olbap - Posted - 08/12/2008:  07:21:39

Hello all,

I play BG scruggs/melodic since 2 years and a half, and I recently started to play clawhammer/old time. As it is not needed to switch I'll probably play both in futur.

I asked to a friend luthier to build me a brand new old time banjo. He's a well known luthier and have a lot work in progress so I'll probably have my banjo in a year and a half... at least.

Actually, we discuss how the banjo should be. He told me that he will based his work on the vega little wonder (I need to confirm this is that vega he talked about). I hace two question :

is it better to remove fret from 15 to 22 ?

is it better "minstrel" like (I believe it is tone ring in wood) or not ?

at least (nothin' to do with my banjo) : my fingernail is very short, do I need to let grow... (stupid question I imagine...)

These days I play with my old Stewart Macdonald from which I remove the resonator. It is an archtop. No problem with that ?

I already ordered the Levenson & the Perlman book, and workin now with youtube and some website.

Excuse my english, i'm french.




Ol''Bap

Edited by - Banjoman on 08/12/2008 07:57:39

tonehead - Posted - 08/12/2008:  07:42:57

Your English is very good. It's really a personal preference whether you remove frets 15-22. If you're looking to have a banjo like the " Little Wonder" I believe has a brass tone ring. You could play this style with or without a resonator. Whatever you like the sound of best.


Play it like you mean it.

Nide44 - Posted - 08/12/2008:  07:57:51

Its my understanding that a flat-top with a wood tone ring (or none)
will give a warmer, more 'plunky' tone to the old time stuff.
Scooping of the fingerboard/neck is usually done at 17 or 19 rather than 15, but 15 is done in some instances.
Depends on the style of the luthier's design.
The original old time ones were fretless, with gut strings, wood or gourd pots, & no tone ring.
Sometimes, the fingerboard (or just the scoop area) was a type of sheet-metal.

Bob B
- ''66 Gretsch openback - modified
- Late 60''s - early ''70s ''Christy'' Open Back Long-neck
- 1921 Ludwig ''Dixie'' plectrum

Edited by - Nide44 on 08/12/2008 08:02:42

JohnTheWhite - Posted - 08/12/2008:  09:47:21

Scooping the fingerboard allows you to have a lower action, because your fingers are less likely to hit the high frets when you are down-picking over the neck. If you decide you want to incorporated melodic playing you may want those high frets AND the lower action. As Bob B. said scooping at the 17th or the 19th frets might be good compromise.

It's really cool that you can have your friend custom build this for you. Still. a year and a half is a long time in this day and age. There are excellent, excellent open backs being made by builders like Chuck Lee, if you don't want to wait so long.

My personal opinion, and it's only that, is the Vega Tubaphone tone ring is the best overall open-back tone ring. Check out the banjo hangout home page of "Frailin".
(='=<|>

===
This is bluegrass type advice; you can do what you want to with it.

RedZinger - Posted - 08/13/2008:  00:46:55

Hi Olbap!

>>is it better to remove fret from 15 to 22 ?

I think so. What the hell are those frets for anyway? You don't need any frets, but those last few are especially useless. Anyway, it's nice to play over the neck with your right hand and those last few frets get in the way.

>>is it better "minstrel" like (I believe it is tone ring in wood) or not ?

That's totally a matter of personal taste. I've heard some wood pots that I like and some that I don't like. I'm with Johnthewhite, tubaphones are the best!!

>> at least (nothin' to do with my banjo) : my fingernail is very short, do I need to let grow... (stupid question I imagine...)

I love to talk about fingernails! Some people get good results with short nails, I perfer to grow mine to about 1.5 to 2.5 mm beyond the tip of my finger. Much longer than that and the tone gets muddy, much shorter and tone gets thin.

>>Excuse my english, i'm french.

Your English is fine, much better than my French.

Best wishes,
Rob

Edited by - RedZinger on 08/13/2008 00:47:56

olbap - Posted - 08/13/2008:  09:31:49

Thanks all. (thanks also banjoman to move this topic at the right place).

About the scooping I was wrong I meant 17 fret and not the 15. So Ok I'll probably do that.
About the ton ring I'll talk about the tubaphones with my luthier.
About my fingernails, well, I need to let them grow.

In a year and a half (or more...) I'll have some pics... :)

Edited by - olbap on 08/13/2008 11:58:43

haiku - Posted - 08/14/2008:  14:45:30

You may also try to contact Phillipe Revel (in Lyon) - I still hadn't got the chance to meet or exchange with him, but I've heard many a good words about his banjos, and his love for banjos - I'm sure he'd be glad to help/ give advices to you and your friend

-----
Folk music is not a crime!
http://www.myspace.com/hobohaiku

Bill Rogers - Posted - 08/15/2008:  11:29:01

Revel does absolutely wonderful work. I've played one of his banjos. You can find his website via Google.

Bill