PAUL T MCFARLANE - Posted - 10/04/2009:  17:38:37

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Late last night/early morning today I was playing my 1962 longneck Vega SS-5 ("Folklore" model). My dog JETZIE was sleeping fitfully in the next room.

I started playing more softly than ever - a whisper of single notes, some double thumbing, some rarely practiced chord progressions. And I was amazed at the way these ephemeral sounds sustained.

I am not selling my Fender FB 55 because it is in some way "flawed."
I am keeping my Vega SS-5 to have more experiences like late last night/early this morning.

I am fortunate in unexpected ways to own such a continuouly surprising instrument. And the surprises have all been good. Sometimes they have been more than good. Sometimes they have been transcendent.

john bange - Posted - 10/24/2009:  08:22:49

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stumbled on your article in the forum...I just bought a Vega Folklore FF-5 long neck. It will be here in a couple of days. I plan to remove the 5th string friction peg and the cheap tuners. Did you change out the 5 th peg on yours? any problems doing it? What new head would you recomend?
I would appreciate any experiences you could pass along. john bange

Basic Strum - Posted - 10/25/2009:  10:07:16

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quote:

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Originally posted by john bange

stumbled on your article in the forum...I just bought a Vega Folklore FF-5 long neck. It will be here in a couple of days. I plan to remove the 5th string friction peg and the cheap tuners. Did you change out the 5 th peg on yours? any problems doing it? What new head would you recomend?
I would appreciate any experiences you could pass along. john bange

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John:
I'm the guy who bought the ODE that prompted the thread you recently started. As it turns out, I owned a Folklore once upon a time. I would advise you to move with caution when it comes to throwing money at the Folklore until you have a good sense of how far you can move the needle in terms of improving its sound. I went so far as to have a respected banjo builder add one of his respected tone rings to mine, and the result was a lot like putting lipstick on a pig. If yours is the banjo that sold for less than $500 recently on ebay, you should be in decent shape to make a few bucks on it once the market for these things rebounds -- assuming you're not happy with it, which is just speculation on my part. I don't want to rain on your parade, but speaking from personal experience, I would guess there's a decent chance you might be happier in the long run with a different banjo altogether. You should try to play some other candidate banjos in order to appreciate the options.
Bill

"He don't say much, but when he does ... he don't say much." Jack E. Leonard

john bange - Posted - 10/25/2009:  20:19:01

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Hi Bill,
I would have been involved with the bidding on the Ode but I did not see it in time...can't believe it was not listed with 'long neck' in the title...think he went upside down on the shipping also.
I'm happy with the price on the folklore and I will install only new tuners (5), hooks and closed end nuts, tail piece and head. I ordered a new hsc but I would have done that anyway.
I have a new Vega Senator to keep it company. thanks for you comments. john

Basic Strum - Posted - 10/26/2009:  04:07:44

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quote:

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Originally posted by john bange

Hi Bill,
I would have been involved with the bidding on the Ode but I did not see it in time...can't believe it was not listed with 'long neck' in the title...think he went upside down on the shipping also.
I'm happy with the price on the folklore and I will install only new tuners (5), hooks and closed end nuts, tail piece and head. I ordered a new hsc but I would have done that anyway.
I have a new Vega Senator to keep it company. thanks for you comments. john

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After a half-hour on the phone with the seller yesterday, I'm certain he's truly an ebay rookie who knows zip about banjos (or shipping). He says the banjo belonged to his late grandparents, and he can't recall anyone ever playing it. So in that sense, this was the electronic equivalent of finding a classic old instrument at a garage sale.

Again, I don't mean to be discouraging about your Folklore, especially since you haven't even had a chance to play it yet. In fact, if your purpose is to own a quiet long-neck banjo that emits "ephemeral" sounds when you play to your dog at midnight, you probably struck the mother lode. I happen to be stuck in the paradigm that holds that long-neck banjos came into this world to accompany singing, often in a group setting, and I found that the Folklore I owned, at least, was too subdued for that. My point was that the less you spend on the Folklore, the more you stand to gain if and when the time comes to part with it.

To the question you originally posed to the gent who initiated this thread, I would strongly advise you begin with the head that will give you the most volume and the brightest possible tone. The auction photos suggest it already has a frosted white head. You might want to just clean it (to make it your own) and keep it on. Another suggestion: contact the fella who plays banjo in the tribute group Work O' the Weavers through their website and ask him for suggestions. The last time I saw the group, he was playing a Folklore. His has a pickup in it, but he's still probably in the best position to give you some insights into yours.

