Blog | flatfootjohnny

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Nov 18
1 min

Banjolele restoration.

This 1920s banjolele has been in the same family from new. unfortunately it got seriously injured somehow. Withe the pot badly smashed an...

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flatfootjohnny

Sep 15
1 min

Another George Matthews banjo

Straight after fixing one I see another on ebay. This one is a real oddity. Ive only seen one other which was made by SS Stewart. This is...

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flatfootjohnny

Sep 15
1 min

George Matthews banjo repair

Here's an old 19th century George Matthews banjo that I had in for repair. Originally a fretless, then at some point somebody fitted fret...

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flatfootjohnny

Sep 15
1 min

Mountain family

Heres a collection of 2 of my most recent builds and my first ever mountain banjo from over 10 years ago. #mountainbanjo

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flatfootjohnny

Sep 15
1 min

Belows banjo complete

Here it is completed. It was a lot of fun to make and is even more fun to play with great tone and loads of volume. #mountainbanjo #minst...

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flatfootjohnny

Sep 15
1 min

More creative fun

Ages ago someone gave me a set of broken, highly ornate, carved Victorian bellows. Slowly a plan came to mind. Somewhere between a mounta...

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flatfootjohnny

Sep 14
1 min

The gourd with 2 heads

Ive been wanting to make one of these ever since seeing Adam Hurt play one. This is a U.K grown bottle gourd and an American black walnut...

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flatfootjohnny

Sep 14
1 min

Flush fretted gourd banjo

Heres a gourd banjo with a walnut stained sycamore neck with dark veneer (dyed oak) flush frets. #gourdbanjo

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flatfootjohnny

Sep 14
1 min

Tunbridgeware banjo?

I'm fascinated by old English banjos. I especially like how they differed in style from the American instrument. Tunbridgeware was a styl...

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flatfootjohnny

Sep 14
1 min

Angel of Peace banjo

Once again ive been neglecting this blog so heres an update. I finally finished the angel of peace banjo. Custom sunflower bracket shoes,...

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flatfootjohnny

May 7, 2019
1 min

Angel of peace banjo heel carving

Ive been putting this off for ages for fear of doing it wrong. But i finally bit the bullet and got stuck in. So far so good i reckon. #c...

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flatfootjohnny

May 7, 2019
1 min

oak and maple mountain banjo

I recently completed this mountain banjo, it has an oak pot and a maple neck. Ive tried a new way of setting the tension hoop. Its restin...

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3rd of 3 grain measure banjos finished and for sale

flatfootjohnny

May 7, 2019
1 min

3rd of 3 grain measure banjos finished and for sale

Here's the last of the 3. It has a a lovely old 9" vintage pot made in Hungary. Same scale length as the previous three. Despite its smal...

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flatfootjohnny

Mar 18, 2019
1 min

2nd of 3 grain measures FOR SALE

Ive completed the second of the three little tack head grain measure banjos that im making to celebrate getting to No 50. This one is m...

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flatfootjohnny

Mar 12, 2019
1 min

Plantation Banza finished

Ive fitted some strings on the Banza. I am very pleasantly surprised by its tone. It goes against all the rules of banjo making - string ...

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flatfootjohnny

Mar 2, 2019
1 min

1st of 3 grain measure banjos

Ive completed the first of the three little tack hread grain measure banjos that im making to celebrate getting to No 50. serial number 5...

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flatfootjohnny

Mar 2, 2019
1 min

Early plantation banjo

Ive had this pear shaped gourd for some time so i decided to make my interpretation of the early banza as depicted in "The Old Plantation...

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flatfootjohnny

Jan 27, 2019
1 min

first out for 2019

This left handed, short scale minstrel banjo is headed to the Isle of Wight. It has a stained, rippled English sycamore neck with bone fr...

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flatfootjohnny

Jan 3, 2019
1 min

A couple of gourd banjos.

The last couple of banjos to get completed in 2018 were both gourds with lovely figured English Sycamore necks. The first was sent to Swe...

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4 minstrel banjos to be finished in 2019

flatfootjohnny

Jan 3, 2019
1 min

4 minstrel banjos to be finished in 2019

Here are the four that didnt get completed. First is a left handed short scale with bone frets heading to the Isle of White. #minstrelban...

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