A college chum recently mailed some archival photos to the BRC owner. In those days decades ago, photography was an active hobby for the BRC banjoist, and these forgotten B&W pictures had been developed in his dark room. The vintage images depicted the modest Florida bungalow and flourishing backyard vegetable garden of the young BRC husband and wife. As seen below, a B&W snapshot portrayed the youthful BRC musician playing his long neck Ode banjo that he had procured circa 1972. This open back 5-stringer still resides in his music room, and it offers a mellow and wife-friendly tone especially suited to clawhammer tunes.
The engraved leather shoulder strap seen above was fashioned by the BRC craftsman in the mid 1960’s when he was in a folk music duo with a pal who also enjoyed hand crafting. Nowadays, this strap resides on the mandolin featured in the previous website posting last month entitled “The Mandolin Option.”
Another engraved shoulder strap from that era is on his vintage Gibson Mastertone banjo. These leather straps have been preserved and remained supple over the intervening decades via annual applications of mink oil. In more recent years, however, the BRC spouse has fashioned many splendidly decorated shoulder straps at her sewing machine for her husband’s collection of acoustic instruments as depicted below.
These wide and well-padded straps are valued and comfortable accessories.
From the BRC: Welcome to Autumn.
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