve had today.

It’s absolutely beautiful — and the sound of it really, really resonates with me. The action feels spot on. The wood is gorgeous. Your craftsmanship is amazing.

My husband Jody, who doesn’t play an instrument, commented to me today about the sound of your banjo: “It’s mellow and round.”

I’m looking forward to getting to know this banjo. Lots of playing ahead!

Thank you,
- J. E. ”