I built a BANJO out of FRUIT. And so can you!

[@awogbob]

Probably best luthier content on youtube: -High output -Creative projects -'Interesting' Humor -Not pretentious or just advertising the same shitty fix up guitar builds like other youtubers Keep it up

[@Notaluthier]

Thanks! That means a lot

[@CheeseburgerRyan]

I might have accidently made a cannon

[@Notaluthier]

Hate when that happens

[@BaBaBaBenny]

"I built a banjo out of fruit and so can you" not even two minutes in: *Don't try this at home"

[@Notaluthier]

Hahahah, I mean…do what you like…but…keep your fingers.!

[@LightBranches]

@@Notaluthierpreferably still attached to the rest of the hand!

[@The_IRL_Bard]

I wanna make instruments with gourds, maybe a bowlback mandolin? You inspire me to make homemade instruments. I do wanna go to luthiery school to make more difficult things like lutes and Spanish guitars and stuff but I love that music isnt restricted by material or technique

[@runrin_]

if one the primary goals of these videos is to make people feel like this type of work is accessible for everyone regardless of experience or financial situation, you're doing an excellent job.

[@Notaluthier]

I wish I had more insight into my goals, but so far, I’m just winging it, and this is what’s coming out. 🎉

[@madmusicianmagician]

17:07 when your bridge collapses and all your hard work gets flung while your banjo is left strung out

[@betterl8thannvr]

That thing you ground down was a clay sculpting tool. I don't work with clay but have multiple sets because they're incredibly (mis)useful tools.

[@Notaluthier]

Oh right! Thanks! Yeah I have two of them and use them all the time for extremely random tasks.

[@Fraik]

We've got the same haircut and beard, and I have some ill-advised guitar projects of my own I'd like to make videos about, this is pretty inspirational, thanks !

[@skullheadwater9839]

You should have done the slo-mo "FFUDDDGGE" from "A Christmas Story" when the tailpiece gave way.

[@trappenweisseguy27]

If you go into second hand shops regularly you will eventually come across a lidded “nut storage” thing made in the Philippines from monkey pod wood and carved in the shape of a giant nut with a flat lid on top. These things were made in the thousands in the 70’s. The hollow carved “nut” section is about as big as your gourd and gets you to the same approximate starting point but with nice cool wood . I like to do the rough shaping on a neck with a sharp hatchet. If you’re working properly with the grain you won’t get unwanted tear outs.

[@bubbyis1337]

cant stop watching all of your vids, love it

[@Notaluthier]

Thanks!

[@Aethalops]

You can tune your Helmholtz resonator by changing the size (area) of the hole. That will also affect the volume of the instrument

[@parengstrand3101]

Brilliant stuff! I've built several instruments with a gourd as a body, primarily reproductions of medieval instruments. That's some great things you do in this video that I'm gonna steal for my next build. Thanks!

[@Notaluthier]

Those sound cool!

[@clawhammer704]

I’d want that small gap on the end where the strings go over because the ebony expands more than spruce. That way u won’t get a split.

[@guitfidle]

Well that's a fun one. I actually did know gourds are fruit.... I tried growing some in my backyard so I could make weird stuff like this..... they were smaller than baseballs, and when dried the shell was like crappy paper mache. I did end up buying some other ones, but haven't gotten much farther than cutting one in half. My Japanese saw worked really well for gourd slicing BTW. I've built other stuff in this vein, and have some materials suggestions if you're interested.

[@Notaluthier]

Yeah, a Japanese saw is a better choice! Hahahha. I’m not in a climate to grow gourds of this kind either…maybe in a few years though ;) I put a wanted ad out for gourds but didn’t get any reply’s

[@guitfidle]

@@Notaluthier yeah, I've been up your way a couple times. I'm in Oregon, not terribly far off. I actually got a few from a local farm that does a pumpkin patch. If you can grow pumpkins you should be able to grow gourds (same family) however- I have successfully grown pumpkins a couple times, but the gourds just never worked out. I did also get a sitar a few years ago, the body is just a large guard, but I haven't been able to source anything that big for my own projects.

[@zxspectr195]

Great job man! I actually find ur channel after ur mustang rebuild. And absolutely happy with this! Please do more content like this. With love from Russia 🇷🇺.

[@Notaluthier]

Thank you!

[@borenzosbam2262]

literally my fav video ever, as soon as I get my hands on a gourd...

[@Notaluthier]

Heck yeah!

[@grooooved]

Nice werk, Brotha! Banjo's cool, too!

