Balsam Banjoworks: Native Wood & American Made

When Patrick David Sawyer began making Pisgah Banjos in 2012, he focused on sustainability—a deeply rooted concept in his soul. Raised in Morganton, North Carolina, the surrounding nature of the Pisgah National Forest profoundly affected his outlook on life. However, it wasn’t until he attended college at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, that he began connecting the dots that would lead to his career.

Like many kids, Patrick played in his middle and high school bands. “I played the trombone,” he recalls. He continued playing as a classical and jazz trombone performance major in college. But something shifted when he took an Intro to Appalachian Studies class as an elective. For two weeks, the class focused on music, and during that time, Patrick began questioning his choices. His roommate had a banjo, and Patrick started learning how to play it.

He was soon paying attention to local players like George Shuffler, a cross-picker from Drexel, and Doc Watson, not far from Patrick’s hometown. “I searched for banjo makers and found Charlie Glenn in Beech Mountain, North Carolina. I asked him if he would show me how to make one.”

Patrick’s father was an amateur woodworker who made period reproduction furniture and restored furniture, so Patrick was accustomed to helping in the shop. “I always loved working with my hands,” he says. He built his first banjo in 2005, during his sophomore year of college.

Patrick graduated in 2008 with a geography and renewable energy degree, thinking he would pursue a related career. After college, he worked at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, North Carolina, before hiking the Appalachian Trail. In 2012, he set up shop in Fairview, North Carolina, and founded Pisgah Banjo Co.

The next logical step for Patrick was to start a company that sold banjo parts. “Pisgah was growing, but we needed cash flow. We addressed that by selling parts to other banjo makers.” He named the sister company Balsam Banjoworks after the Balsam Rage in Pisgah National Forest to keep with the local theme. “We have worked hard to develop relationships with small American metal fabricators,” says Patrick. “The proper forging and tooling methods are essential to creating premium-quality, affordable banjo hardware. And it was important to us that the companies were domestic. We want to contribute to the resurgence of domestic manufacturing. Supporting the livelihood of American workers and artisans is important to us.”

Established in 2014, Balsam Banjoworks designs, manufactures, and provides high-quality, affordable American-made banjo hardware to small banjo builders and restorers. “It’s our way of continuing the heritage and reviving the tradition that is so deeply rooted here.” The company contracts with over a dozen mom-and-pop machine shops across the country. “We are constantly working on product development and continuous improvement.”

Balsam Banjoworks offers an incentive program called Balsam Builders to keep prices affordable. The company’s website states, “All builders who sign up for the program receive the lowest price break (wholesale) regardless of quantity. You do not have to be a Balsam Builder to receive the price discounts. You simply have to order at the price breaks to receive the discounts.”

Using native woods, running a solar-powered facility, and sourcing and selling American-made banjo parts align with Patrick’s commitment to sustainability. He still plays the banjo every day, but with two businesses to run and a family with two children, he stays fairly close to home these days. He did make it to IBMA World of Bluegrass in Raleigh but left early due to Hurricane Helene. “I brought supplies home with me, and I barely made it back,” he recalls. “Helene affected everybody in this area. We shut down for a while. We had no power for a couple of weeks, but our employees were without water for over two months. It took us a good three months to get back to normal production.”

https://balsambanjoworks.com/