Banjo Hangout - Banjo Building, Setup, and Repair Forum Feed

Vintage Vega pot question

eric@banjohangout.org — Thu, 9 Feb 2012 08:37:44 CST

Does anyone know the differences in the construction of pots for the various Vega models in the '20s such as the Style N, Little Wonder, White Laydie and Tubaphone?

What makes a difference?

eric@banjohangout.org — Thu, 9 Feb 2012 08:13:02 CST

Hi! I am just starting and have a Washburn B9, 5 sting. I'm wondering if I could make any changes to it to get a more "bluegrass" "old-timey" sound out of it...should it have a brass tone ring, is the bridge it comes with fine, strings etc...or should I just leave the darned thing alone and focus on playing...see I like to tinker.....

Swampuh

Another Gas Can Banjo Build

eric@banjohangout.org — Thu, 9 Feb 2012 06:58:40 CST

All my friends and family loved the gas can banjo I built...they all said I should try to sell them. I pretty much knew I wouldn't be able to sell one for what it cost to make it but I was itchin to make another one and used it as an excuse(to my wife) to buy the stuff to build it. After I finished it I listed it on Ebay and it got alot of watchers but no bidders. I call it the "Texajo"

Block Rim segment pattern guide

eric@banjohangout.org — Thu, 9 Feb 2012 05:39:42 CST

My guide for cutting block rim segments to correct size is available at my website (HERE) as a free downloadable PDF that prints out full size segment patterns for 11" and 12" rims in either 5/8" or 3/4" wall thickness, and 8, 12, or 16 segments per layer. The image shown here can be used to read the dimensions if you zoom in, but the printable PDF is MUCH easier to use!

Banjo head tension / same for OT banjo as Bluegrass Banjo?

eric@banjohangout.org — Thu, 9 Feb 2012 04:19:46 CST

Hey guys...I have been reading about all this talk about tightening and tap tuning banjo heads to "G" or "G#" My question is "does it really matter and make a difference?" Is the approach different between a bluegrass banjo as opposed to an OT banjo? Shouldnt an OT banjo head be a bit looser for optimum plunkyness or is all of this a matter of personal taste?

Help! Suicidal buzz blues

eric@banjohangout.org — Wed, 8 Feb 2012 23:05:13 CST

I purchased a new Stelling last year. during my first year of ownership the banjo simply refused to stay set up for more than a few weeks at time, regardless if it left my house or if the humidity levels changed, etc. The neck seems to move constantly. It rarely feels the same from week to week.

The big problem I have is buzzing on the fourth string, (the low "D") in the area of the fifth to seventh fret, namely at the seventh fret. It doesn't matter how much relief I give the neck, (the stelling ststem calls for .027'' , almost twice the relief many others use - often .015") . I have tried everything from not enough bow to simply too much. always the same eventual buzzing, sometimes loosening the truss rod just makes the buzz worse, even when I am at accepted settings of relief, action etc.

It doesn't seem to matter if the strings are high enough or not, any variable string height eventually yields the buzz. Generally I try to keep them where Geoff prefers, at 8/64'' at the 12th and 9/64" at the 22nd. They are lower than that this week- about 6/64 @ 12th and 7/64 @ 22nd- i took out most of the relief because the banjo was buzzing at the seventh, felt really weird to play, and would not stay in tune. That adjustment lowered the strings.

Unfortunately, no adjustment keeps it from eventually buzzing on the seventh fret after enough playing.

Oh --and the fret is not high. They have been recently dressed. the head is not loose, I use a drum dial. the tailpiece is adjusted properly.

I mailed the banjo to Stelling and he was cool and polite about it, but said he flat out could not hear the buzz. He gave me a free, slightly taller bridge and sent the banjo back.

the new bridge, up from the standard stelling 5/8" to 11/16'' seemed to just barely keep the thing from buzzing. Two, three weeks later it returned to buzzing ( I assure you it bloody well does!) at the seventh and I cannot reproduce the setup that kept the buzz at bay.

