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| High Quality, Custom Work--and Right In Our Own Back Yard |
I started writing the blog soon after I discovered bluegrass music and because I was absolutely convinced that there must be hundreds of other people in southeast Michigan with the same interest and passion as myself. Lo and behold, almost five years, 75 posts and 33,000 page views later I have met thousands of music fans, musicians, venue operators, festival promoters, instrument builders and all-around fine folks--most of whom I am priveledged to call my fiends. Nonetheless, I am still humbled when I stumble upon something as special as the
Companion Custom Banjo Company. Working out of their backyard workshop, owners Chris and Stephanie Sorenson are hand-building high-quality, fully customizable 5-string resonator banjos for pickers and shops throughout the Midwest. More importantly, they are doing it the right way, with the attention to detail and focus on friendly service that you expect to find in parking lot jam sessions and anywhere else bluegrass pickers get together. Whether you are an aspiring beginner or seasoned, touring pro picker, Chris and Stephanie treat you like a member of the family, and pour their heart and soul into every build.
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| Chris and Stephanie and the Companion Workshop |
Chris has been playing bluegrass on banjo and assorted instruments since he was seven years old, and brings his lifetime of experience to his builds. He told me that he started out doing banjo repairs, eventually built his own banjo, and then made one for someone else--and a craftsman was born. On the day I visited the shop, I watched him walk a teenager through all the steps involved in building a banjo and helping her through all the options open to her as she designed the banjo of her dreams. His enthusiasm was impossible to ignore, and his knowledge of the "how and why" of each choice comprensive and thorough. Both he and Stephanie really took the time to explain each choice, without letting his personal opinions or biases interfere with what the customer wanted--a skill often lacking in business today. In preparation for the visit they had laid out dozens of components to show his client examples of every option and give them an idea of what the final build would look like. The Sorenson's also maintain a comprehensive online-presence including a
Facebook Page,
Website and
YouTube channel where customers and enthusiasts can see and hear everything they do.
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| Custom Wood from Companion Banjos |
A companion custom banjo begins with selecting a wood or metal tone-ring to pair with a hand-built resonator from Mainer Jim Cox (though the Sorenson's recently acquired a resonator press and are beginning to build their own). Chris also hand picks select lumber from which he hand-cuts and shapes his necks and fingerboards The shop is a woodworker's and machinist's dream with all the standard and custom tools to allow Chris to build most of these components on-site. From their small shop, Companion can offer complete in-house builds--with the exception of strings, tuners and miscellaneous small parts. The specialty of the shop is definitely apparent in their custom inlays. They can reproduce nearly any custom fingerboard, or design something special for the customer. Their "signature" name block allows the new owner to add their name, the name of the banjo or anything else (up to 10 letters) in block or script fonts. If Chris ever wanted to experiment with a 4-string tenor tuned GDae, I would be first in line to test one out!
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| Custom Inlays |
Co owner Stephanie is also a long time musician playing fiddle and rhythm guitar. It is patently obvious that she rolls up her sleeves and assists in all aspects of the design, production and marketing of the banjos. Her background in graphic design is apparent in the custom inlay work she designs on the computer and manufactures on the CNC mill in the shop. Chris told me that--while the mill is a great time-saver--Stephanie used to hand cut all of the inlays with a pearl say--a meticulous and time consuming task that takes a steady hand and commitment to perfection. On the day I visited, she took turns explaining things with Chris and showing off some of the specialized machinery and tools it takes to build a banjo. I have so say, as an "enginerd" at heart, the shop itself was just as impressive as the banjos and their builders.
As you could probably deduce from the passion of the owners, the shop itself is quintessentially cool. It is meticulously clean (as you would expect from anyone doing spray-finish work) but there are cool gadgets, gizmos and interesting objects hiding everywhere--hand-cut neck templates, a set of well-worn banjo picks, assorted banjo (and other instrument) parts and even an old guitar and banjo over the workbench. In the corner was a pile of scrap wood--but even that was super cool, with a variety of colors, grain types, and even some interesting cut-outs from previous builds.
The banjos coming out of this shop are spectacular to look at and a visit to their website will confirm they sound justa as good as they look. So, if you're in the market for a full-custom, 5-string resonator banjo at a ridiculously reasonable price, give them a holler and start the build of your dreams!
