The banjo is often called the happiest instrument, but I'm here to tell you it can also be one of the loudest! That's due to its unique design and construction. Our beautiful Mastertone Granada originally belonged to my grandfather. Its resonator (the dark section behind the banjo "pot") is the reason for its volume- well, one of the reasons. The other reason is the musician who plays it!
Thank you Dixie, Brian and Terry! If you'd like to hear this one play- you can see Jeff playing it on YouTube under the name Bigfatskinee. His latest has a clip of our grandson Sam bopping to the music in the beginning. Very cute, if I do say so myself! Sam is the fifth generation of Gampy's line.
@woot Thanks Davide- it really is a masterpiece so it deserved the best representation. (o: @melorac Thank you Carole! @wardie Thanks Paul- I appreciate your view and comment! @pngmeri Thanks Mary! So do I! @jenp Thanks Jennifer- this banjo has a special connection to Nashville. Although the pot and resonator were made by Gibson in Kalamazoo Mi., the banjo was originally a Dixie banjo. Jeff is a bluegrass player though so after a long and arduous fact finding mission we found out it was acceptable to convert the neck. Although we considered a luthier for the job, we ended up taking it to Gibson in Nashville (which was absolutely the way to go!). So although the original part is from Mi. the neck is from Nashville.
@pngmeri@jenp Mary and Jennifer- if you'd like to hear the banjo, check out Jeff on YouTube. He's listed as Bigfatskinee and the most recent video he put up has a brief clip of our grandson Sam rockin' out to the banjo in the beginning.
you and your hubby must be having fun when you have spare time. this is a nice angle of the banjo and i love how you processed it, the grains just enhanced it. i haven't found my 'loud' photo yet. but i'm pretty sure it'll come to me before midnight.
@olivetreeann - Your husband is an EXCELLENT player!!! And Sam is ADORABLE!! What a little cutie! My cousin is a musician (also from Nashville, she's away at College right now and will be here visiting me in a few days) but she often plays with Rhonda Vincent!
@summerfield Thanks Vikki- I was tempted to find something tacky around the house for loud (as in obnoxious) but I don't really have anything like that anymore! Jeff hasn't had work for two weeks so he's been home and practicing a lot and I realized the banjo was a great subject for loud! So, I took the shot early this morning.
@jenp Thank you Jennifer! I'm so glad you enjoyed the video and thanks for looking him up. I am a little biased where he's concerned, but I should be right? And as for that grandson of mine, well I am a very proud grandma!!
Lovely composition! I never realised banjos were such complex instruments, but your pic shows it off really well. (This would have been perfect for your 'e' last month too!)
@digitalrn Thanks Rick! And if you don't mind me bragging a bit, I do think Jeff is a good one! @alia_801 Thanks Alia lol Didn't even think of that when I was hunting for an E! @peterdegraaff Thanks Peter- I really wanted to highlight the resonator- and this one did it best. @inertie Thanks Inertia! @sangwann Thanks Dione! Haha- thankfully the walls of our home buffer the sound somewhat in the cooler months, but not so much when the windows are open! @meoprisan Thank you Mihaela!
I Love that you Photographed this Beautiful Instrument of your Grandfather's!! You will alwys have memory of this now!! Great Pov and dof ..love the lines (strings) leading you into the photo!!
@digitalrn Thanks again Rick! @crickle1969 Thank you Crickle! @la_photographic Thank you Laura-had several photos to choose from but this one highlighted the part from which the banjo gets its sound. @adobewaters Thank you Adobe! @prttblues Thank you Bev! @bruni Thank you Bruni! @ellimae Thank you Ellen!
@adobewaters@bruni@ellimae Adobe, Bruni and Ellen- yes, it's still played by my husband. If you'd like to hear him, you can find him on YouTube under the name Bigfatskinee. His most recent upload includes a clip of our grandson Sam bopping to the banjo music in the beginning. Sam is the 5th generation! Check it out!
@lisjam1 Thanks Lisa! Yes, parts are. In this shot you can see both of them. The first part is the neck which is sticking up toward you with the name Mastertone on it. The second part is bottom of the round part (what looks like a dark band with two white edges)- the resonator. Technically you could also include the bridge- that's the thing that looks like an E with the strings going through it. The other materials are brass, mother of pearl and the banjo head which nowadays is man-made, but in older times it was animal skin. This particular banjo is made out of curly maple. Maybe someday I'll take a shot of the back of it. It's quite beautiful!
@kimmistephens Thanks Kimmi!
@crickle1969 Thanks Crickle!
@httpgeffed Thanks Colleen!
@cimes1 Thanks Carole- we do too!
@steeler Thanks Howard!
@karenann Thanks Karenann! Really? We'll see...
Thank you Dixie, Brian and Terry! If you'd like to hear this one play- you can see Jeff playing it on YouTube under the name Bigfatskinee. His latest has a clip of our grandson Sam bopping to the music in the beginning. Very cute, if I do say so myself! Sam is the fifth generation of Gampy's line.
@melorac Thank you Carole!
@wardie Thanks Paul- I appreciate your view and comment!
@pngmeri Thanks Mary! So do I!
@jenp Thanks Jennifer- this banjo has a special connection to Nashville. Although the pot and resonator were made by Gibson in Kalamazoo Mi., the banjo was originally a Dixie banjo. Jeff is a bluegrass player though so after a long and arduous fact finding mission we found out it was acceptable to convert the neck. Although we considered a luthier for the job, we ended up taking it to Gibson in Nashville (which was absolutely the way to go!). So although the original part is from Mi. the neck is from Nashville.
@pngmeri @jenp Mary and Jennifer- if you'd like to hear the banjo, check out Jeff on YouTube. He's listed as Bigfatskinee and the most recent video he put up has a brief clip of our grandson Sam rockin' out to the banjo in the beginning.
@jenp Thank you Jennifer! I'm so glad you enjoyed the video and thanks for looking him up. I am a little biased where he's concerned, but I should be right? And as for that grandson of mine, well I am a very proud grandma!!
@sanera thanks Samantha!
@twinsplusone Thanks Sharon!
@alia_801 Thanks Alia lol Didn't even think of that when I was hunting for an E!
@peterdegraaff Thanks Peter- I really wanted to highlight the resonator- and this one did it best.
@inertie Thanks Inertia!
@sangwann Thanks Dione! Haha- thankfully the walls of our home buffer the sound somewhat in the cooler months, but not so much when the windows are open!
@meoprisan Thank you Mihaela!
@crickle1969 Thank you Crickle!
@la_photographic Thank you Laura-had several photos to choose from but this one highlighted the part from which the banjo gets its sound.
@adobewaters Thank you Adobe!
@prttblues Thank you Bev!
@bruni Thank you Bruni!
@ellimae Thank you Ellen!
@adobewaters @bruni @ellimae Adobe, Bruni and Ellen- yes, it's still played by my husband. If you'd like to hear him, you can find him on YouTube under the name Bigfatskinee. His most recent upload includes a clip of our grandson Sam bopping to the banjo music in the beginning. Sam is the 5th generation! Check it out!