Banjos, at least decent quality closed-back banjos, are expensive. Even folks who take the initiative to buy the parts from Stewart MacDonald and build their own find that banjo construction is an expensive proposition. Virginia luthier John Calkin has been experimenting with non-conventional designs to make banjos from inexpensive, readily available materials. Like two by fours.

He’s documented his efforts in an interesting page on his website, called Banjo Craziness. He notes that his designs are more appropriate for old-timey frailing rather than bluegrass, and he makes this hilarious (though likely controversial) observation:

[B]luegrass sucks. Bill Monroe should have been a priest or a welder or a pimp, anything other than the father of the hideous noise called bluegrass. Bluegrass is a well-spring of Southern sentimentality, morbid lyricism, cornball humor, and poor writing. Hardcore ‘grassers lament that there are no good new bluegrass songs, but I maintain that there are no good old ones, either. The real irony is that some of the hottest pickers in folk music play bluegrass.

Read the full series here:

http://www.jcalkinguitars.com/banjo_craziness.htm

I wrote earlier about how impressed I was with Keith Cary’s Commodium, a resonator mandolin made from a stainless steel bedpan and other recycled materials. I’ve put in an order to buy one. As one might expect, Keith has a backlog of requests for his instruments. At present, I’m fifth in line for the commode, as it were.

The instrument will likely use the neck profile from my old F-2, as that’s my favorite mandolin neck. The scale length will be slightly longer, closer to my A50. I look forward to playing it.

For more information on Keith and his instruments, visit his web site.

Here’s a very clever bit of instrument construction that reminds me of Paul’s SuitBass: the Commodium, a mandolin constructed from a recycled stainless steel bedpan. It’s the work of California-based luthier Keith Cary.

There are a lot of clever details here. The tailpiece, for example, is made from a recycled fork. The instrument top is made from a Reverware pot lid. The source materials, Cary writes on his website, make for a mandolin that is exceptionally loud and directional. I may have to get one.

To learn more about the commodium, visit his website:

http://www.keithcary.com/commodium

Previous SuitBass posts:
The SuitBass, part III: the SuitBass is good for the environment.
The SuitBass, part II
Paul’s new SuitBass

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Paul used his newfangled SuitBass, fashioned from an old string bass neck and a pink Emelia Earhart suitcase, at two shows this weekend. Its maiden voyage was for the second and third sets at the Charleston Friday night. We were all immediately struck by how good the thing sounded. Paul used my old Trace Elliott acoustic preamp, and ran the SuitBass though a California Blonde bass amp. It had a very pleasing solid low end, good balance, and good sustain.

Saturday, we headed up Wisonsinward for the Badgerland Bluegrass Festival. Ordinarily, we would have to take two cars for a show like that, as we can’t fit all five of us and the acoustic bass in one vehicle. The slim profile of the SuitBass changed all that, though. It slid neatly into the van, and we all piled in together. No second car needed. The amazing SuitBass is good for the environment: it’s made of 100% recycled materials, and can help reduce our dependency on fossil fuels. Good work, Paul.

Paul is threatening to bring the SuitBass out to the Charleston tonight for the third set. Come on by and see this thing in action. Music starts at ten.

Previous posts:
Paul’s new SuitBass

Ever the innovator, and also working towards a truly travel-friendly bass, Paul Wargaski rolled out Beta Version 1 of his SuitBass at rehearsal last night.

Yes, that’s a vintage wooden suitcase complete with f-holes, a custom bridge, and a re-purposed neck from a dead bass in Paul’s shop.

I’ll let him add any other key details in the comments below, but I wanted to post this picture while it was still fresh.

And yes, the thing sounds freaking insane (i.e. definitely needs a better pickup/pre-/amplification solution than we had last night), but it sure is fun to look upon, and I have no doubt Paul will work out the kinks in due time.