In any event, I hope you enjoy the heck out of it. Feel free to email me through the Hangout with questions after the banjo arrives, or to tell me you love the banjo and I was full of beans.

Bill

"He don't say much, but when he does ... he don't say much." Jack E. Leonard

Ks_5-picker - Posted - 10/26/2009:  05:28:57

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I had a Vega that was my main banjo for several years.The biggest problem with the tone on those things is the rim,which has a whole lot of glue in it. I had Dan Pennington build a Cherry rim with a cocobolo archtop.The 22 fret banjo I tuned down to E,and was really happy with the tone and volume.

Rod

Here's some music you might enjoy.

http://cdbaby.com/cd/roddurst

http://tinychat.com/banjolounge Come on in an enjoy!

Dan Pennington - Posted - 10/26/2009:  06:08:15

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I've recut the rims and added Bill Rickard tubaphone tone rings to two SS-5 long necks - one that I owned and one for a customer. The sound of both banjos improved dramatically - in my opinion. Almost as loud and bright as a Seeger model. And that's the sound that I like. I played a Vega Seeger model for a bunch of years in the 60's/70's. I was waiting for Pete Seeger to retire so I could take over for him. You see how that worked out for me?

Dan in Minneapolis


"The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing; if you can fake that, you've got it made."
Groucho Marx

Helix - Posted - 10/26/2009:  06:31:22

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The 5th tuner might have a smaller shaft than a new geared one, might have to drill or redrill and ream.

Good thread welcome the hangout. In Norway it's the 'eng oot'.

Ode to Joy comes to mind. I build longnecks, I really enjoy their music, the double octave E scale, the sound.

I built the longneck Helix Hurricane #005, I posted it in our classified ads for a while, but the owner had the same kind of experience as you, and changed his mind and is keeping the banjo. She's keeping him, too.

I play both of my longnecks in public weekly, one Maple, one Black Walnut, I hope you keep finding new things to play and keep on doing it.




http://www.helixbanjos.com
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john bange - Posted - 10/26/2009:  08:18:18

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thanks for all the responses guys, your all a great wealth of knowledge and a huge help...It gets here today. I will clean and leave the head in place for now. I bought a reamer from Stew-Mac for the 5th string peg. I know it will not be as bright and loud as the one I bought from Dan...should have never sold it!
I think for the price I paid, it will be fine as a back up to my Senator. I'll add some photos. john

Basic Strum - Posted - 10/26/2009:  10:44:07

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For the record, Dan Pennington's not the guy I was referring to, who added a tone ring to my Folklore to no significant improvement. And it wasn't a Rickard tone ring. I've had great experiences in both of the projects on which I collaborated with Dan, and would certainly endorse the idea of giving him a shot at this, if you decide to keep the banjo.

Bill

"He don't say much, but when he does ... he don't say much." Jack E. Leonard

john bange - Posted - 10/26/2009:  12:32:02

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I'll be in touch with him if I do something. I'm more inclined to try to get a better long neck by moving both the folklore and the Senator. the banjo I had of Dan's had a great pot on it. john

Basic Strum - Posted - 10/26/2009:  12:53:28

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quote:

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Originally posted by john bange

I'll be in touch with him if I do something. I'm more inclined to try to get a better long neck by moving both the folklore and the Senator. the banjo I had of Dan's had a great pot on it. john

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John: If the ODE I just bought turns out to be a keeper, I'll probably sell the one I have now by consigning it to a friend who has a music shop. Check out the photos and story of "Esta" at my homepage. If it looks something you might be interested in, I'll let you know if/when it's on the market. Bill

"He don't say much, but when he does ... he don't say much." Jack E. Leonard

john bange - Posted - 10/26/2009:  13:08:28

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I would love to find an Ode like the one you just bought...I like the peg head better...let me know. john

john bange - Posted - 10/26/2009:  19:35:10

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folklore is here...excellent condition needing only cleaning, tuners, and a head

john bange - Posted - 10/31/2009:  08:24:31

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new 48 year old Vega folklore is here...cleaned, polished and new frosted head installed. I had to adjust the coordinator rods to get the proper string height. I was prepared for a very dull sound from this banjo. While different from my Senator, it is anything but a dud and I am very pleased. I played it with a group in a livingroom and it was heard well. I will put a mic in front of it next week and try it in an auditorium...see how that works. I am very greatful for the advise I recieved from everyone...I might have put a Renesance or Fiberskin head on it...would have been a big mistake! photo of it on my homepage.
john