[@StevDoesBigJumps]

It's impressive how much bass you squeeze out of what looks like a mandola sized body. It must have something to do with the hardness of the body transferring the sound well. The guy behind boxwood guitars talks a good bit about how he can get more volume out of his box guitars, as the sides can be thicker than the shaped sides on most guitars. This is supposedly also the reason banjos are louder than guitars.

[@SierraAppa]

Another great video. Thank you 🙏

[@Notaluthier]

Thanks to you for watching!

[@lautaroc123]

I loved this. I'm going to give it a try

[@zacktaylor3441]

Thanks very much for the video. Enjoyed it a lot. I vote for more POS Guitar salvage videos and videos like this with instrument builds using garbage/found stuff etc. I appreciate the focus on simple tools and techniques. The niche kink stuff was fun too. Wasn’t expecting that with a gourd banjo build but yeah

[@laurajaneluvsbeauty9596]

So cool. I play the piano, the guitar, the bass, and the ukulele. I wanna get a mandolin next. This is such a cool project

[@Notaluthier]

Awesome, the more instruments the merrier!

[@gagesusdorf9490]

Ive been a follower of your insta for a long time, im so glad you decided to start making content on youtube. keep it up, youre doing great!

[@Notaluthier]

Thanks a lot!

[@tom5112]

Appreciate your sense of humor and ingenuinity ✌ Your dog's the cutest!

[@Notaluthier]

Thanks! Welcome!

[@WansbeckBikecam]

Brilliant. Sounds great. 👏🏻👏🏻

[@Notaluthier]

Many thanks!

[@gogotrololo]

Banjo is the best instrument to start with, if you're interested in doing luthier stuff. It's also the best when you just want to have a chill project to use up some old material you cant figure out how to make use of.

[@Notaluthier]

Especially when it’s fretless

[@oliviajoy69]

Part of the 4.8%, an amateur woodworker, has a dog named Bug, and enjoys shibari. Subscribed!

[@Notaluthier]

Bug! Nice! My dog was named after my daughter’s first dog June….June-June bug-buggy.

[@petergouldrup4317]

Very nice tuba.❤

[@shawnbarron7900]

You too with the pour-over!

[@Notaluthier]

All the way over

[@MisterJWJ71]

Part of me wants to play that banjo 🪕 but, I don't play as well as I did decades ago and I probably wouldn't be able to play in tune without frets.....or at least lines where frets would be like on my lined fretless bass.

[@Notaluthier]

Ya know I tried a fretless bass once in a music store in Everett Washington and it was a DISASTER. No note was in tune, it felt terrible. But then I got a fretless nylon banjo and something clicked…it’s a more intuitive muscle-memory type of play, of course, but you can, at very least enjoy it in the comfort of one’s own home

[@MisterJWJ71]

@@Notaluthier My bass is an Epiphone Zenith lined fretless. By the time I decided I wanted one, I found out they were discontinued. But I would occasionally look for used ones. It only took me like 12 years. Partly because I wanted the fretless version rather than the fretted option. I also wanted the antique natural finish. You can more easily find them in the transparent black and with frets. It's even easier to find the transparent black in the lined fretless than it is the antique natural. I did have an opportunity to play an Ibanez acoustic fretless (LINED fretless also) and having the lines is the only way I could ever play fretless. I learned that with a fretless you have to play the note a bit further up the neck than if there were frets. So, on a lined fretless you put your fingertip basically on the "fret" line. I had wanted this particular bass because I wanted to emulate the sound of standup bass (especially the "WOOM" when you slide between notes) and it's just a beautiful bass. I finally found one this past March on eBay from a seller in Japan/ Granted I paid more than they cost new when they were being made and I could have gotten one with frets from someone in the US for like $100 to $150 less but, US sellers want like $150 to $200 for shipping and the guy in Japan offered FREE shipping! Finding a hard case for it was a bit of a pain. They discontinued the case that was made for it back when they discontinued the bass. But after a lot of checking to make sure it would fit I got a Jack Casady case (Gibson/Epiphone's customer support told me it wouldn't fit but I kept checking until I confirmed that it WOULD fit). I enjoy your videos! Keep up the good work!

[@rufgux]

That was fun to watch. Nice job. Keep ‘em coming!

[@mxgxhxdx1312]

Your videos are fuckin badass, sometimes the algorithm hits you with some gold

[@Notaluthier]

Glad it tracked you down 🤖

[@jayhassan976]

Dude I love your channel!!

[@Notaluthier]

Thanks!

[@Kevenruf]

Maybe "not" a Luther, but too damn funny!

[@tallyankeegal]

gonna have to say I do like wood shavings, and let's leave it there! lol I'm about to do my first gourd build, thanks for posting!

