Other Instrument Makers and Shops

For the most part, these are links to the websites of other instruments makers and proprietors with whom we have a friendly relationship.

There are so many more to add, and we will, but there are only so many hours in the day.

Barry Dudley (Violins, 5-String Violins)

Kevin Enoch (Old-Time and Late 19th Century Banjos)

Shay Garriok & Leslie Stags (Fiddles)

James J. Hartel - Early Banjo & Minstrel Banjo Maker

Jeff Menzies (Gourd, Tackhead and Minstrel Banjos)

Geoff Stelling - Stelling Banjo Works (Bluegrass Banjos)

Joseph A. Thrift, Luthier (Violins built in the old Italian method)

Jonathan Wilson - Toga Man Guitars (Electric bowed guitars or GuitarViols)

George Wunderlich - Wunder Banjo Company (Early to mid-19th Century banjos)

Barry Dudley (www.dudleyviolins.com)

Barry, a fellow Georgian (and one of the true gentlemen of lutherie), makes some of the finest 5-string violins on earth. His instruments are played by numerous famous musicians, many of them listed on his website. We would love to sell his instruments in our online store, but Barry already has a lengthy waiting list for his completely hand-made instruments. Check out his site.

Kevin Enoch - (Enoch Instruments) (www.enochbanjos.com/index.htm)

P. O. Box 16
Beltsville, Maryland, USA
20704-0016
Telephone: 301-595-0373
email: kevin@enochbanjos.com

Kevin Enoch, founder of Enoch instruments, has been involved in playing as well as making banjos and other stringed instruments since 1984. Enoch Instruments was formally established in 1990. Kevin's goal is to create an instrument designed for Minstrel stroke and clawhammer playing, embracing the aesthetics of the great banjo makers of the 19th and early 20th century. Kevin's love for the music, as well as his craft, is apparent in the degree of care and precision he puts into every detail of these musical masterpieces. Kevin Enoch has been praised by some of the finest banjo players on Earth: Bruce Molsky, Dirk Powell, Bob Carlin, Rafe Stefanini, Paul Brown, Gerry Milnes, Joe Newberry, and the list goes on...

Shay Garriok & Leslie Stags (SG Fiddles) (www.sgfiddles.com)

Note: You will also soon find Shay Garriok under the influential Musicians links, as he is one of the finest fiddlers and fiddle educators out there.

SG Fiddles is a sole proprietorship owned and operated by Shay Garriock and Leslie Staggs.  They currently operate the business out of their home, but in April will be opening "SG Music Co. Violion and Fiddle Shop, a retail store and repair shop in downtown Pittsboro, NC . Shay and Leslie are both avid Old Time fiddlers, and Shay has been  performing, teaching, and leading workshops in old time fiddle for nearly 20 years.  He also rehairs bows and does repair and setup of fiddles and student violins.  Shay just released his first CD, "Turkey in the Mountain" with Clawhammer Extraordinaire and 5-time Clifftop winner Mac Traynham.

SG Music Company

99 Reeves Rd

Pittsboro, NC 27312

919-444-4282

info@sgfiddles.com

James J. Hartel- Early Banjo & Minstrel Banjo Maker - Hartel Banjos (www.minstrelbanjo.com/)

167 Walley Road, Franklin NY 13775
phone: (607) 829-5006
email: hartel@minstrelbanjo.com

James Hartel made his first banjo in 1973 and has continued to play and make banjos ever since. Since 1998, he's been focusing on the emergence of the banjo in America and reproducing early minstrel banjos. He is considered one of the most important authorities on early and later Minstrel banjos.

Jeff Menzies (www.jeffreymenzies.com; www.menziesinstruments.com)

Jeffrey Menzies is a prolific early-style banjo maker and sculptor based in Toronto, Canada. Jeff makes gourd banjos, as well as the historically later open-back “tackhead” and minstrel banjos.  Jeff’s banjos are played by a number of top performing artists, including Mary Z. Cox and John Balch. As mentioned, Jeff is also a sculptor, working in the mediums of welded and stainless steel, cast bronze, iron, aluminum, concrete, and wood. Jeff holds an undergraduate Degree from Ontario College of Art and Design, graduating in 1999 with a specialization in sculpture. He holds a Master of Fine Arts from York University in Toronto.

