Cryo - Posted - 08/14/2011:  04:22:53

All the long neck banjos that I have seen have fret marks that coincide with capoing at 3. Are there any long necks that have fret marks that are unadjusted?

Do I have to custom order a neck to get the fretmarks the way I woukd like them?

cosmicbanjo - Posted - 08/14/2011:  08:30:40

my Deering longneck has the markers at 2,4,6,8,10, 13, 15, 18, 20, 22, 24

Cryo - Posted - 08/14/2011:  10:02:32

Interesting. My Goldtone long neck has them on 4, 6, 8, 10, 13, 15, 18, 20, 22, and 24.

I put a side marker at 12 to help when I am playing without capo.

TLG - Posted - 08/14/2011:  10:55:59

I have made several long neck & I put a side dot at 3 rd fret so as to mark where to put the capo for G, then 6 ,8, 10, 13, 15, 20, 22, 25.
I also made a 24 fret long neck with the 5th string tuner at the 5th fret, tune to open "F" or up to "G" & have 2 octives.
Thinking out loud ,my thoughts are if someone had just invented a 25 fret banjo neck out right, they may have put the 5th peg at the 5th fret from the nut , like a regular 5 string banjo, that's what I went on for the 24 fret neck. But since a regular banjo neck was cut & added on to to make it a 25 fret the position inlays & side dots are normal past the 3rd fret, which would have been the nut. When Gibson, Vega, Harmony, ODE, Garipy, ect, started making the long necks , they copied the Seeger neck Vega which was cut & 3 frets added.
The development of the long neck is very interesting to me as a part of the banjo history. If I played a 25 fret banjo tuned to E all the time I would make a neck with the 5th peg at the 5th fret, I think it would solve a lot of tuning & position marker confusion.


Tommy

Cryo - Posted - 08/16/2011:  02:34:57

Tommy,
Thanks for your reply. I agree totally. I would love to have a long neck with the 5th string peg moved up and fret marks that make sense. I switch on some gigs between my "regular neck" resonator and my long neck open back. I do have to remember which instrument I am playing so that I am fretting correctly. Made a mistake a few times. Frustrating.

Banjoman1960 - Posted - 08/16/2011:  12:54:15

all my selfmade longnecks (25frets) have the 5.string tuner at 5.fret,
and markers at 1,3,5,8,10,13,15,18,20.
i hate to retune for play in e,for me it works fine.............so i have change all longnecks(6) to my necks.

Banjoman1960 - Posted - 08/16/2011:  13:14:48

2 photos

Edited by - Banjoman1960 on 08/16/2011 13:18:12

TLG - Posted - 08/16/2011:  14:26:25

Very nice banjoman1960. But after the 5th fret the inlays are the same as a factory neck. But if you can get used to it & play it that way, good for you.
Did you make the necks ?
What brand banjos are yours?

Tom

Banjoman1960 - Posted - 08/16/2011:  14:48:50

quote:

---

Originally posted by TLG

Very nice banjoman1960. But after the 5th fret the inlays are the same as a factory neck. But if you can get used to it & play it that way, good for you.

Did you make the necks ?

What brand banjos are yours?



Tom

---

yes,make the necks myself,the pots are most vega,tuba ,wl,little wonder...............i play most in G,so i have most markers like normal necks

Jon A. - Posted - 08/16/2011:  15:52:07

My Ode model 33 grade 1 has them at 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, 18, 20, 22.

TLG - Posted - 08/16/2011:  16:05:16

Jon,
I just acquired a model 33.

Tom

Jon A. - Posted - 08/18/2011:  06:06:46

I think it's a great instrument. When I see them come up for sale they seem to sell at very reasonable prices, but there's a limited supply so I'm glad I got mine.

Jon 

Helix - Posted - 09/08/2011:  15:09:27

I use two different sets of dots:  red with white centers for the shortneck dots, yellow with red centers for the longneck dots. 

I had photos and a thread about this last year, nobody was interested, really works for me.