The gourd banjo is a true combination of the workings of nature and man. Here you'll find tips on how to construct your own gourd banjo, as well as learn more about some of today's masters.

The folks below have mastered the art of transforming nature's materials into exquisite musical instruments. Read more about them, or see their impressive gallery of work.

Pete Ross		read about Pete | gallery
		Pete Ross is a very active gourd banjo maker and banjo historian living in Baltimore. Pete builds banjos as part of a living research project - as he builds them he gains a better understanding of 18th century tools and techniques. In addition to an interview conducted by David Hyatt, we have a nice article from Baltimore Magazine

Jeffrey Menzies		read about Jeff | gallery
		Jeff is an up-and-coming banjo maker from Canada. Jeff is doing a lot to spread the word about gourd banjos, mainly because he's making a lot of them! And very nice work it is. We have a short biography that we prepared and a number of images.

Clarke Buehling		read about Clarke | gallery
		Clarke Buehling is a world-class banjoist and now inactive gourd banjo maker living in Fayetteville, Arkansas. In addition to an interview conducted by David Hyatt, and some images of Clarke's professional grade banjos, we have featured a number of dipper gourd banjos.

Scott Didlake		read about Scott | gallery
		Scott Didlake, who passed away in 1994, struggled to find a place in society and the marketplace for his vision of "banjos-as-art". His obsession with quality can be seen in the images presented, and the reader can see in Scott's own words his vision and motivation for "Kalenda Banza".

David Hyatt		read about David | gallery
		David Hyatt is a gourd banjo enthusiast living in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and also studies banjo under Clarke Buehling. In addition to hosting this site, David builds a few gourd banjos in his spare time. Images of his banjos, as well as a short banjo-making bio, are featured here.

Bob Thornburg		read about Bob | gallery
		Bob Thornburg of Bishop, California, is the name most likely to come up in a gourd banjo discussion among musicians. Bob has produced a prodigious number of quality gourd banjos, several of which are featured here along with an interview by Pat Cloud.