Canadian luthier Bill Rickard played guitars and banjos as a teenager, but a career in manufacturing kept him away from music for many years. In 2002, Rickard’s life changed in an instant when a serious motorcycle accident took his left arm and leg. Re-evaluating his life goals after months of recovery, Rickard decided to put his manufacturing experience toward his passion for banjos, starting out by making instrument parts, and eventually complete banjos. Today, Rickard offers several models of open-back banjos as well as a resophonic model, and the company’s innovative Cyclone 10:1 ratio tuning machines have become popular with all kinds of banjo players. Peghead Nation Clawhammer Banjo instructor Evie Ladin recently checked out a Rickard Maple Ridge model provided by Gryphon Strings in Palo Alto, California, and she dropped by our video studio to demonstrate the instrument.
The Rickard Maple Ridge is an open-back banjo that’s available with either an 11-inch or 12-inch rim. The instrument in this demo has the 11-inch version. As its name indicates, the Maple Ridge features maple construction, and the wood is used for its laminated ⅜-inch thick rim and the neck. The instrument has a Dobson tone ring, aged brass hardware, and a frailing scoop at the upper end of the ebony fingerboard. Rickard offers a choice of Remo Renaissance and Fiberskyn heads. Our demo banjo had the Renaissance option.
In this video, Evie plays several tunes on the Maple Ridge, using a variety of tunings. “It’s a short scale, which is newer to me,” she says. “Usually I use extra-light strings, but these have heavier strings on them; much heavier than I’m used to. But the sound, combined with the Dobson tone ring, has a nice ring, and it’s easy to play!”
To study banjo with Evie Ladin, enroll in her Clawhammer Banjo course now!
Join Evie for a live Clawhammer Banjo workshop via Zoom on Saturday, June 12. Click here for more info and to register!
SPECS: Five-string open-back banjo. 11-inch maple rim (also available with 12-inch rim). Dobson tone ring. Aged brass hardware. Remo Renaissance head (also available with Fiberskyn head). Maple neck. Ebony fretboard with frailing scoop. 25.5-inch scale. Dots with star inlays. 10:1 ratio Cyclone tuners. Made in Canada. $1,750. rickardbanjos.com
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