Instrument: banjo, gourd pot

Instrument: banjo, gourd pot

Banjo

Handicraft

Musical instruments

This handmade banjo's origin is unknown, but it is typical of a 19th century Appalachian banjo constructed by African-Americans who had cultural ties to the West coast of Africa. The banjo's pot is created from a vegetable gourd. The tuning gears are wooden friction pegs as were typical on late 19th and early 20th century banjos. Even though this banjo has a peg along the side of the neck like a 5-string banjo, note that this instrument has only 4 strings total. This specific instrument has had two periods of total renovation. In 1992 Brasstown luthier Horger Knight sanded and stained the fret board of the instrument and spray-painted the back of the neck black. In 2007 Georgia luthier Jerry King installed a new tailpiece and bridge and a new calfskin head.

Unknown

Artifact Collection

Hunter Library Digital Collections, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC 28723

1880/1900

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/

jpg;

crafts (art genres)

StillImage

13172

https://southernappalachiandigitalcollections.org/object/13172

2007-01-29

All rights reserved. For permissions and use, contact John C. Campbell Folk School, Brasstown, NC 28902;

Appalachian Region, Southern

7.5" x 7" x 39.5"(dimension)

Craft Revival