J. Romero Banjos is a small family company, run by Jason and Pharis Romero, in Horsefly, British Columbia. Custom orders are the norm for us.
Established in 2002, we feel grateful every day to be creating playable works of art, drawing inspiration from places old and new. The artistry isn't merely in the ex*****on, it's also in the ideas themselves - our customers' and our own - and in that we strive to be ever changing and evolving. Each of our banjos is handmade and unique, with just enough innovation to provide a tasteful alternative
to the rest. As a builder, long-time player, and enthusiast of all things banjo, Jason is always thinking of the banjo's design and sound. After studying as a cabinetmaker and fine woodworker, he began working with the Wildwood Banjo Co.in Arcata, CA., as well as P.W. Crump Instruments andClinesmith Guitars. Working in these shops and building a variety of instruments rounded out his experience as a luthier and developed a strong sense of instrument craftsmanship and skills. Pharis, a graphic designer and musician by trade, joined the banjo workshop in 2007 after they married. She has since taken over the majority of the inlay and graphic design part of the business. We'd like to say thank you to the ever evolving craftsmen and artists who inspire us. In no particular order:James Ashborn • Luscomb • L.B. Gatcomb • William Boucher • A.C. Fairbanks • William Cole • James Haynes • S.S. Stewart• The Dobson brothers • Lloyd Loar • Orville Gibson • C.F. Martin • John & Rudy Dopyera • Alphonse Mucha • Gustav Stickley • William Morris • Charles & Henry Greene • Sam Maloof •P.W. Crump • Brooks Masten • Kevin Enoch • Bob Flescher • Grit Laskin • Larry Robinson • Philippe Revel • Doug Unger • RM Anderson • OME Banjos • Clinesmith Guitars • Monty Hendricks •
When not making banjos, Jason and Pharis are out playing and teaching music. www.pharisandjason.com
This is my banjo Clara. My 400th banjo, it’s the first I made for myself after our 2016 shop fire. All the wood and bronze were salvaged from the ashes of my old shop. The wood is Claro walnut with Texas ebony trim. The acid etched plates are pure Art Nouveau designs.
Clara’s on her way to a new home in California, where I know she’ll be loved as much as I’ve loved her.
Love putting on the first coat of lacquer. All shaping by hand.
Mammoth ivory dots in a chechen wood fingerboard.
Two Luthiers Choice banjos in the works.
Roasted maple Gourd tenor banjo. 17 frets, 20.50” scale GDAE tuning.
Installed a Remo Renaissance head on Big Blue today. I’ve been adding shellac to these heads for years now and I always prefer the sound after. I find the heads are thin for my ears without this added mass. I also reshaped the heel while it was apart… l was never quite happy with the original.
Ready for the bandsaw.
Gluing on peghead overlays.
I first encountered “Chechen” or Cuban Rosewood 20 years ago when our shop was in Northern California. Back then I would make entire banjos from it! These days I prefer to use it only for trim.
This months bridge orders going out today. All from roasted maple.
New video out!
ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴀʟʟ ᴀʀᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴛʜɪs ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ
with John Reischman on mandolin and Patrick Metzger on bass
✨
our thanks to Ditty TV for premiering this bit of old fashioned redemption joy. Check out the chat we had with them (displaced ribs, building a truck with a 12valve Cummins, etc).
https://dittytv.com/new-this-week-pharis-jason-romero-5.../
📹 Trent Freeman and Eva Anandi Brownstein
sound by Afterlife Studios.
Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
Watch the official music video for of "Been All Around This World" by Pharis & Jason Romero, from their Smithsonian Folkways album 'Tell 'Em You Were Gold'.S...
A few gourd banjos up for grabs to our gourd waitlisters.
Claro walnut Luthiers choice.
Something very surreal working with 40,000 year old mastodon tusk.
With the help of my friends Todd Clinesmith and Hans this amazing roasted Birdseye maple has finally landed in Horsefly B.C.
I designed our Large Double pointed L-Shoes 15 years ago. They are inspired/ copied from the double pointed Vega shoe. As with many of my designs I was standing on the shoulders of the turn of the century builders. These are one of nearly 20 different L-Shoes we offer. The largest selection in the world!
