In every great artist’s life, there are pieces that were a challenge, filled with artistry, passion, blood, sweat and tears, and most of all the vision of a true craftsman.
This custom Vega Long Neck Banjo is just such a masterpiece. Each detail was personally designed by Greg Deering, co-founder of Deering Banjos. It should be noted at the start of this story the incredible fact that he completed this masterpiece at the age of 70 in 2020. And, as he said with a twinkle still in his eye, there was only a little blood involved.
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.
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 Wheeler, a long-time camper, sat down with Greg a few years back and shared his love of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, a Novel by Jules Verne. He is an avid collector boasting items from the original film set in his personal collection. In this, 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!
To start off on the project Greg dove into the world of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea while sketching ideas for the inlays. Larry specifically wanted to be sure it had a giant squid on it and that the nameplate of the banjo would be “Nemo” for Captain Nemo in the novel.
“When you get something that follows a theme you have to study the theme until something inspires you. I watched the movie something like 50 times. 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. “I studied pictures of diving helmets and divers as well as the Nautilus sea creature as you can see on the truss rod cover. When it came to having the divers on the peghead, for the actual poses I took pictures of myself holding something in the pose it had to be on the peghead, and then used those to draw them in the right stance.”
Chatting with Greg about making this banjo, his favorite part is the overall peghead effect and the way it looks with the divers, the colors on the front & back, and how the squid arms come around with the colors on the side of the peghead. He is pleased with how elegant it looks.
As he described “I had to do a lot of dying of the maple to come up with the right color for the water. I even had to make a special vacuum chamber just to do that, so it is stained all the way through the pieces of maple. It had to be just right.”
“Doing this banjo was overwhelming and intimidating, it took a lot of perseverance and persistence to see it through as I wanted to be sure the inspiration was truly accomplished, and it would become something that would wow Larry.”
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. On Larry’s banjo, 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.”
Watching videos Greg’s daughter took of him carving, he makes it seem easy, but I marveled hearing about the number of sketches and care given to this before one cut was made. This heel carving step is done when the neck is nearly finished so it is not something you want to mess up! He has a way with working it out until it is how it should be.
The entire process was not just between Greg and the materials he was working with. Greg and the customer Larry exchanged messages for months working out the details of the design. Larry sent suggestions, photos, and reactions to Greg’s ideas. Once the basics were agreed they continued to add detail together through wood and material color selection.
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. In the process of making it, he and his daughter Jamie Deering (who is the current CEO of Deering Banjos) had a running joke of who got to keep the test banjo between them. 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. I know many makers who would not have done a new neck! The third one was just as incredible as the first. Having the first neck allowed Greg to use it for the test squid heel carving as well. Maple is a much easier wood to carve than White Oak! The first carving came out exquisitely!
The White Oak “Nemo” came out beautifully. It now holds a very special place in Greg’s personal collection. Greg had the second neck completed, fully assembled and it has been part of the Museum wall at Deering. I asked Jamie if either of them would be willing to part with the masterpieces they have. She after a moment of thought replied, the Maple Nemo may be available by very special purchase.
Larry’s “Nemo” was completed, over the top with exquisite Curly Maple wood, and all the glory of abalone trim on the rim and neck. This, combined with custom nautical hand-engraved hardware, continued to bring the world of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea to life in banjo form. Topping it off, and adding to the lasting beauty of this banjo, it was chrome plated. It is a real showpiece that sounds incredible with a traditional Vega Tubaphone Tone Ring.
So, there are now three distinctly unique “Nemo Vega Long Neck Banjos” in the world! Larry’s being the fanciest of them all. If you ever see the second one, I challenge you to find where the small chip was. If it had not been pointed out I would never have guessed.
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!'"
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