Should I shim the neck? get a 3/4'' bridge? burn this banjo? Kill myself? What is going on?

P.S there is one thing I sometimes suspect- the fret board has never quite met flush with the stretcher band ( to my chagrin for the price tag of this thing) . on one side there has always been just a small gap and no amount of adjusting can make it meet exactly flush. could this be the source of my phantom buzz?

Any Ideas are appreciated-Thanks

Shaun

Who would cut Faux Turquoise?

eric@banjohangout.org — Wed, 8 Feb 2012 17:02:35 CST

I have a custom Gibson banjo in the works and using faux turquoise for all the inlay.

I have the inlays cut except I need to find someone who will cut the Gibson logo. I have the piece to cut it from, just don't have the patience!

Anyone know of someone who does this (CNC) for a fee etc.?

Gibson logo inside of banjo

eric@banjohangout.org — Wed, 8 Feb 2012 16:20:58 CST

CAN anyone help me a while back a member mentioned he had some

GIBSON LABELS/ LOGOS THAT ARE INSIDE OF GIBSON BANJOS,

i contacted him and made a request for one in the meantime my computer crashed,

low and behold i received one in the mail this morning

the envelope had an address on it tml wayward calf

i googled it up but i can't seem to find it on google

i want very much to thank this gent

can any one help me thanks folks

cigar box banjo

eric@banjohangout.org — Wed, 8 Feb 2012 16:20:27 CST

It's been a while since i've posted but i need some help here. I have a cigar box banjo i just built that has 7 frets on it. I measured the fret distances from an old guitar of about the same size and my bridge is at the right location, and everything sounds alright except the intonation on the low G string is way off. I don't think it would have anything to do with using a guitar scale because all the other strings are fine. what could be the problem here?

Raise action or lower the head?

eric@banjohangout.org — Wed, 8 Feb 2012 14:29:01 CST

Now to the other end of my banjo. I needed higher action to frail, so I went from a 1/2" to 5/8" bridge. I had to scoot it WAY back toward the tailpiece to get the intonation right, so I can't go any higher. I'm wondering if there is a way to adjust the banjo head to get a little more clearance where I frail. It looks to me like the head is a little crooked. I can see more of the rim near the tailpiece than I can near the neck, and I think the head is even a little higher than the fingerboard. I have no clue how to adjust this or if I even should.

If you can't tell - I'm new to banjo. Thanks for the help!

Replace 5th string nut - a DIY job?

eric@banjohangout.org — Wed, 8 Feb 2012 13:45:29 CST

I finally bought myself an open back banjo! I'm loving it except for the really obnoxious ringing of the 5th string. It sounds like it is ringing down near the tailpiece, so I've stuffed cotton in every possible place the string could be vibrating against metal. Then, on a whim, I took the 5th string out of it's nut and just ran it along beside the nut on the fret... ringing stopped. I have no idea why it seemed to be coming from the tailpiece, but I think I've identified the culprit. I have heard that if the slot in the nut is too deep or cracked it can do this. So, my question: is there a way to repair the nut or do I need to replace it? Is that something I can do myself?

Setup question

eric@banjohangout.org — Wed, 8 Feb 2012 11:46:32 CST

Ok, still new and learning about banjos. When I pick one of the G strings the other vibrates, same thing with the two D strings. Is this normal?

Loose bracket nuts on older banjo.

eric@banjohangout.org — Wed, 8 Feb 2012 10:34:15 CST

On my older 36 and 30 bracket banjos, I had problems with the nuts loosening up, probably because the threads were worn. The nuts would loosen up in a fairly short time, and the bracket was in danger of falling off.

To resolve this, and prevent loss, I installed a small(8-32) lock washer between the shoe and the nut. That solution works very well in keeping the assembly tight.

I had considered lock tite, but this seemed to be simpler, and not have any adverse effects when I wanted to loosen the brackets.

