I am a slow, heavy ship, which naturally turns slowly. I say “no” to many of the ideas and requests my customers have, because I take a long time to learn new skills and longer still to find a way to incorporate them seamlessly into my process. I also have a sharp urge to keep the ordering process and the aesthetics of the instruments simple, so I really don’t want too many options. In this case, Brian really wanted to bind the fretboard and headstock with rope binding. I finally said yes. It’s not perfect, but it’s honest and it looks cool. Let me do it 100 more times and I’ll be closer to getting it totally right.

Curly maple from the closing sale at Wildwood Banjos, Texas Ebony from Brown Banjos upon his retirement. Tasty darkened brass hardware from Brooks Masten and stained goat skin.