I haven't posted much from my shop lately, mostly because... well... most of what I'm working on these days isn't really all that interesting. I've got a nice, steady supply of work from the store that I can depend on, and that's a very good thing. But it isn't glamorous. Most of what I'm working on is daily-grind kind of work. Trying to make things playable or at least presentable. Leveling frets, filing nut slots, shimming bridge feet... all in a day's work. It is extremely relaxing, and I look forward to working in there more often.
This one gave me a smile this weekend. It's a mail-order catalog banjo, probably turn of the last century. (early 1900's) I was basically trying making a wall-hanger into as playable of an instrument as possible without blowing a budget of X$. I get that a lot... repair exceeds value of subject. But hey, that's their call.
Anyway, part of getting this one up-n-running was a new head. Replacing it was easy, just time-consuming... look at all those bracket-shoes! The old calfskin head was dry-rotted and shrunk, unfortunately. I found the name penned inside it- "BUCK COLLINS". It was common practice for people used to write their name inside like this, but the name was the coincidence. Several years ago, my good buddy (more like a brother) Tony Collins used to prank folks with this costume he carried around. It was a dirty old tank top from Cape Hatteras N.C., a hat with longhair wig, and some buck teeth. We'd be out somewhere with the girls, and he'd see some folks he knew, and decide to target them. He'd excuse himself, and go change into Cousin Buck, come back, and either pretend to heckle me in the band to get up and play with us, or start flirting with his wife in front of the clueless victims of his prank. Cousin Buck came very close to gettin' run outta' quite a few establishments in greater East Tennessee.
Sometimes I wonder if little instances like that old signature ain't how Tony checks in on me now and then? He always was a prankster.