B&D Silver Bell Repro Parts on Ebay

eric@banjohangout.org — Wed, 8 Feb 2012 08:58:50 CST

I just spotted these

Flange

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bacon-and-Day-B-D-Resonator-flange-new-style-double-bump-/180814418459?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a1961121b

Tone Ring

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Bacon-and-Day-B-D-banjo-brass-tone-ring-/180814400641?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a1960cc81

Mute

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bacon-and-Day-B-D-banjo-mute-/180814392805?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a1960ade5

Jay

Nylgut classical?

eric@banjohangout.org — Wed, 8 Feb 2012 07:39:23 CST

I just bought another set of the nylgut classical strings and noticed that on this set the fourth string is not wound. On all of the sets I have bought previously the fourth was a wound string. Is it possible that they were mislabeled minstrel strings or is this an optional thing with the classical set?

New Necks

eric@banjohangout.org — Wed, 8 Feb 2012 06:53:16 CST

Hello,

I recently got a Deering golden era. It is a 2002 or 03. I love it, ive been tweaking it and getting lots of different tones from it. It has a flat fretboard and I've been wanting to get into a radiused board. I got a really good price on the banjo, and I am loving it, so I would rather put some money into it than sell it for one with a radiused f.b. With that in mind, I am wondering your opinions on, and what you think a ballpark price would be for a new neck built by someone, or I am thinking maybe the Nechville flex-tone neck attachment system and a Nechville neck with radiused f.b., partly because Ive heard such good things about their radiused boards. Lastly, any problems with this that i have not thought of? Nechville emailed me and said the flex-tone would work great, but didnt give me a ballpark price, so any info that anyone is willing to share would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Alex

Burlisle fit?

eric@banjohangout.org — Wed, 8 Feb 2012 06:17:53 CST

Can Someone tell me if a Burlisle tone ring with fit on a rim that is cut for a standard Gibson style long skirt tone ring? Thanks .Jerry.

shimming the neck

eric@banjohangout.org — Wed, 8 Feb 2012 05:54:52 CST

i just shim my neck cause i had some buzz it felt like the action was to low, now its sound really nice but its seem like i lost a bit of volume .so do you guys reckon that my way of shimming is right or i should put one piece that will cover all of the heel or these two pieces are just fine. Can shim affect volume?

cheers

eric

Top Tension engraving patterns

eric@banjohangout.org — Wed, 8 Feb 2012 05:11:54 CST

Just in case you need to see some of the different engraving patterns for a Gibson style 18 here's a few for your records

Clamshells -Help!

eric@banjohangout.org — Wed, 8 Feb 2012 03:43:39 CST

In my pile, I have 3 extra clamshell tailpieces.

Please explain the purpose of the clamshell before I take them apart so I can actually USE them.

Starting my first build

eric@banjohangout.org — Tue, 7 Feb 2012 19:41:52 CST

Started my first banjo build tonight. Black walnut 12 segment rim, 11 inch. I thought that I would use for the middle ring alternating blocks of walnut and maple. Any thoughts on this?

Thanks for any advice.

Chris

Setting up a Bakelite Harmony banjo

eric@banjohangout.org — Tue, 7 Feb 2012 17:48:04 CST

Hi folks:

I'm starting to fool around with one of those old Harmony banjos with the bakelite rim and resonator. I know some of you all are secretly into these as well....

What sort of setup have you done on yours that you liked best? I'll be using this as a frailing banjo. I told my wife we could use the resonator as a salad bowl as well.

I'm not planning to sink any money into this one, but I do have some extra parts around to choose from:

skin head -vs- plastic head?

tension tailpiece -vs- no-knot type?

Let me know what you have done....

Thanks!

