tooltimegrunt - Posted - 12/01/2012:  06:22:55

Looking to get first banjo in 20 years. I am interested in a Nechville and am curious, does the design allow for sound customization like the more standard 5 string design? Would this banjo disappoint a player who wants to tweak his instrument to get the desired sound?

Thanks

Edited by - raharris on 12/01/2012 08:32:57

mikesven - Posted - 12/01/2012:  06:53:43

I am not an expert on the subject like some of the other members you may get answers from on the forum, but the speed and options that I have for tweaking is one of the things I love about my nechville. Tom has put a lot of thought into the design and it really shows once you start playing around with it. The only thing I have not really played with is swapping out a tone ring, but have heard it is quite easy as long as you are moving to other rings in the nechville family. 3rd party rings I am unsure of.

HSmith - Posted - 12/01/2012:  07:04:31

Hi

The only Nechville banjo I own is a Meteor electric, so I don't have first-hand experience of tweaking for that perfect acoustic tone. However, Tom's acoustic banjos are renowned for the ease with which they can be adjusted and for the wide range of tonal qualities they can exhibit.

Here's a link to a YouTube video of Tom showing just how easy it is

youtube.com/watch?v=P11n44W1_QQ

You can find many more similar videos on YouTube. Hope this helps.

Regards

Harry  

Edited by - HSmith on 12/01/2012 07:06:13

Fathand - Posted - 12/01/2012:  07:12:50

Sound customization is largely accomplished, after playing skills, by head tension, bridge and tailpiece adjustments. Tom Nechville is very knowledgeable about bridge design,  Head tension is simple on a Nechville. I am sure the bridges are adjustable as Tom is also something of a set-up expert. I went to a Clinic in Toronto where he gave everyone's banjo a quick setup and made them all (about 15)  sound better after 5-10 minutes each while discussing the changes with the audience. 

Gus Bloch - Posted - 12/01/2012:  07:16:23

I currently have a Nechville Plectrum on a custom order.
There were a few reasons that I decided to go this way, one of which is the easy ability to change heads and adjust the neck relief and position. Overall quality, recomendations, good reviews and the lightweight design were also important. The compound radiused neck is a plus for many, though I opted for a standard radius to save some money.
The company is very approachable. I was able to speak freely with Tom Nechville and Al Price concerning my needs and budget. They designed a package which I hope will be spot on for me from the get-go. I expect to play this banjo for quite a while before having to consider making any changes and I look forward to writing a review on it sometime in the spring.

Bastertone - Posted - 12/01/2012:  08:06:36

Tom has lots of choices in rim, tone ring configurations and you can change a rim and ring in under 5 minutes. I even made some rings for myself and fit one of Bill Rickards tubaphone rings into a Nechville as well as a titanium ring. All banjos can be modified but the Nechville makes it easy so it can be fun to experiment with the different possibilities without a big time commitment or risk.

raharris - Posted - 12/01/2012:  08:33:53

Because this topic doesn't directly relate to Scruggs style playing advice we've beens asked to move it to the Shopping Advice forum.

Best of luck with your search --

Pick Mindfully, RA

kirbonite - Posted - 12/01/2012:  09:07:10

I've had my nechville now for about 6 months or so.    First I had Tom modify a goldstar that that someone had boogered up the lag bolts on and the adjustable neck is GREAT..  

I had some trouble at first learning how to set it up etc..  but once I got it .. It's been a ton of fun to play.

This is what I find.   It's got a smooth sound for melodic (which I like)  and it can resonate for bluegras..  For Old time (which I don't play)  I'm not sure.

You can get the strings way off the head and still have low action.. You'll never have to worry about the pick striking the head.

there are all kinds of changes and concurrently accessories to purchase from Nechville.. it's ingenious invention and marketing all at the same time.(you know how banjo players are)

this is what i find myself thinking now.. that I have the cyclotronic:  You can get different kinds and combinations of ball bearings to go in there.. Change the heads quickly.. etc.

also bridges.. different heights whatever you want.

there is no end to the tweaking IMO.

When I save some money.. I'm going to change to tone ring.. I wouldn't even attempt this on a standard banjo..

Here are the things I could be critical of.. and they are small things.. but I'll give it to ya: 

You must have specific tools to adjust  the tension.. If I lose the chucks, I can't run down to the hardware store and get socket to fit.

