1930 Gibson Granada Banjo
Bill Evans demonstrates his 1930 Gibson Granada banjo.
This 1930 Gibson Granada banjo is owned by Peghead Nation banjo instructor Bill Evans. Originally built as a four-string tenor banjo, the instrument (serial no. 9522-25) was modified with a five-string neck at a later time, and its current neck was built by Frank Neat of Neat Banjos (neatbanjos.com). The banjo has a maple resonator and gold-plated hardware. “The interesting thing about this instrument is that you get a lot of nice sustain,” says Evans. “But then, when you play the next note, the first note is gone, so you don’t get this blending of the notes that can create a muddy sound.” The bridge was made by Italian banjo player Silvio Ferretti (scorpionmusic.com), and Bill strings the banjo with GHS JD20 strings (ghsstrings.com).
To study banjo with Bill, enroll in his Beginning Banjo, Bluegrass Banjo, Earl Scruggs: A Player’s Guide, Melodic and Single-String Banjo or The Banjo Style of J.D. Crowe courses on Peghead Nation!
And you can find more banjo demos, performances and lessons here.
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