Chris

Banjo schematics, sizes etc. (need assistance)

eric@banjohangout.org — Tue, 7 Feb 2012 15:19:22 CST

Hello everyone. Greetings form Poland…
For starters i need to mention that i have never played banjo, i haven't touch it, not even saw on with own eyes (not mentioning photos, videos etc. that is). I’m a straight harmonica player with no greater skill nor talent whatsoever… But banjo was always my dream instrument. Unfortunately its incredibly difficult to find someone who could teach banjo playing in my country, its also very hard, and unbelievably expensive to get a 5-string, left-handed banjo out here…
That's why i decided to craft my very own piece from scratch… And here comes the hard part.
I need some kind of schematics, mainly sizes of various parts, especially neck length, wight (separate for the 5-string section, and higher 4 string section, distances between threads, diameter of the rim etc.)
I would be incredibly grateful for any kind of assistance you all could have given me.
(Sorry for all grammar errors I've made, I'm actually much better player than a scholar ;) )

Regards, Lucas

Pearl inlay & engraving class

eric@banjohangout.org — Tue, 7 Feb 2012 15:05:19 CST

Just wanted to let people know that in July Pete Ross and I are teaching a week long class on pearl inlay and engraving at the Augusta Heritage Arts Center in Elkins WV. http://augustaheritagecenter.org/craft/.

Thanks,

Kevin Enoch

My new Baby! Banjo-Mandolin

eric@banjohangout.org — Tue, 7 Feb 2012 14:36:16 CST

Hi,

Any and all comments welcome. I picked up this darling 7 inch pot, 8 string, 18 fret banjo mandolin on ebay. Her little skin is torn and she has some split lines on the fingerboard and her tailpiece has been wired on. I can not tell if the neck is bowed with only 3 strings it does not seem it. She has all of her bracket shoes and nuts. I will add more photos of her bridge and nut which both look like they are made out of wood.

Now, I know, I have read lots of discouraging things about the banjo-mandolin but I am going to make her playable. if she sounds terrible, I am going to hang her on the wall and use her as a learning experience. There are some decent youtube videos of the banjo mandolin that are encouraging. First Note - Beginner!!

Issues:

1. needs a new skin, a tiny one. Goat or calf? Where to buy? I need a banjo key to remove the skin. Do you think the one called the Gibson style on stew mac would fit or should I spring for the 3 size in one at Elderly. I found a sight from reading on the list that is called - save the banjos with a pictorial that I think I can follow and I am also armed with the Larry Sandburg book, called the Complete Banjo Repair.

2. fretboard splits. Should I follow the recent advice on this forum that suggested using the black stewmac epoxy?

3. missing part of her tailpiece which is wired on. Any suggestions? what and where can I buy to remedy this.

4. inside the pot at the top of the rim stick she is missing one of the 2 wedges. I hope this makes sense; by the top of the pot I mean where the rim stick goes through into the neck. They look like small wedges of wood that sit between the inside of the pot held in place by a triangle shaped metal bracket that screws on and hugs the rim stick with two arms. Is walnut wood strong enough to make a replacement? One is still there to use as a pattern. I will post photos of this situation in a follow up email.

5. The decorative heel plate is broken and mostly missing. Walnut again, I hope because I happen to have it.

6. The tuners seem fine, but what about strings? Any suggestions?

7. I think the bridge seems okay.. maybe okay to deal with at a later date. The nut appears to be wood and looks a tad lower in the center but once again I would like to give it a try before replacing it.

Thank-you all so much for this valuable forum.

Yvette

Trap Door conversion

eric@banjohangout.org — Tue, 7 Feb 2012 14:31:23 CST

This question has probably been asked before , Is it possible to do a conversion on a Gibson Trapdoor? OR has anyone done it ? I don't read much about them anywhere,

Gaboon Ebony.

eric@banjohangout.org — Tue, 7 Feb 2012 13:16:50 CST

I built up a pretty good stash of ebony over the years.

I have often asked my luthier friends for 3" scraps of ebony usually left over fretboard pieces.

I noticed the other day that my stash was about to go away and odered 5 fretboard blanks from Grizzly which should be here in a couple of days.

At 5/16 thick they will accomodate my compensation pattern nicely and should be a fairly long-lasting supply.

That will make my main 3 top wood choices

Black Gaboon Ebony

Brown Brazilian Ebony

Red Purpleheart

Nice range of colors.

NUT for nylgut's

eric@banjohangout.org — Tue, 7 Feb 2012 13:10:06 CST

How important is the way nylguts sit in the nut slots ?

I was using steel strings, changed to nyguts which I'm keeping.

