| Specifications

Timbers

We use only the best, choicest tone timbers available. These include Maple, Curly Maple, Honduras Mahogany, African Mahogany and American Walnut. Our necks are all quarter sawn for superior stability in all environments. Our standard resonator is veneered, 3 ply rock maple construction, with 1/4" thick back which gives superior tone. Our resonators feature solid maple, tapered side walls. Our standard rims are traditional Mastertone style 3-ply hard rock maple for the Carillon and Belforte Models, Honduras Mahogany (block construction) is used in our Hemony model and African Mahogany is used in the Cracka.

Walnut	Mahogany	Maple

Neck Dimensions

One of the unique and desirable features of a Bellbird banjo is our variety of neck widths, to suit your individual hand size. The standard Bellbird neck width is slightly wider than normal, at 32mm at the nut and 49mm at the 22nd fret. The average size of people has increased markedly from 100 years ago, when "standard" mastertone dimensions were being formulated. Many banjo players find banjo necks too narrow, with chording and pull-offs difficult because of other fingers interfering with the strings. The Bellbird Banjo neck is incredibly comfortable and easy to play, and is highly recommended. We can make necks at Gibson "standard" (30mm and 45mm), or anywhere in between. We can even go wider again if you have really big fingers! Simply discuss your requirements with us, and if possible send us a photcopy of your open hand. We will do the rest.

Tone Rings

The beating heart of a Bellbird banjo is our expertly and precision made tone ring. We have 2 models, the "Classica" and the "New Heritage". The Classica is a lighter weight tone ring, and its unique design produces the closest sound yet to the classic "Scruggs" sound that Earl was getting in his 50's recordings. It is a deep, powerful clean tone, with a real nice "juicy twang" as we like to describe it. It is a standard inclusion in the Carillon

The New Heritage gives an incredibly rich, pure bell-like tone, producing an exceptionally versatile sound, suiting both traditional Scruggs pickers and modern melodic/jazz exponents alike. It is a standard inclusion in the Hemony model.

Remember that combining one of our tone rings with each of the different timbers will vary the sound, and you need to consider when choosing timbers the tonal variation each will produce.
Here a general guide:

Curly Maple - Punchier, brighter tone, fast note off the fingers, with slightly lesser sustain.
Mahogany - Warmer, more juicy "Crowe" like tone, slightly more sustain.
Walnut - Somewhere in between these 2, very powerful yet still with a warm "timbery" note. Very responsive under the fingers.
African Mahogany - Like Mahogany, but in overdrive. Very rich, sweet, clear and pure with a bit more volume than the regular Mahogany

Finish

We take exceptional pride and care in our finish. All our instruments are mirror-finished to perfection with nitrocellulose lacquer. The lacquer can be tinted to almost any color imaginable, and one of the advantages in a custom made instrument is the fact that you can choose the color. Simply let us know what you want when ordering. For a little extra we can also produce Sunburst finishes in colors and shades of your choice.

Inlays

There are 8 inlays to choose from for any of the Bellbird range. For pictures of these patterns click on the links below.

Headstock

Bellbird Banjos are available in 2 headstock shapes. The Bellbird Birdwing and the classic Double-cut.