Yes you can, please get in touch via the contact form on the website to arrange a time to come round, I should have a limited selection of instruments at the workshop that can be played.

No, I'm now only building the instruments shown on the website, also occasional “Special editions” which will be available through the banjos for sale page.

Completion Time for pre-order banjos obviously varies depending on where I am with my waitlist and current builds - please use the form to inquire about current lead times.

Yes thats no problem, If you select Cyclones when you order an instrument please let me know by email which buttons you want - Box wood - Ebony - Galalith Ivory. I dont keep them in stock so they may delay an instrument thats ordered from stock, the price listed is inclusive of carriage, VAT and customs charges.

This is very subjective, people who like them feel that they sound better, I personally prefer them, when I was doing the videos for the Dobson recently was the first time I've spent much time playing a synthetic head for any length of time, and I really noticed the difference, whether I can put that very well into words is another thing.... a renaissance to me sounds brighter, on the other hand its not really that a skin doesn't sound bright if its on tight... its just a different type of brightness, maybe not quite as sharp and punchy. That being said I'm personally not so keen on fybre skyns because to me they sound a bit dead (though I think some banjos and players sound amazing with them) skin heads are lively and responsive, just in a slightly different way to a renaissance, and completely different to the bright/brash sound of a frosted head which can be amazing if its what your after,.Some people prefer them a bit slack which can give you a really swampy funky kind of sound especially with say a fretless. They also look pretty cool if you like the look The cons are easier to describe, they aren't as stable, which some people really hate, I've used them for years and have never had that much of a problem, that being said I like a high action on my own banjos because I feel it plays and sounds better, and is worth the extra effort, so if its a humid day and the head slackens I might not notice too much, If I had a low action on the other hand, the banjo might on an extremely humid day become too slack to play. You can obviously change the bridge or give it a blast with a hairdryer which works well, though I've very rarely felt the need, I wax my heads when I stretch them which makes a big difference in stability, but its not 100% humidity proof like a synthetic. They can also in theory on a very dry day get way too tight and pop, again that isn't something that's ever happened to me, I once spent a very hot day at a festival on a stall full of banjos waiting for them all to explode but none of them did. I have also taken my pony banjo to rainforests in Australia and countless nights sleeping in the spray haze on beaches with no issues. Another thing I also find they don't last me personally as long as a synthetic and I usually end up replacing them between 2 - 6 years depending on the skin and level of punishment.

The tuners used as standard on instruments with Raw brass hardware are Gotoh Brass planetary tuners, on instruments with Nickel plated hardware they are unbranded south korean planetary tuners with black buttons.

If you are a fan of light strings and low actions please do take into account that the scale lengths I use for five strings is 25.4” this is shorter than the mastertone scale length (26 ¼) found on the vast majority of five string banjos in the world and therefore the strings are slacker so feel lighter anyway, and If you ask for a low action it really will be low (2-2.5mm at the 12th).

The usual idea is that the harder the wood the brighter the tone, so Maple is a brighter sounding wood and Cherry is a mellower warmer tone, my personal feeling is that possibly it does change the tone a touch…. but, I am pretty sure that there are many other factors that change the tone far more, - head tightness - head material - tone ring - thickness of rim - weight of bridge - string gauge - string height - use of a mute under the head. So I would personally say go with the wood that appeals the most to you visually and get the tone you want with the other elements. So I would personally say go with the wood that appeals the most to you visually and get the tone you want with the other elements.

The woods I use are FSC certificated, The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certifies forests to ensure their environments are responsibly managed and meet the highest environmental and social standards. According to the FSC: FSC certified forests must be managed to the highest environmental, social and economic standards. For more info https://www.martinguitar.com/blog-categories/sustainability/blog-042022-fsc.html

Richlite is a composite material made from recycled paper and phenolic resin/cellulose, many guitar manufacturers such as martin and gibson use it as a more sustainable alternative to ebony. It has a slightly different feel to wood, but feels nice as a fingerboard and looks quite striking.

Fretted five string banjos intended for use with steel strings come with a compensated moon bridge. Tenor banjos come with a straight maple and ebony bridge Fretless banjos intended for steel strings come with a straight maple and ebony bridge. Banjos intended for use with nylon or gut strings come with an uncapped cherry bridge.

No it is not a true rosewood and does not come under the same CITIES restrictions, It does look and feel alot like rosewood though can range to a bit more orangey colours.

Five string banjos 31mm Tenor banjos 29mm

No

Spikes and capos are on offer for five string instruments, spikes are free of charge or shubb longscale capos are £50

By lowering the bridge.

Loosen the head, or try a heavier bridge

In the UK the best source for musicians is probably Eagle music in Huddersfield

The truss rod is located in the heel, and the neck must be removed to get to it, The truss rod is there to add stiffness to the neck and as a fail safe if the neck warps.

Because in my opinion it sounds and plays great. If you are changing from a 26 ¼ neck I would recommend upping your string gauge if you use light strings to Medium, and if you normally use mediums and find them too light on a 25.4 scale I would recommend trying a custom set thats slightly heavier, I personally like 11-12-16-24-12 (I have a fifth string Capo and tune my fifth to E, if I was tuning to G I would use an 11)

Yes, please contact me for delivery prices, You may have to pay taxes when the instrument reaches your country, please look into this before ordering.

Change the strings if they are dead or Tighten the head