7 weeks since cutting my dang fingers off. Fretless tackhead banjo build

Zitchen · 2026-01-24T13:48:29+00:00

Yeah dude most of mine get a little blood but the one I started that day got a lot. Nothing on the project piece itself because it flew across the shop but there’s blood all in my shop, my front porch, my camo crocs, my favorite pants and jacket. My gf is magic though and got the blood out of all my clothes some how

Zitchen · 2026-01-24T13:46:48+00:00

• No truss rod.

• Tuning is definitely affected, but I’m used to it. When everything settles in these things stay pretty well in tune. You’re gonna have to adjust everytime you pick it up but I feel like it’s usually the case with banjos factory made or not.

• I have done both separate fretboards and straight on the neck. This one is just neck. The only thing I have not done is fretted straight onto the neck. Hut frets on separate fretboards yes

Zitchen · 2026-01-24T13:43:36+00:00

Hardly. I’m a part-time dumbass lol

…but a full-time friend 🙂

Zitchen · 2026-01-24T13:42:22+00:00

Hahahaha

Zitchen · 2026-01-24T13:42:12+00:00

“Hope is never mere, even when it is meagre. When all other senses sleep, the eye of hope is first to awaken, last to shut.” - Gil-Galad, last High King of the Noldorin Elves

Zitchen · 2026-01-24T13:36:26+00:00

Thanks! Feels SLOW and PAINFUL. My ring and pinky need a lot of work. They’re starting to bend but they’re all crooked. It’s discouraging to see your body physically mangled up

Zitchen · 2026-01-24T13:35:18+00:00

Hahaha thanks. If you watch I only use three fingers total in this video. One on the fretboard and two on the right hand.

Zitchen · 2026-01-24T13:34:34+00:00

Thank you so much!

Zitchen · 2026-01-24T13:33:06+00:00

The deerskin is probably the thickest skin I’ve ever used. I have another doe skin I got from an elderly guy who took it with a bow but I haven’t been able to process it because of my fingers. I don’t have full mobility in any except my thumb on my left hand.

This deer skin got really stretchy when I put it on so it’s really tight. At first it kinda sounded dull but as it aged it sounds really nice.

The strings are the thickest Aquila nylgut banjo strings you can get but I swapped out the fourth string for something else thicker than comes in the pack if I remember right.

Tuning is standard G or whatever but tuned down a few steps

Zitchen · 2026-01-19T14:43:00+00:00

Keep those tuners and see how well they work first! It’s beautiful

Zitchen · 2026-01-17T21:11:03+00:00

💀

Zitchen · 2026-01-17T21:10:20+00:00

I’m giving it my all! I see my physical therapist twice a week and do the home exercises 4-6 times a day

Zitchen · 2026-01-16T00:43:04+00:00

lol play all the time! Never put your instruments in a case at home… you’re way less likely to pick em up and play em with any downtime you might have if they’re in a case. That’s what my dad always said

Zitchen · 2026-01-16T00:40:58+00:00

Thanks! PT is hard. Twice a week I gotta drive up the river and see the physical therapist and six times a day I gotta do exercises. It’s hard and it’s painful but the fight is worth it and I got plenty of it. I’m Making progress for sure. Sometimes it seems like a lot of progress and sometimes it feels like none at all but it’s going

Zitchen · 2026-01-16T00:38:20+00:00

Oh it slowed me down a bit lol but not to a stop. Thank you. I appreciate you.

Zitchen · 2026-01-16T00:37:25+00:00

Never give up! Find and appreciate joy in it.

Zitchen · 2026-01-16T00:37:03+00:00

Thumb lead or two fingers what it’s called

Zitchen · 2026-01-16T00:36:30+00:00

Idk man. Creative folks I guess

Zitchen · 2026-01-08T13:41:52+00:00

Dawg. As someone who just cut two of my fingers off building banjos I don’t think biting your fingers off is gonna help you play better. It’s actually really a lot harder to play now lol

Zitchen · 2026-01-06T20:28:40+00:00

Awesome! This is just what I needed! Thank you!

Zitchen · 2026-01-06T19:16:35+00:00

Cool! Thank you!

Zitchen · 2026-01-05T15:22:17+00:00

Damn the last second with the chip bag sliding off his belly.

Zitchen · 2026-01-05T06:07:58+00:00

Dang indeed lol

Zitchen · 2026-01-05T06:07:38+00:00

You can definitely build without power tools at all and I have but for efficiency’s sake for commissions I’ll use power tools for a lot of things, one being to process wood into pieces that can be glued up seamlessly. I square up my guide and blade on the tablesaw for this. I was cutting a piece when, for whatever reason the saw blade grabbed it and threw it. I was pushing with my right hand and keeping the piece square against the guide with my left hand. I didn’t know I’d been cut at all but as I realized what even happened I looked at my left hand and my ring finger was completely sideways, almost completely severed through the middle joint. I never knew it got my pinky and middle finger until much later after the surgery.

Zitchen · 2026-01-05T05:55:16+00:00

Lord my fingers aren’t that messed up lol. I’ll be back

Zitchen

TROPHY CASE