A few more gourd banjos coming together.
Curly Claro walnut
Saying goodbye to “ The Beast” today. We decided to release it into the world.
Gourd banjos, going out to our list of interested folks today.
A few more of wheat gourd.
Finishing up a few gourds. Low temp roasted necks with high temp roasted fingerboards.
Wheat inlay on gourd.
Resonator brackets heading into the acid bath.
Acid etched gourd scoop plate.
#500 plates are shaped and drilled. Plan to acid etch and inlay our design.
Hand carved resonator for #500
We’re making custom resonator brackets for #500 so I need to dry fit the rim hardware to make sure my idea actually works.
Cutting the channel for our “ Suspended” Romero tone ring. 1/8” brass square stock will be inset and sit slightly proud of the Rosewood. Our heavy .187 x .750 ring will also be sitting on brass nails… have been finding this new set up is giving our tone ring some extra donk.
Box 124-3391 Armstrong Road
Horsefly Bc
V0L1L0
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Cutting the channel for our “ Suspended” Romero tone ring. 1/8” brass square stock will be inset and sit slightly proud of the Rosewood. Our heavy .187 x .750 ring will also be sitting on brass nails… have been finding this new set up is giving our tone ring some extra donk. #romerobanjos #banjo #banjomaker #machining #handmade #handcraft #oldtimebanjo #finewoodworking #fewerbetter #fewerbetterthings
A little Wild Bill on the new gourd. #romerobanjos #oldtimebanjo #banjo #gourdbanjo #livinginthewoods #livinginthecountry #britishcolumbia
Back from the festival of American Fiddle tunes…. spent a lot of time doin this with my dear friends @vivandriley
A little noodling and some Riley and Spencer on a new banjo. Really enjoying the huge sound of a 12” rim and a resonator. #oldtimebanjo #romerobanjos #banjo #banjomaker #roastedmaple #handmade #handcrafted #finewoodworking #banjoplayer
We put this record out in 2010. Years ago we took a road trip down the west coast and recorded tunes with friends along the way. We ate and drank and slept on couches and played a lot of music; it was a great great time. This record is proof of some of the tunes we played. We finally got our act together to put up on Bandcamp and available for downloads! Yeah buddy! That’s @joshrabie ripping on fiddle on Billy In the Lowground. There’s 19 great fiddlers on this album, and Pharis and I play guitar and banjo with each of them. Go to Bandcamp.com and search Back Up and Push .. #oldtimemusic #oldtimefiddle #banjo #oldtimetunes #newrelease #pharisandjason
Turning our Bolivian Rosewood tone rings is always slow going. #romerobanjos #oldtimebanjo #banjo #steambent #woodturning #handmade #handcrafted #finewoodworking
I use my edge sander for so many procedures, here is one of them. Now I’ll square and parallel and at my correct thickness to receive the heel cap. #romerobanjos #banjomaker #finewoodworking #handmade #handcrafted #banjo
In the Little Horsefly River yesterday, just up from our house. We’ve been walking the river with the kids, hanging out with the sockeye salmon. Turns out an iPhone is an underwater camera 🤯 .. #sockeye #sockeyesalmon #horsefly #littlehorseflyriver #spawning #underwater
That time of year here in Horsefly B.C. Thunderstorm right behind them. #romerobanjos #britishcolumbia #canadageese #livinginthecountry #livinginthewoods
Here is another from our painted gourd collection. This collaboration is with our friend, tattooist and artist extraordinaire @wild_rose_thorn . The neck will also have some of her beautiful art inlayed. This banjo will be available to folks on our newsletter sometimes in the coming weeks. p.s. music is from band blowing our mind most often these days @fruit_bats #gourdbanjo #banjo #tattooideas #tattooartist #romerobanjos #fewerbetter #fewerbetterthings #gourdart #banjomaker
Another tune idea taking form. This 11” gourd has a roasted butternut neck with roasted curly maple fingerboard/ peghead. #romerobanjos #oldtimebanjo #gourdbanjo #gourdart #banjo #banjoplayer #banjomaker #handmade #handcrafted