Jeff and his wife Michelle lived for a time in Green County, Pennsylvania. He discovered that he lived only ten minutes from the Banjo Loft and Wyatt Fawley, a banjo maker best known at the time for his Vega neck reproduction work, and maker of the banjo that Jeff was playing at the time. Jeff worked under Fawley for five months at the Banjo Loft. His work with Fawley was a turning point in his banjo making practice.

Upon the birth of his first child, Jeff and his wife Michelle returned to Toronto in October 2003 and Jeff began working as an artist/banjo maker (and finishing graduate degree as well, MFA from York University).

Jeff views the banjos he makes as functional art objects, rather than reproductions of specific historic artifacts. Jeff is quick to note that playability is a major design element and that his banjos are made to be played. I, as an Ergonomist and Professional Industrial Designer, very much share Jeff's view on playability...our own early instruments and historic instruments like cigar box fiddles must be playable by today's musicians to pass muster (Don Rickert, Ph.D., IDSA)

You may also want to check out Jeff's personal web site: (www.jeffmenzies.com).

Jeff elsewhere on the web: www.dhyatt.com/craft_bio_menzies.html

Geoff Stelling - Stelling Banjo Works, Ltd. (www.stellingbanjo.com/)

7258 Banjo Lane
Afton, Virginia 22920
Technical Support and Repairs: (434) 295-1917
Sales: (800) 5 STRING
Email: stelling@stellingbanjo.com

Since 1959, while still in high school, Geoff Stelling has been either playing the banjo or trying to improve on its design. Stelling Banjo Works was established in 1974 while Geoff was stationed at a Naval Base in San Diego.

As a semi-professional banjo and bass player in various bluegrass bands since the mid-60's, Geoff developed an ear for banjo tone and experimented with the mechanics of banjo construction until he patented a revolutionary design that his banjos are famous for today: the wedge-fitted pot assembly.

The Stelling Tone Ring

Prior to Geoff's design, tone rings and flanges were machined to slip-fit over the wood rim. Such a design proved to be less than perfect when changes of humidity and temperature manifested themselves as changes in tone and volume. The patented Stelling wedge-fit assures the best possible tone ring and flange to wood rim fit possible under all circumstances. The resulting purity of tone and unrelenting power are unparalleled.

In addition to the renowned Stelling tone ring, Geoff has invented many other improvements to the modern Bluegrass banjo, including the Stelling Tailpiece, Stelling Bridge, and the Stelling Compensated Nut.

Stelling Tailpiece

In addition to a structurally superior pot assembly, Stelling has designed and patented a most useful "pivot-pin" tailpiece for the banjo. Strings are easily changed without having to thread any of them through a hole in the tailpiece because each string has its own access slot. The tailpiece is also completely adjustable six ways: up, down, left, right, in and out.

Stelling Bridge

Another feature unique to Geoff's banjos is the Stelling bridge. The birch is chosen for its grain direction and number of growth rings. The shape is artistic yet functional with a design that maximizes volume and minimizes harsh overtones.

Stelling Compensated Bridge

Since intonation has been an inherent problem on stringed instruments, Geoff has since devised a compensated nut that nearly perfects the intonation on all models of Stelling banjos. By selectively notching the nut slots to different lengths, relative string distance from the nut to each fret is adjusted. This adjustment to the nut is one of several final operations Geoff Stelling performs on every banjo.

Joseph A. Thrift, Luthier (www.josephthriftviolins.com/index.html)

You will also soon find Joseph Thrift under the influential Musicians links, as he is one of the finest fiddlers in the Old Time tradition that you will ever hear if you get the chance.

Joseph A. Thrift, Luthier
PO Box 593
Dobson , North Carolina 27017
Phone: 336-352-4471
E-Mail: joe@josephthriftviolins.co

Joe Thrift was born and raised in Winston-Salem, North Carolina to a musical family. His father was a pipe organ builder and his business continues today, run by his brother. His mother is an organist and choir director. Joe’s area of the United States, the Foothills and Mountains of North Carolina, is rich in traditional folk and fiddle music, and in the early 1970's he was inspired to put his hands to making instruments. After building several small instruments myself, he apprenticed to a local maker and worked in his shop, visiting as many other makers as he could find. 