I've found that adjustment of the tailpiece is critical to setup so you'll need specific allen wrenches for that ( I lost mine and they sent me a new set for free)

The armrest is very comfortable and secure but I just don' t like the attachments and the attachments increase the size of the armrest so I don't like it when I'm standing up. so I take it off and put a standard armrest on there if I'm going to be standing.. (most people don't even think of this  just me..)    

All in All.. I'm happy and have a lot of fun playing it.. Tom and Al might even chime in on this thread.. I'd say.. go for it..

Edited by - kirbonite on 12/01/2012 09:09:04

banjocatman - Posted - 12/01/2012:  10:19:26

The Nechvilles are built to easily tweak the sound. Much easier than traditional!

jswkingsfield - Posted - 12/01/2012:  11:47:15

I've had a Classic DLX since March, and in terms of sound adjustment, it's designed to be easier to adjust.  I've had a starter Fender (gone), a Deering Eagle II (gone), and also still have a reissue Gibson.  Kirbonite, as usual, is spot on -- need the right tools.  Also, have to be careful to insert the two head tension wrenches all the way, otherwise, you can strip the threads.

Head tension:  easily tightened or loosened with the proprietary wrenches.  It will sound brighter when tight, tubbier when the head is loosened.  Also, it is easy to swap heads because you don't have to undo a bunch of brackets & deal with a tension hoop to remove the rim, just unscrew the Helimount, plop in head & tone ring, and screw the Helimount back on.

Tailpiece angle:  easily changed to suit.

Rim:  If you get the ball-bearing cyclotronic rim, you can swap out or mix up the stainless steel ball bearings with ceramic ones, which can change the sound profile, but I've never bothered with that.  The one bad thing about all these ball-bearings is that they roll around when I klutz and drop them on the floor (yeah, I know, they're made to roll around).

Tone rings:  I've tried all 3 Nechville tone rings, like them all, but the titanium-topped wood one is my favorite, and it's not just because I have back problems and the thing chops several pounds off the weight of a banjo.  Sound wise, the titanium-topped ring is equal to my Kulesh-equipped reissue Gibson.  I've thought about trying 3rd-party rings, it can be done (I asked Al Price, it depends on whether there is enough room to fit the ring over the cyclotronic rim), but I haven't tried it yet.

Neck action: Easy to raise and lower by unlocking the neck, adjusting the tilt, and tightening it back on.  This innovation is just brilliant.  You can even take the neck off, put both pieces into a regular suitcase.

What won't change with a Nechville or any other banjo, is the basic sound profile inherent in the type of wood chosen.  My walnut Gibson has a tone that's different from any of the maple banjos I've owned (maple generally is brightest), and the mahogany ones I've played sound deeper toned.

Now, it's true that on a standard Mastertone-style banjo, you still can mess with different tailpieces, tone rings, head tension, different bridges, and different heads, it's just a heck of a lot easier with a Nechville.  But, can't beat the detachable/adjustable neck feature!

Edited by - jswkingsfield on 12/01/2012 11:52:12

kirbonite - Posted - 12/01/2012:  12:28:44

I'm glad you like the titanium jsw.. I've got my eye on one of those.. should be my next investment  venture..   yee ha !!

Steven M - Posted - 12/01/2012:  13:03:33

I have a funny story about the customisability of Neckvilles.

A friend of mine's saw Tom at a workshop. He asked him to check over his banjo to make sure it was "correctly" set up. Tom did this and and a bit of that, and then a bit of the other and after about 10 minutes gave it back to my friend (who will remain nameless, but is a pro player). He hated the sound that came out of it. It took him several months of tweaking to get it back to where he liked it.

So, in answer to your question, yes they are customisable!

There is a moral in that story somewhere, if you find it let me know please!

Corwyn - Posted - 12/01/2012:  13:40:34

quote:

---

Originally posted by Steven M

There is a moral in that story somewhere, if you find it let me know please!

---

I suspect it is that there is no such thing as 'correctly' set up.

Bastertone - Posted - 12/01/2012:  16:24:44

Here's one tip specific to Nechvilles. If you are taking your banjo on a plane and as carry on. Take the custom ring wrenches out and put them in your checked baggage. I almost had mine confiscated at security and had to put them in checked luggage. They said they looked like tools and you can't bring tools as carry on.