Doing some final set-up on a few gourd banjos this morning. I stubbled across this tuning that just sounded nice… started noodling around and think I may have the beginnings of a new tune. This is handy timing, as pharis and I are recording a banjo album this October. .. #gourdbanjo #romerobanjos #oldtimebanjo #oldtimemusic #banjo #banjomaker #roastedmaple
those guitar notes. Here's a bit of a new Sauna Session: "A Bit Old School". It's a peppy little number celebrating an old fella living the best life he knows how. Released on 'Bet On Love'. We originally recorded this song in mono, sitting on either side of a figure-8 ribbon mic and moving our bodies and guitars to get the mix right. .. Swell t-shirts by @bubzeeart and @dusttodigital . .. Sauna Sessions are coming at you direct from a little wood building on the Little Horsefly River in Horsefly, BC. Filmed and edited by @rickmagnell . Sound by @blocktreatmusic . We very gratefully acknowledge the support of the @canada.council .. #acousticmusic #Duet #folkmusic #horsefly #saunasessions #pharisandjason #prewarguitars #singersongwriter #betonlove
Sampling of this new 11” banjo. I did notice a little extra zing with the tone ring sitting on the brass nails. #romerobanjos #oldtimebanjo #banjo #banjomaker #fewerbetter #handmade #handcrafted
Test driving a new build. In eCGCD messing around with Clyde Davenport’s “ Five Miles from Town”. Tom, Brad and Alice’s version also kicks some serious tail! #romerobanjos #oldtimebanjo #banjo #banjomaker #handmade #handcrafted #finewoodworking #woodworking #
A few years back we had the idea to collaborate with some of our favourite tattooists. Initially we thought it would be inlay and images for acid etching, but we saw the beautiful paintings our friend Becky - @wild_rose_thorn - was posting and having her paint a gourd was obvious. Pharis and I both carry with us her unique and beautiful imagination on our bodies. #gourdart #gourdbanjo #romerobanjos #goatskin #banjo #handmade #handcrafted #fewerbetter #fewerbetterthings
Only in the last two years did I switch to nitrocellulose. I understand why so many folks prefer it as an instrument finish. Here I am buffing (without compound) a banjo rim with only two coats... it’s durable and delicate at once. #romerobanjos #oldtimebanjo #banjo #banjomaking #steambentwood #banjorim #handmade #handcrafted #fewerbetter #finewoodworking #woodworking
Live stream this Friday with Bruce Molsky!!! One special night only. Any requests? We’ll tell stories, play tunes, sing songs and love each other up for an evening called “We Went To Different Schools Together”. 8pm EST Tix $15 at ourconcerts.live/molsky-romero .. #livestream #folkmusic #oldtimemusic #brucemolsky #pharisandjason #oldtimebanjo #acousticguitar #folksongs #singersongwriter #horsefly #onenightonly
Happy record release day! ‘Bet On Love’ is out today. And... cue the #canadageese trumpets. Order and listen at smarturl.it/betonlovealbum. .. • Our collaborative joy with producer Marc Jenkins, Patrick Metzger on bass, and John Reischman on mando. .. • @John Raham engineered here in Horsefly and mixed in Vancouver. .. 🌟☀️🔥cover art by Real Fun, Wow .. And congrats to the video contest winner - a new gourd banjo is on its way! Nomad Boatbuilding. All videos up at pharisandjason.com/videocontest .. #betonlove #newmusic #newrelease #newmusicfriday #videocontest #acousticmusic #folkmusic #singersongwriter #banjolove #gourdbanjo #pharisandjason #romerobanjos #canadiana #horsefly #quietmoments
A little Farewell Blues on this all Torrefied maple gourd banjo. Wanted to do something a little more bluegrass to show the versatility of these fretted gourd banjos. #romerobanjos #handmade #makersmovement #handcrafted #gourdbanjo #oldtimebanjo #bluegrassbanjo #fewerbetter #finewoodworking #woodworking #temperedtonewoods
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