In 1976 he moved to Newark-On-Trent, England to attend the Newark School of Violin Making. Upon graduation he returned to Winston-Salem and opened a violin shop, where he made, repaired and restored violins, violas, and cellos. After managing a retail shop for several years, he moved to the country and established a shop in his home, continuing to repair and make. During this time Joe became actively involved in playing music, further exploring his love of instruments and music.

Joe traveled to Germany in 2003 to visit his friend and mentor Roger Hargrave, a renowned violin maker, who generously shared his enthusiasm and knowledge with Joe, inspiring him to return to full-time making. Joe visited Germany again in 2005, spending the winter with Roger and his co-worker Bertrand Bellin in their workshop, and through their instruction he changed his technique of making to the Cremonese style (the style of Stradivari)

Making instruments full time in his workshop in Surry County, Joe hand-crafts his violins using the same tools and methods of the classic Italian violin makers of the 1600 and 1700's.

Jonathan Wilson - Toga Man Guitars (www.togamanguitars.com)

Jonathon Wilson is an artist, musician and inventor of one of the most interesting instruments you can buy, the modern electric bowed guitars.

Jonathan’s unique Guitar-Violas (bowed guitars) are called "Togaman GuitarViols". These niche instruments are an alternative medium of musical expression for guitar players who want to add some bowed string sounds to their art. (The real way, not merely the Jimmy Page thing on steroids.)

Jonathon Wilson’s GuitarViols are quite a hit with film composers and their unique timbre has been exploited for several major films. The instrument was featured recently on the cover of Electronic Musician (http://emusician.com/interviews/tyler-bates-movie-music-maestro/) with Tyler Bates (300, Day the Earth Stood Still, Watchmen). Here is a nice radio spot Tyler did with a GuitarViol earlier: http://www.togamanguitars.com/downloads/tyler_kcrw.php .

About Jonathan Wilson

Jonathan as played guitar, tinkered with guitars since 1976. His pursuit of the GuitarViol instrument put him on a long road of R&D (which is difficult and expensive!). By shear tenacity in following his vision, Jonathan has become the world expert in modern bowed guitar and a pickup expert for bowed string instruments in general.

Jonathan tells us that he has more stuff always in the works, but is keeping us in suspense.

More of  Jonathan’s story can be found at http://www.jonathanwilsondesigns.com/ Although happily swamped with work, he does consider cooperative collaborations with colleagues. Jonathan considers one of the greatest rewards of his work the relationships he has established over the years.

George Wunderlich - Wunder Banjo Company (www.wunderbanjo.com/)

The Wunder Banjo Company's goals are to reproduce the most historically accurate and highest quality early to mid 19th century banjos, and to preserve the 19th century sound, music, and style of America's most important folk instrument.

Wunder Banjo Company
18513 Wagaman Road
Hagerstown, MD 21740
Telephone: (301) 739-7343 (after 6 p.m.)
E-mail: Banjo@myactv.net

Note: George is universally regarded as one of the true gentlemen and all-around nice guys in the business; not for money—just because!

George Wunderlich is recognized as an expert in 19th century minstrel music and banjos. He builds banjos for musicians, museums, historians, collectors, and re-enactors all over the world. His drive for historical accuracy has taken him to the Smithsonian Institution, Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC and the Library of Congress. He has researched the instruments, the music and the people of the 19th century.  He was co-curator of the 2003 banjo exhibit, The Birth of the Banjo, at the Katonah Museum in New York.

George started building banjos in 1992. His initial goal was to build for the historical re-enactment community. His attention to detail and sound quality re-introduced these instruments to the folk music community. Today George’s banjos are heard in a variety of types of music: blues, traditional folk, children’s, historic and movie soundtracks.

George has a passion to share his love of history with others. He has enriched learning for students of all ages for nearly 20 years. His energy and knowledge have made him a favorite speaker to schools, clubs and organizations nationwide. In 2002 he was a presenter for the first time at the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Fan Fest in Louisville, KY. George is currently the Executive Director of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine. He is also Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop #217.

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