I really enjoy my Standard Fretless but the action is a bit low for my taste. I mean really low, is that common? I bought it second hand and wasnt sure. If so any easy solutions?
15 Comments |
 | jbalch says:
2/4/2011 5:47:54 AM
Charles:
Bart's banjos usually come with a standard bridge. The height is usually 5/8" +/-. Also, the action is probably set a little lower than your tradesman banjos (Kevin's banjos are set-up higher to begin with). Not a big problem....You can raise the action on your Reiter banjo by swapping bridges.
My Galax-plus is set up with a great sounding calfskin head. That head sinks a little in some weather conditions. On that banjo, I use an 11/16" bridge I got from Gary Sosebee. The extra 1/16" inch really helps.
I'd recommend finding a slightly taller bridge. If you need a source, Gary Sosebee sells his fine bridges on ebay (myworld.ebay.com/bridgedawg). I have them on all my Reiter banjos.
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kevinwholmes says:
2/4/2011 3:40:36 PM
My Standard model was a little low for my taste right out of the box, so I put on a taller bridge.
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kevinwholmes says:
2/4/2011 3:42:55 PM
Oops. I tried to modify my comment but ended up with 2. How does one modify/delete a comment here?
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| jbalch says:
2/4/2011 4:54:01 PM
It let me delete your duplicate comment...I guess that is because I'm the "owner" of the group. What power I have.....
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kevinwholmes says:
2/4/2011 5:26:59 PM
Thanks Your Honor :-)
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 | cbbolling says:
2/6/2011 11:26:32 AM
is there any way to just buy a bridge from him without the bidding process?
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 | Ron Ortegel says:
2/7/2011 10:44:07 AM
Sure, just email him.
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| cbbolling says:
2/9/2011 11:00:11 AM
I actually ordered one yesterday off a guy named Joel Hooks who came highly recommended as well. Anyone else tried his bridges on their Reiter
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| cbbolling says:
2/14/2011 7:49:39 PM
The Hooks bridge did not work out. Any good suggestions for an 11/16 bridge to go with Nylgut strings?
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| jbalch says:
2/15/2011 5:08:40 AM
I'm curious. What did not work out with the bridge you tried?
I've used all kinds of bridges with Nylgut strings. Most work fine for me. If you use a Sosebee (or other standard type), you might have to enlarge the string slots.
I also like the look and sound of these from elderly.com (see url below). I've used them with gut and nylgut on some vintage banjos. This one is extra tall and unslotted allowing you to customize the height, string slots and spacing:
elderly.com/accessories/items/BA83T.htm
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chrisherrin says:
2/16/2011 7:08:58 AM
I have one of the bridges jbalch mentioned from Elderly. It is very tall so you can shorten it if need be. It sounds great with Nygluts. It also looks pretty cool too!
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chrisherrin says:
2/16/2011 7:31:09 AM
I have one of the bridges jbalch mentioned from Elderly. It is very tall so you can shorten it if need be. It sounds great with Nygluts. It also looks pretty cool too!
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| cbbolling says:
2/16/2011 8:13:50 AM
I dont think the bridge was substantial enough for the banjo. Its a copy of a very narrow very thin old time bridge. It ended up sounding sorta like a ball bearing rolling around a trash can when I played it if that makes any sense
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| jbalch says:
2/16/2011 9:12:34 AM
I found this archived article on bridges by Joel Hooks (see link below). It might be interesting in this discussion.
As I said before, I've used all kinds. But I think a bridge without the ebony top can be a great choice for nylon strings. I like the Morris bridges because of their look and sound...and they are inexpensive to boot.
archive.banjosessions.com/dec08/Hooks.html
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| jbalch says:
2/16/2011 9:16:40 AM
One more thing...those Morris bridges are fairly thick. they taper to a thin edge near the top. But at the bottom the feet are quite substantial. It is a stable design that sounds good with gut or nylon (IMHO)...best wishes!
Check out the photo I just linked to this group. it is a Morris bridge on an old Dobson banjo i used to have.
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