[@Notaluthier]

Awesome

[@Notaluthier]

Send pics when it’s done!

[@MarkDally]

Loving your vids dude. That thing is bringin sexy back for Banjers. Watched it coz I'd been wanting to build one but Ermergourd it's hard to find a decent gourd in Australia. I'll be using this vid for reference if I find one.

[@Notaluthier]

Ermagourd! Thanks! I honestly have the hardest time finding any here either. I bet you could grow some big-ins in Aus!

[@bengordon2330]

rock and roll !!

[@JagStar]

0:17, I do that all the time! 8:55, I do that all the time too. 😂 What a great instrument!

[@harmlesscreationsofthegree1248]

Amazing! And I thought gourds were only used for carrying around magic potions. What a versatile abomination they are 🙂

[@Notaluthier]

Worst tasting/most useful fruit?

[@jordmosselman3403]

Thank you! That was not a fruitless endeavour Slomo (en)taildpiece action was much fun. I see you have managed to avoid the onetimeonly srew action, nice job, the shitsel for the nutjob was an inventive side project. Dont worry about a file pretending to be a metal sandpaper stick, it just works. A goo(r)d project to do for anyone, oh, some slipnot gourd action when wearing that mask next time please? Love to hear goujometal! Good luck with the next builds, yes please!

[@Notaluthier]

Thanks very much

[@chazstewart4865]

Ha!.... Subscription justified.

[@STAY-GOLD-VINYL]

0:56 you look like one of the Pink Floyd Kids. Another Brick in the Wall anyone??!!!

[@ast3663]

the end..lol

[@ErickvdK]

Banjo was developed in the US, probably from its predecessor, the akonting. So American instrument with roots in Afrika. Lovely build!😊

[@RobHutten]

There’s something like 150-200 years of documented banjo presence in the Caribbean and eastern South America before it ever shows up in America. Kristina Gaddy’s book Well Of Souls is a fascinating read about this.

[@ErickvdK]

@@RobHutten Might have to get that one! I got "banjo, roots and branches", by Robert B Winans, covers pretty much much what they found out so far, including the banjar from Haiti.😊

[@lizardswithhats]

Time to look for the perfect gourd 🫡

[@Notaluthier]

I tried to germinate the seeds from this one but I don’t think I’m in the climate for it. Might be a craft/thrift store kind of find. I seriously put a wanted ad in my local classifieds for gourds. No bites! I get a lot more hits when I ask for wasp nests

[@popefang]

FOLLOW THE GOURD!!

[@that_thing_I_do]

You're weird. I like you and your channel.

[@Notaluthier]

Gawrsh ☺️

[@red58impala]

My comment is not very pithy today so I'll just say, great video!

[@Notaluthier]

What a pithy indeed!

[@victorparis7189]

Your as hilarious as Ted @ Twooford!!

[@kalesmythe]

It's very similar to a setar, which is a small lute in Iranian classical music.

[@Notaluthier]

Nice! Is that made with a gourd? It also bears a resemblance to a Tamburica, a Ukrainian folk instrument.

[@kalesmythe]

@@Notaluthier I think setars are usually made with pear tree wood but I could be wrong. Definitely wood of some kind. It also has movable frets that were traditionally made from some kinda animal intestine.

[@ToolsAreToys]

neat!

[@chuckwolfboyer7830]

CAVEMAN 😅 COOL 😎

[@Dannon1111]

You made a bass lutejo

[@jacquikerr-bell7850]

Here for the business tips! 😅 (from the 4.8% audience minority) and this is gourdgeous.

[@Notaluthier]

Hahaha!!you will find great success!

[@samsgarage3540]

Haha! I tried to be a KZbinr once for a little bit, and I did a tea opening kinda like your coffee opening 😅. Bro, seriously, this was a couple of years ago, but we edit similarly and have a similar sense of humor, it seems - are we related?

[@lourias]

Obscure question: You said that is a Kluson styled Tuner Peg strip, or something like that. Do you know the size of the screws use for it? I am in need of a 3mm, with a 0.7 pitch angle to restore a peg strip like that. Been calling around Dallas, TX to see if aomebody has it. No such luck at specialty shpps, yet.

[@Notaluthier]

Many varieties over the years…

[@markgordon4368]

Bit gaudy for me 😂

[@Sammywhat]

Hashtag #letalonegourds brought me here.

[@Notaluthier]

Hahahahha, yep, gets them every time

[@greendragon4571]

I cannot recall ever seeing a gourd in the UK, so maybe I can use a pumpkin