The Greenbrier
The Greenbrier is a clawhammer banjo in the old tradition: open-backed, mellow and intimate. It speaks softly enough for a quiet room and honestly enough to carry a whole evening of tunes. Every Greenbrier is turned, carved and fitted by hand.
The Greenbrier takes its name from a river that winds through the hills of West Virginia — the kind of country where this music was kept alive on front porches long before anyone wrote it down. It is the banjo I reach for when I want to play quietly and mean every note.
What makes it sing
A steam-bent hardwood rim
The heart of the tone. A three-ply rim, steam-bent from a single length of cherry or walnut, gives the Greenbrier its round, dry, woody note — no metal tone ring to brighten or harden the sound.
A natural skin head
Mounted and tucked by hand over the rim, a real calfskin head breathes with the room and the season. It is the difference between a banjo that sounds new and one that sounds like it remembers something.
A hand-carved heel and neck
Shaped to sit easily in the hand and carved at the heel with a simple, honest line. The neck profile is a gentle, full ‘C’ — comfortable for long evenings and friendly to older hands.
Specifications
| Style | Open-back · clawhammer / old-time |
|---|---|
| Strings | 5-string |
| Scale length | 26 ¼ in (667 mm) |
| Rim | 11 in steam-bent cherry or walnut, three-ply |
| Head | Natural calfskin (synthetic on request) |
| Neck | Quartersawn cherry, walnut or maple |
| Fingerboard | Ebony or pale maple, radiused |
| Tone ring | None — pure wood tone (brass option available) |
| Tuners | Sealed planetary, 4:1 |
| Finish | Hand-rubbed oil and wax |
| Weight | approx. 2.3 kg |
Make it yours
Every banjo is configured with you. These are the most-requested options — anything beyond them is a conversation away.
Prices are guidance for a typical build and are confirmed in writing before any work begins.
Have something in mind?
Heirloom timber, a particular tone, an engraving that means something to you — bring it to the bench and let us build it together.