I needed to open the slots a bit, however I may have taken out to much

Thanks

Source for "value engineered" resonator

eric@banjohangout.org — Tue, 7 Feb 2012 12:55:16 CST

I'm looking for a cheap, oops, I mean, inexpensive resonator. The only reason I'm looking for something inexpensive is because I want to peel off the last layer of veneer and re-veneer it. I'd really prefer a US made item and I know that "US Made and "inexpensive" don't usually intersect. I've been checking the classifieds, but haven't seen anything lately. Any thoughts?

Paramount tone ring on an Orpheum pot

eric@banjohangout.org — Tue, 7 Feb 2012 10:28:26 CST

Here's a long shot: Has anyone every put a Paramount tone ring on an Orpheum rim? I have an Orpheum plectrum and the tone is just not up the the quality of a Paramount. Both rims are 11 1/8",and although I don't have a Paramount ring in front of me as a reference, at one time I owned a Paramount, and it seems to me that the Paramount ring should go right in as they are quite similar, and there's no doubt in my mind that the tone quality would be improved. I realize that finding a Paramount ring all by itself would be a challenge, but it's worth a try.

Suggestion for good banjo parts plater

eric@banjohangout.org — Tue, 7 Feb 2012 06:51:54 CST

Looking for some names of companies that do plating of banjo parts that does quality work at a reasonable price.

Must be able to do it all, nickel, chrome, gold and old gold.

I am already aware of Ron Satterfield, any others?

Thanks

Don Bryant in NC

Presto Tailpiece Adjustment???

eric@banjohangout.org — Tue, 7 Feb 2012 03:56:55 CST

I had to move my tailpiece over a tad on my Washburn to center the unit with the neck. I don't really understand how this thing operates. It has a screw underneath that passes through the flange. It raises up and down in relation to the tension hoop.

It operates much differently compared to the tailpiece on my Fender which literally pivots and raises up/down at the leading edge where the strings angle up to meet the bridge.

Does anyone have a parts breakdown of the Presto? I don't see how it works and how it attaches to the tension hoop. It is very tight even with I remove the adjuster screw. I don't see anything holding it. It has to have a pivot of sorts and nothing is visable.

I was able to move it in the direction required after quite a bit of mussing and not quite sure how to adjust it, so I tightened it back down to the same location it was, touching the tension hoop.

truss rod installation

eric@banjohangout.org — Mon, 6 Feb 2012 23:05:13 CST

I recently received my Hot Rod truss rods from Stewmac and now nee to install it. A few pointers please! With what would you guys suggest I fill the cavity before putting the fret board on, and how do I anchor the truss rod 'end-piece at the pot side. Also I read on this forum about epoxy in the neck - but what type?

Thanks and regards

Ian

Tuner replacement for Ventura banjo

eric@banjohangout.org — Mon, 6 Feb 2012 18:07:25 CST

Hi folks...sorry if this is a redundant question. I've read the posts I could find and don't see the answer. I have a Ventura Japanese banjo I bought new back in the '80s. One of the plastic tuning knobs has cracked and it looks like my only repair option is to purchase a new set of tuners. Does anyone know the size/type of tuners that this model uses? The only identifying marks on the banjo are (1) an inlaid eagle on the back and on the headstock (2) "Ventura" written in cursive (3) an inlaid flame-looking thing beneath that and (4) a faux mother of pearl cover for the tension rod with a cursive "C" and the words "custom made" on it. Any help is appreciated

Repairing loose fifth string tuner

eric@banjohangout.org — Mon, 6 Feb 2012 17:22:02 CST

I went through the archives to learn about possible repairs for a loose tuner and found several techniques listed...The one that made the most sense to me was the one that seemed the most permanent...I took a jack plane and cut some shavings off the edge of a hardwood board (ash) and made a perfect bushing for the tapered hole...Then glued it in with epoxy...After it set up the hole was too small so I had to ream it just a little....It fit pretty tight and I removed the button and tapped it in with a deep well 1/4" drive socket...It appears that all is well...Sure is handy being able to search the archives here at the hangout....

