Will Seeders 11-inch Dobson Banjo
Evie Ladin demonstrates one of her own go-to banjos.
A life-long musician, luthier Will Seeders got his first taste for woodworking in his father’s high-end furniture shop. While attending the Whetstone School of Lutherie, he met fellow Vermont-based luthiers Will Fielding and Froggy Bottom Guitars founder Michael Millard, among others, setting him on a path to making stringed instruments. For more than a decade now, Will has been building a wide variety of banjos and guitars in his own shop. Peghead Nation Clawhammer Banjo instructor Evie Ladin recently acquired one of Will’s 11-inch Dobson models, and in this video, she demonstrates the instrument in the Peghead Nation studio.
Evie’s banjo is built out of walnut, and it has the open-back design typically used for playing clawhammer style. The instrument has an 11-inch pot, and it gets its name from its Dobson-style tone ring, which is a doughnut-shaped ring spun from brass. Evie chose the instrument after a search for a banjo with a different sound from the no-name instrument that has been her primary companion for many years. Before deciding on the 11-inch Seeders, she also checked out a similar instrument with a 12-inch pot, which she demoed for Peghead Nation. But in the end, she found the 12-inch banjo was too large to hold comfortably, and she has been very pleased with the smaller version. “There’s nothing too fancy about it, but I just love the neck, and this one fits me very well,” she explains.
To study banjo with Evie Ladin, enroll in her Clawhammer Banjo course now!
Will Seeders 11-inch Dobson Specs
- Five-string open-back banjo
- 11-inch walnut pot (also available with 12-inch pot)
- Dobson tone ring with additional rolled-brass tone ring.
- Antiqued brass hardware.
- Walnut neck.
- Striped ebony fretboard with frailing scoop.
- Made in USA.
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