Debbiej - Posted - 12/01/2012:  17:38:21

Janice can you tell me what kind of a head you have on your nechville banjo with the titanium capped wood ring? and did you stick with the nechville bridge or try another? I just traded in my old wood nechville ring for the titanium capped one and am working of the sound/tone to dial in a good bluegrass tone.

thanks,

Debbie

jswkingsfield - Posted - 12/01/2012:  19:21:03

quote:

---

Originally posted by Debbiej

Janice can you tell me what kind of a head you have on your nechville banjo with the titanium capped wood ring? and did you stick with the nechville bridge or try another? I just traded in my old wood nechville ring for the titanium capped one and am working of the sound/tone to dial in a good bluegrass tone.



thanks,



Debbie

---

 Hiya, Debbie!  I have a Renaissance head on it, and you have to crank it a bit tighter than you would with the bronze ring.  My Gibson is at about G#, the Nechville with titanium capped ring is a couple of wrench turns tighter to get it a bit above G# but not quite A.  Al Price is the one who suggested a Renaissance head and that it has to be tighter.  I still have the Nechville bridge, the only other bridge I've tried on the Nechville has been a Doc Huff Cathedral bridge, which didn't work since the one I had laying around wasn't made for a radiused neck.

dmiller - Posted - 12/02/2012:  16:14:15

quote:

---

Originally posted by tooltimegrunt



Looking to get first banjo in 20 years. I am interested in a Nechville and am curious, does the design allow for sound customization like the more standard 5 string design? Would this banjo disappoint a player who wants to tweak his instrument to get the desired sound?



Thanks

---

The Nechville banjo design ABSOLUTELY allows for "customization of sound".

And - - you can do it easier and in minutes (versus hours) unlike "regular" banjos.

The "tweaking" is done internally (not externally with nuts and such).  No disappointment!

Here you see the geared internal part of the Heli-mount.  Notice also the hole on the neck.

The geared part of the Heli-mount is how tone/ head tension/ and sound is "tweaked".

The hole at the base of the neck is how you can adjust (or remove) the neck in seconds.



There are more ways of getting the sound you want out of a Nechville,

than any flange/ nut and tension hook/ banjo out there today  - - bar none.

dmiller - Posted - 12/02/2012:  16:16:30

Woops - - I forgot to add the photo.  Here it is - - - > > >

Debbiej - Posted - 12/02/2012:  16:55:44

Okay in the time it took my partner to go to the store (20 minutes) I switched out the head in my banjo and had it all ready to play by the time she got back. I changed the head from the renaissance head to a remo frosted head. I had replaced the regular wooden nechville tonering with the titanium topped wood nechville ring a week or so ago and have been working on dialing in the tone I wanted. I've got to say the tone to me sounds great. I still have the metal tone ring for my phantom but I'm not sure I'll be using it much since this titanium capped ring is sounding very bluegrassy to my ears. This banjo is very easy to change around so quickly.

Thanks for a great product nechville!

Debbie

jscourt - Posted - 12/03/2012:  20:00:47

I absolutely love my Nechville Phantom. It is a custom job with built-in 5th-string capo. That's very nice since I only play in open G tuning. I have the cocobolo tone ring with titanium top & it has plenty of volume for the jams I attend. Also, it has the reneassance head.

The adjustability of the instrument has been a great plus. Out of the box the banjo came with no bow setting in the neck. It buzzed when I played in G. But the manual was great to guide me through the procedure to set the neck bow. It played beautifully after that. On any other banjo I would have hesitated to get into neck adjustment that soon after receiving it. I have also adjusted the "action" a couple times for best playability by moving the neck up/down. That is a great feature of the Nechville concept. I replaced the Enterprise bridge with a Moon bridge. The Moon has a slight curve which works well with the radiused neck. The grooves in the Enterprise bridge were so tight on the strings that the strings corroded which caused strings to break at the bridge after a couple months of use. This happened on a couple of string changes.

You will not be disappointed if you buy a Nechville banjo. One of the best features is the ease of tightening the head. Although that is not needed very often, it sure beats tightening a bunch of bolts!!! If you are a TWEAKER you will love the features of the Nechville banjo.

Jerry in TX

nechville - Posted - 12/06/2012:  11:10:39

Let me reply. First, any changes made to set up on a Nechville only take a moment to change back, but even pro players sometimes need help to juggle the variables especially when dealing with something they may not be accustomed to. I have a set up manual for all banjos called The Dynamics of Banjo Sound  from Mel Bay Music Publishers which may prove useful for many.

Also please note, we have anticipated a growing demand for our instruments and have put forth extra effort to have many standard models and several custom creations in stock and ready for playing. call or e mail me if you have questions about anything.