Ome “Celtic” Tenor Banjo

My ongoing Banjo Acquisition Obsession has been at least been temporarily nullified with the recent acquisition of a left-handed Ome tenor banjo! Mine is an 11” openback with a rolled brass tonering and Ome’s “Celtic” inlay design. The neck and rim are made of claro walnut with a handrubbed finish. It has 19-frets and a scale length just over 22”. The Ome tenor has a Sweetone tailpiece and Renaissance head, wooden armrest, double coordinator rods, amber colored tuners and aged brass hardware. I use the Irish tuning of GDAE - one octave lower than a mandolin.  A new Bart Veerman bridge is on order.

I chose openback over resonator. I prefer the lighter weight of an openback and the way it sits in the lap. I also like how openbacks look and sound, and don’t have a need for any extra volume that a resonator might offer. I chose the 11” rim (as opposed to a 12” rim) for a more focused sound and also out of a concern that a 12” might be less comfortable and place the bridge in a somewhat unusual position. Since 95% of my playing is done at home for my own enjoyment, I basically wanted a banjo that I would always want to play and never want to put down. The headstock design is fancier than I might have selected had that been an option, but I think I can get used to those classic contours.

Tanya at Ome strongly recommended their rolled brass tonering instead of something with a more “metallic” sound even though I do a lot of Irish playing. I trusted her Ome expertise and went with that suggestion. I am pleased with the choice as the banjo has plenty of volume and sustain as it is. I wouldn’t want anything louder or brighter.

The 19-fret neck and 22.125” scale length is an interesting combination. In the past I have experienced some shoulder pain from playing a resonator tenor with a 23” scale, but that has not been an issue thanks to the ergonomics of this Ome. The 19-fret neck does probably give it a more nuanced, cleaner tone than a 17-fret banjo. I also find triplets to be easier on a 19-fret neck than on a 17-fretter, so that is a plus, and the Ome's neck is not chunky; another plus.

In an increasingly crowded market of high-end banjos, I'm glad I chose Ome - which are hand made in Boulder, Colorado (since 1960).  I cannot think of any other banjo that would have been a better choice for me!  Order yours today!  Hastily recorded one-take sound samples below.  Cheers.

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Cedar Mountain Banjos now offering custom 17 and 19-fret tenor banjo options

North Carolina's Cedar Mountain Banjos has been building heirloom-quality open back banjos since 1996. They typically make 5-string banjos and banjo ukes for old-time players. The owner, Tim Gardner, has been wanting to build tenor banjos for several years, mainly out of personal interest. Tim is a multi-instrumentalist who enjoys playing around with different types of instruments.

Tim took over ownership of Cedar Mountain in 2013. One of his goals is to be able to offer various options so that someone can order almost any type of instrument or neck that has a banjo head (6-string, 5-string, 4-string, banjo guitars, ukes, mandolins, etc.). He finally had an opportunity to build a tenor banjo for a client in Chicago recently and it turned out so well that he decided to add 4-string tenors to the product line.

“It seems like there are currently not many builders in the US who offer quality customized handmade tenor banjos to order,” said Tim Gardner, “so I thought it might be a good way to expand into new markets and musical genres.”

Cedar Mountain Banjos is now offering highly-customizable 17 and 19-fret tenor neck options on any of its handmade models. You can find more info at cedarmtnbanjos.com. The Cedar Mountain tenor banjo pictured here is based on the Bungalow model which uses all domestic woods (cherry and curly maple with a locust fingerboard). Tenor necks can be made for any Cedar Mountain model.

Nechville to Start Making Irish Tenor Banjos

In a field where tradition is the norm, Tom Nechville has managed introduce some time-tested innovations over the last three decades. 

Tom Nechville

Proprietary terms like “Heli-Mount” and “Cyclotronics” are not gimmicky buzz-words but are in-fact the foundations of Tom’s successful and functional design (simple, uniform tensioning of the head, easy neck adjustment), directly contributing to Nechville’s characteristic clean, clear sound and comfort.

"Tom's probably the most innovative guy in the world when it comes to building banjos," said David Schenkman, owner of Turtle Hill Banjo Co. in La Plata, MD. 

The fact that all Nechville banjos can be made as 4-string tenors is nothing new, but now Nechville is working on developing an instrument specifically designed with the Irish session player in mind. The phrase “Irish Tenor Banjo” gets used to describe various types of plucked, GDAE tuned banjos. Tom Nechville has done research and consulted with some Irish tenor banjoists to hone in on what he thinks may be the most advantageous combination for the majority of players.

In an email to me, Tom listed these specs:

-Maple, 19-fret, 22.25" scale* tenor.
-G D A E tuning (low to high).
-11" Remo head with top frosting sanded smooth and tightened to 93+ on drum dial.
-Curly maple resonator (Excelsior open back also an option).
-Heli-mount black frame - Cyclotronic (ball bearing) mounted on 3 ply maple rim.

-40 hole archtop tone ring (other options available).
-Ebony fingerboard with pearl diamond trio pattern.
-Classic neck shape (slim but not too narrow).
-Comfortable low action (adjustable).
-Low, flat armrest - flush and at same height as tailpiece.
-Sturdy 2 foot bridge approx 21/32" 2 grams (neck adjusts for different bridge heights and action)
-High quality Gotoh tuners with black knobs.

*There is a trade off between the quick playability of a shorter scale neck and the superior power and tone potentials of a longer scale. We are offering 2 tenor choices at the moment, 22 1/4" and 23 1/2".
 
This will be a highly sophisticated banjo that will be comfortable, easy to play, adjustable and easily transportable. We are working on a flight case to carry the instrument in 2 pieces. We also build to custom specs.

Nechville tenor banjo

Tom is hoping to keep the cost under three grand. The first prototypes should be available by summer 2015.  I am looking forward to giving one of these a test drive!