6 string banjo bridge spacing help

eric@banjohangout.org — Mon, 6 Feb 2012 16:44:56 CST

I need to make a bridge for a six string vega whyte laydie. Anyone lnow what the spacing should be? And thethe width of thethe bridge?
Thanks
Chris

Medullaries

eric@banjohangout.org — Mon, 6 Feb 2012 16:43:32 CST

I was squaring some maple stock and thought they'd make a nice group shot of the crazy medullaries in this 1860 maple plank that is my maple bridge stock.

A careful quarter sawing yields results like this.

I love this wood.

Tuners

eric@banjohangout.org — Mon, 6 Feb 2012 16:13:03 CST

I'm shopping for guitar tuners for an upcoming project. I see Grovers, Shaller, Waverly and Gotoh. They all look similar, but the prices are different; in some cases very different. What are the principal mechanical differences that drive the variation in cost?

Banjo Project Completed

eric@banjohangout.org — Mon, 6 Feb 2012 15:21:42 CST

I just finished (and delivered) a banjo yesterday and I'm still pretty excited about the way it turned out and the way the customer reacted. I was going for a certain look/sound/feel and it turned out exactly as I hoped it would, plus it was just he tone the customer wanted. That's always a bit of a crapshoot because I'm building to verbal description of what the customer wants, and luckily it was just he wanted.

I also want to publicly thank BHO member Robes for his help. Robes not only furnished the material for the truss rod, he shopped around and help me find the best deal on parts so I could keep expenses down. I was in a huge time crunch when I took on this project, and he helped me get this up-and-running, and that is on top of the support he gave me last summer when I was re-tooling the shop.

Tone Ring Compatiblility

eric@banjohangout.org — Mon, 6 Feb 2012 12:09:52 CST

Can I replace my JLS tone ring with a Tennessee 20-hole without any modification to my rim?

Calf skin vs. Goat skin

eric@banjohangout.org — Sun, 5 Feb 2012 17:49:33 CST

What is the tonal difference? I'm trying to reduce the brightness and add to the plunkiness, would switching from calf to goat help?

Replacing Plastic Rim

eric@banjohangout.org — Sun, 5 Feb 2012 16:13:15 CST

I have a 70's MIJ RB250 Masterclone that I bought a few weeks ago. The banjo sounds pretty good. The main issue with it is the rim is made of plastic and has 2 or 3 cracks. My intentions is to get a much better banjo in about a year or 2 and keep this one as a backup. I am going to take it to someone local to look at in the near future to replace the plastic rim for a wood rim. I just don't wont to sink a lot into it. Any way is this a major task and wood the wooden rim make a difference in sound over the plastic rim. Thanks

tap tones 102

eric@banjohangout.org — Sun, 5 Feb 2012 15:14:10 CST

Somehow this didn't get posted (frustrating), and it's the salient point of the whole thing.

Forgive me if this has already been posted, and I can't see it.

The maple is very old and air dried, the mahogany is at least 35 years old, the chestnut is 150 years old, the walnut is 200 years old, and the ash and cherry are newer - listen to the difference in grain orientation with the cherry. listen to the 2 maple samples, very different.

tap tones 103

eric@banjohangout.org — Sun, 5 Feb 2012 14:55:52 CST

Are you bored enough yet?

I have been making steam bent rims with a combination of woods, Actually, I have been working with Dick Guggenheim on this. What is the benefit of steam bending? That's what we want to learn, and why do we want to do it, since everyone else is making 3-ply rims - another question.

SO, I decided to do 4-ply rims, and Dick and I wanted to use beech as thew core. I made 2 kinds - maple beech beech maple, and cherry beech beech cherry.

The idea is that beech is a kick-ass wood with a lot of sound, but you have to tone it down - hence the cherry, which is mellow.

Here's what I did:

Here's what they sound like:

rim tap tones 101

eric@banjohangout.org — Sun, 5 Feb 2012 14:25:45 CST

I'm going to post a lot of REALLY BORING stuff, it will be in 2 parts - tap tones 101 and tap tones 102. What this is about is hitting things with a stick and recording the sound it makes.

