Please note this is an archived topic, so it is locked and unable to be replied to. You may, however, start a new topic and refer to this topic with a link: http://www.banjohangout.org/archive/273826
revellfa - Posted - 11/10/2013: 13:08:04
I know many folks out there give the Ball Bearing Banjos heck because they don't have enough volume. I've found that isn't the case with this one. I know that if you overtighten the head (as I have done in the past) the banjo looses major volume.
This one has a bit looser head and I've found it's "sweet spot."
Let me know what you think...
beegee - Posted - 11/10/2013: 13:18:06
Ball-bearing banjos are a different kind of bear and must not be regarded in the same vein as Gibson AT and flatheads. I had an old picking buddy in Florida who got me involved in banjo-making because of his TB-3 BB 5-string conversion. One thing about it...if you have a Gibson BB, it's pretty sure that it ain't a fake.
kevin0461 - Posted - 11/10/2013: 13:44:56
Great sounding BB Frankie!!
Dave1climber - Posted - 11/10/2013: 15:13:05
It sounds as good as my 1926 BB ring in all new rim and neck.
gdoc - Posted - 11/10/2013: 15:36:43
You know, it's like so many other things. One person is in a group, the group is talking and this one person just has to have something to say so he/she will feel included. And in banjo group, everyone standing around talking about banjos, that someone who probably never heard a BB banjo (because if he/she did, he/she wouldn't say they lacked the ability to be heard) makes that statement. "Ya, but they ain't very loud".
Like a common cold germ that gets spread about from one person to another, and pretty soon it's thought to be the word of the lord. (couldn't spell ga-sip-able).
Are there louder banjos, Stelling comes to mind, but that's a breed of it's own. I think they hold the land record for being loud. Either way, just how loud do you need to be? Loud enough to be heard and in proper balance with the other people your playing with I think would be the best answer. And a BB banjo has more than enough gitty-up to stand out among the crowd.
So is it the loudest? No. Is it more than loud enough? Yup! Can the picker make the difference? Definitely! A good sweet tone is far more important than just the ability to be loud. Heck, that's why there are PA systems.
Are there other banjos that are loud and sound great! Absolutely! Are they better or just different? That's all up to the listener.
One last thought, and I'm sure someone with more brain power can explain it better, then someone else can have this soap box.
I was walking toward a band getting ready to play. Couldn't see the band yet. (now the banjo doesn't count this time, because I was the banjo player.) But still out of sight, I could hear the bass booming. Nothing else. As I walked closer, the next instrument I heard was the mandolin. As I got closer, next was the fiddle and soon after the guitar. There was quite a distance between the Bass and the last instrument.
Sure my personal hearing ability had something to do with it, but so does how sound (waves) develop as they travel. Up close the bass did not stand out, far away it was all I could hear.
{{{do i write too much??}}} :)
gdoc - Posted - 11/10/2013: 16:42:13
OH, by the way, Nice sounding banjo and I like the singing too. You got me fired up to tweak with my 25 some more. I'm thinking of loosing the head some and changing the bridge too. You banjo sounds the way I like mine to sound.
At first it did, but it slowly changed over time. Has anyone else noticed that with their banjos or are your's pretty stable?
Dave1climber - Posted - 11/10/2013: 18:25:04
Mine started to "loose it", checked the head tension with my drum dial. It was not even, re balanced it and the sound I like came right back with no other adjustments.
Fathand - Posted - 11/11/2013: 06:28:00
Your videos confirm the theory that the BB is an excellent banjo for alternating frailing and 3 Finger.
I bought a Stelling last year and have been playing it almost exclusively but took my 25 BB out the other day to replace some mismatched hooks with originals I has found. When I played the BB again, I though Wow, this is sounding good. I asked my wife if she could hear the difference from palying the Stelling and she said, "It (the BB) is really loud". I had remembered the BB as quieter but really could no longer tell the difference in volume. Not sure if my technique had changed over the year or so or what but I have new found respect for the volume and tone of my BB.
John Steele - Posted - 11/15/2013: 15:45:47
It's easier to find a good "room banjo" than it is to find a good "stage banjo".
- John
BanjoFlyboy - Posted - 11/15/2013: 16:51:55
When it comes to tone and playability my '26 Gibson Style 5 is my favorite at the moment. After finding some loose hooks the other day I tightened them and evened out the head tension and BAM! The snap, crackle, and pop was there and I've been pickin' it ever since!
