Custom “Nemo” Vega Long Neck Banjo

This Vega Long Neck banjo, created with the inclusion of the coveted Vega Tubaphone tone ring, is crafted with high-end Curly Maple wood, Abalone Trim, and is entirely 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea inspired!

The Inlay work was personally designed and done by Greg Deering start to finish. Today there are three distinctly different and unique “Nemo” Vega Long Neck Banjos in the world. Deering does not plan to build any future renditions or duplicates of these banjos.

The idea for this banjo came about at the annual Americana Folk Music Gathering (formerly known as The Kingston Trio Fantasy Camp) in Scottsdale, AZ. Larry, a long-time attendee sat down with Greg a few years back and shared his love of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, a Novel by Jules Verne. In this meeting, he asked if Greg would make him a Custom Vega Long Neck with a 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea theme. Greg, always up for the challenge to make banjo dreams come true, of course said “Sure!”, and the journey began!

From the colors and materials used, to cutting and laying in the dozens of intricate pieces, this was Greg’s creation. Various kinds of wood were used from Maple, Padauk, Ovangkol, and Wingate.

“When you get something that follows a theme you have to study the theme until something inspires you. I started sketching and scouring the internet for pictures. Studied dozens and dozens of the Humboldt Giant Squid. I am really familiar with the anatomy of the squid now!” Greg shared about bringing this banjo to life.

The crowning touch is the hand-carved squid on the heel of the neck. This is not an intuitive place to carve, with several curves to contend with. Greg had a few ideas of items to put on the heel, and none looked right. Finally, he drew the squid and that was it. This squid carving took him about 25-30 hours of hand work. “It was a process. How to get the suckers on the tentacles correct was fun to work out. I developed a system that worked perfectly.”

As has become tradition on these highly customized pieces Greg did a “test neck” first. This is done to ensure each part of the detailed custom design is perfect through to its completion. This step is the proving ground. It is to ensure all the hand-done elements fit together just right, and that their intricate details come through with flawless clarity after all the final sanding and finish steps are complete.

This “test neck” was done in White Oak, Greg’s favorite instrument wood. The test proved successful, sans heel carving, and the final neck was begun! 

As the “final” neck was being made and all of the inlays were done, Greg hit a snag. Wood being wood, a small chip came out of the curly maple of the neck.

It was repaired, and while most will never see it, even by studying the neck, Greg knew it was there, so he started again. Many makers would not have chosen to do a new neck. Not one person who has closely inspected this second neck has been able to find this piece to this day. 

The second and final maple “Nemo” neck was completed and perfect. It was paired with nautically themed hand-engraved metal parts, and has been prized and enjoyed by Larry since. 

The White Oak test “Nemo” also came out beautifully. It now holds a very special place in Greg’s personal collection. 

CUSTOMER THOUGHTS

As Larry shared about receiving his masterpiece, “The banjo arrived the day before Thanksgiving and my first thought was to open it immediately. After calming down a little, I decided to open it on Thanksgiving when our entire family was going to be present. They had all been waiting through the entire process so it was a real family event!

“The banjo is so beautiful it is easy to get lost in the design, detail, and appearance – until you play it. Bright, clear, very crisp and powerful, it is a remarkable banjo with tone, volume, and playability that easily matches its appearance! The long neck adds versatility, and it is very comfortable to play.

“The reaction of everyone who sees it is always the same, ‘That is the most beautiful banjo I’ve ever seen!'”

The three “Nemo” Custom Vega Long Neck banjos will remain each unique and one of a kind.

LONG NECK BANJO HISTORY, SOUND AND TUNING

Pete Seeger invented the long neck banjo when he decided to have a luthier cut his neck and insert 3 additional frets into the length of the banjo so that he could tune it lower to open E tuning. Instead of tuning the newly revised banjo in G, he was able to tune it to an E (Tuned E,B,E,G#,B) which allowed him to sing in that lower key. With 3 extra frets, this low tuned banjo not only sounds beautiful as a solo instrument, but it accompanies the voice with a deep, full and sparkling sound.

The solid brass bracket band is hand fitted to the violin grade three-ply rim. This pot design gives the Vega Long Neck Banjo a round full tone that sustains with a pure and clear sparkle.