This was a fun instrument to put together, as it is a pretty standard model but with some small variations. The first was that Nancy wanted one of my “mosaic” rims, which are made from scrap pieces from neck blanks. It takes me most of a year to piece together enough material for a rim like this. I lay out the segments so it has a random appearance, with bits of neck laminations popping up after turning on the lathe. I had some amazing curly walnut for the neck, which needed a wider maple stripe to make a full neck blank. I visually supported this maple stripe by using maple fretboard binding. She also wanted brass fret markers, which are a little harder to see but very classy. The pistachio is from California orchards and the walnut is from Goby and the Carpenter Ant stash in Portland.

“I want you to know how much I’m loving my banjo uke. When I pick it up I wonder whether the people who own the ukes where those mosaic blocks came from are making wonderful music with their instruments too. My instrument feels like it’s part of a constellation of over a dozen other instruments. It’s very special to have. Thank you for that!!
- N. H.
(The quilt in the picture is one made by my ancestors - passed down from my Grandmother to my Mom, but no one knew exactly who made it. It shows evidence that it was well used. It also shows that scraps from several projects can be combined to form a beautiful, useful object that brings joy to others. My banjo and this quilt have that in common.)
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