Montanarick - Posted - 04/14/2013:  13:17:54

Without a capo I was wondering if tuning up to A etc.....will cause problems for the nylon strings....Thanks, Rick

Marc Nerenberg - Posted - 04/14/2013:  13:49:25

According to my experience, it will not cause problems.

Caveat: As with anything, your experience may turn out to be different from mine.

erikforgod - Posted - 04/14/2013:  15:45:07

I would think nylon would be alot less pulling tension than steel strings...but they do seem to vibrate more. Rick does your Dobson neck have any steel reinforcement or truss rod of any kind?

Edited by - erikforgod on 04/14/2013 15:46:01

Montanarick - Posted - 04/14/2013:  16:13:27

quote:No Eric....I don't think this old banjo had any reinforcement....it is shorter scale than my other banjo......I think it's a tad longer than an A-Scale.....So tension shouldn't be a problem...Rick

---

Originally posted by erikforgod

 

I would think nylon would be alot less pulling tension than steel strings...but they do seem to vibrate more. Rick does your Dobson neck have any steel reinforcement or truss rod of any kind?

---

Montanarick - Posted - 04/14/2013:  17:04:28

I should have mentioned in my first post that I'm not worried about the strength of the neck with nylons.....I don't think that would ever be a problem....my classical guitars never had truss rods. I was thinking more of breaking strings when tuned higher....Rick

R Buck - Posted - 04/14/2013:  17:39:17

I would not go much above A or double D tuning but it should not be a problem.

Montanarick - Posted - 04/14/2013:  18:14:25

quote:Thanks.....Rick

---

Originally posted by R Buck

 

I would not go much above A or double D tuning but it should not be a problem.

---

oldwoodchuckb - Posted - 04/15/2013:  10:00:43

Without knowing what strings you are using, this question cannot be answered. If you are using Labella nylon strings, you can certainly tune up without problems. With Chris Sands Lights too. Sands Mediums might be a problem and the Heavies would definitely not do it since they are designed for low tuning in the first place.

I can't say what Nylguts will take. I found them unworkable.

Montanarick - Posted - 04/15/2013:  13:27:55

quote:oldwoodchuck......I'm using the Labella strings right now....I'm going to try Chris Sands next.....Rick

---

Originally posted by oldwoodchuckb

 

Without knowing what strings you are using, this question cannot be answered. If you are using Labella nylon strings, you can certainly tune up without problems. With Chris Sands Lights too. Sands Mediums might be a problem and the Heavies would definitely not do it since they are designed for low tuning in the first place.

I can't say what Nylguts will take. I found them unworkable.

---

oldwoodchuckb - Posted - 04/15/2013:  19:06:28

Since I never jam with Jackie-O I never tune her up above G and C (gDGBD or gCGCD). This is a 27 inch scale neck with Sands Mediums. I would give it a try now but my strings might be 3 years old and ready to snap anyhow. I know from using them that Sands lights will tune up, and they do have more tension than Labellas - which I find too floppy under any circumstances.

Jackie-O has a 27 inch scale, so I imagine Labellas must be really floppy on shorter scale banjos. The picture of her below was taken (the headstock is from the same photo as the full body shot) about 15 years ago and she probably had Augustine guitar strings at the time.

Jackie O

RSB lg

J.B. Schall circa 1893

Montanarick - Posted - 04/15/2013:  19:51:32

banjohangout.org/global/ckedit.../icon.png) center no-repeat #ff0000;cursor:pointer;top:-1px;-moz-border-radius:0px 0px 2px 2px;border-radius:0px 0px 2px 2px" title="Insert paragraph here">↵

:Yes...very floppy....drives me crazy and I was already half way there.....thanks, Rick

---

Originally posted by oldwoodchuckb

 

Since I never jam with Jackie-O I never tune her up above G and C (gDGBD or gCGCD). This is a 27 inch scale neck with Sands Mediums. I would give it a try now but my strings might be 3 years old and ready to snap anyhow. I know from using them that Sands lights will tune up, and they do have more tension than Labellas - which I find too floppy under any circumstances.

Jackie-O has a 27 inch scale, so I imagine Labellas must be really floppy on shorter scale banjos. The picture of her below was taken (the headstock is from the same photo as the full body shot) about 15 years ago and she probably had Augustine guitar strings at the time.

---

Montanarick - Posted - 04/15/2013:  19:54:08

P.S. Tony.....I love Jackie O........I got to come up with an appropriate name for my Dobson......maybe I should get input from all my fellow BHO'ers

Edited by - Montanarick on 04/15/2013 19:55:23

Geo Dobson

tunemakers - Posted - 04/16/2013:  03:51:44

So why the aversion to a capo? Works fine for me. I even added a railroad spike for the fifth string. I know this puts me in a old timey no no land but for practicality at a jam, it allows for quick painless key change and I like the sound of it too....

Montanarick - Posted - 04/16/2013:  08:09:46

quote:tunemakers.....I actually didn't think a capo would work without the frets.....I was watching a video yesterday and saw one being used....tried it on my banjo and it worked great.....thanks, Rick

---

Originally posted by tunemakers

 

So why the aversion to a capo? Works fine for me. I even added a railroad spike for the fifth string. I know this puts me in a old timey no no land but for practicality at a jam, it allows for quick painless key change and I like the sound of it too....

---

oldwoodchuckb - Posted - 04/16/2013:  09:06:30

Jackie-O is actually branded (on her dowel stick) "Jacklyn". She was made by the G.B. Schall company in Chicago circa 1893, but to a rather primitive design for the time.  Schall made banjos "for the trade". You counld buy them under your own brand name, and even specify many of the details. I've run across Schalls with at least a half dozen different brand names. Jacklyn was probably a well known (at the time) player who ordered small batches to sell to students, fans, whoever. Schall was the earliest Chicago banjo maker and I suspect it morphed into or was sold into Lyon and Healy by the turn of the 20th Century. Slingerlands banjos is another close relative. Of course, sorting out the histories of these companies is extremely difficult from more than a century away. Unfortunately the one major study of 19th Century banjos has no mention of any Chicago made instruments.