SO, to begin - I tapped a red maple rim blank, a finished rim from that blank, one of my hand made nickel-silver tone rings and then the combination.

The idea is that you can see that neither part is the "whole picture" I'm sure you already understand this, sorry. I live and breathe this, so I think about it more than I should.

It's a shame that this website doesn't allow me to organize my files better, so, I apologize - they're out of order not my doing.

Here is what they sound like:

Hide Head Speed drying

eric@banjohangout.org — Sun, 5 Feb 2012 12:31:52 CST

I am attempting my first hide head. The actual mounting has gone smoothly, so now it's on to drying. All the readings I have come across suggest 24 hours of drying before tensioning. Has anyone tried speeding up the the process? I was thinking about locating the head over a heating vent. Good? Bad? Otherwise?

Thanks,

Mark

5 th string set up

eric@banjohangout.org — Sun, 5 Feb 2012 12:24:12 CST

Where should the 5th string be relative to the 5th fret? Should it be against the fret? Should it be off the fret? If it is off the fret; How much gap? What do you do about the string being against the neck between the 5th string nut and the tuner?

Old Piano Keys

eric@banjohangout.org — Sun, 5 Feb 2012 04:58:03 CST

I came across an old upright on someone's porch being given away for free and am going to pick it up this morning. It plays... but as a piano is in truth a clunker. My intent is to salvage some of the materials. It appears that all of the black keys are ebony blocks, and most of the white keys (except some that are missing or have been replaced) appear to be thin ivory caps. So the ebony.... good for bridge top wood and possibly nuts? Anything else? And the ivory... valuable for inlay? Are there any other materials I should look to salvage for any specific purposes?

Upgrading my R35 with a new Kat Eyz bridge

eric@banjohangout.org — Sat, 4 Feb 2012 20:26:16 CST

I've always thought my R35 held up well against banjos in jams, etc. It certainly compares favorably to my Deering Sierra. I wanted to try another bridge just to see if I could get more depth out of the 3rd and 4th strings, so I planned to stop the Kat Eyz booth at Spbgma.

When I stopped by Mike was spending some time in discussion with a professional player looking for a bridge for his banjo. He went into some detail as to what that customer was looking for in terms of tone, and changes from his present bridge, and recommended a bridge.

When it came my turn I expected him to measure my bridge and hand me a bridge. But no. He set me down (well actually I fell over my case), handed my banjo to LouZee Picker (Brian) to play, and we discussed the tone I wanted. He checked the spacing, bridge height and current bridge weight.

As Mike starts going through his assortment of bridges to find the right one, Brian and Phil starts disassembling my banjo. Strings come off, tail piece comes off, and start adjusting the coordinating rods. About the time I think my banjo is dust, they start re-assembling everything, adjust tailpiece height, strings go back on, and then the bridge (a beautiful KatEyz Spiced pegged bridge). Brian adjusted intonation, and immediately you could tell a huge difference in volume, and projection. The tone was spot on as to what I wanted.

During my time at the booth, Mike, Brian and Phil's only interest was in making my banjo sound better. Certainly what I paid for the bridge was insignificant to the time and effort they put in. They made a dramatic difference that shows as good as the R35 sounds out of the box, with some tweaking it can sound so much better.

question about strings and neck width

eric@banjohangout.org — Sat, 4 Feb 2012 18:20:16 CST

Ok y'all, here we go again! I just got a goodtime. I had Don New(stringbean45)here on the bho make me some bridges. I have one of his spillway pineywoods on it. The string spacing is almost 2". I wanted it this way. Here is my question: when I line up the bridge with neck, 1st thru 4th strings r on fretboard, but 5th is off neck up to about the 11th or 12th fret. Will this cause any problems? I have played it and it sounds fine. I mean the sound is made by strings vibrating thru bridge and into head right? I love this string spacing, becuz with standard I was hitting adjacent strings all the time. Now I haven't hit one at all!