 | RUSTYSTILL says:
8/31/2011 8:21:41 AM
Hi Bob, for me the rule of thumb has been "if it feels good, and the intonation is good, it is good." I think that neck setup and even length has much more to do with tone than it's shape. Wood types also probably have some small effect on resonance qualities. My Calico has a wonderful feeling neck but the intonation up the neck is so perfect that's what is really nice for me. On guitar lots of folk like thin necks but I play on a 12 fret D-18S that has a pretty wide neck that gets comments is too wide for some people yet I can play cleaner and faster on it because of the extra spacing between the strings and the 12 frets clear puts the bridge in the belly of the guitar producing more resonance and a really big sound. Where the bridge on the banjo is in relation to the pot is likely going to shave more effect rather than simply neck thickness. At least those are my thoughts. Jim
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| RUSTYSTILL says:
8/31/2011 10:52:25 PM
What do you think of the tone of this particular banjo compared to others you have played and/or own? If I try five different individuals of the same model banjo or guitar I usually hear five different overall tonal qualities.
I'm no acoustical expert but from what I have learned, tonal qualities involve a composite frequency spectrum originating from the vibration of the strings, amplified by the sound pump attributes of body of the instrument and the tonal qualities affected by the material and structure of the body of the instrument and all surfaces the air vibrates off of that includes the neck. How good this pump amplifies the sound depends on the structure and quality of materials involved that affects how it transmits through and off of them. That 5 different instruments of the same model with the same neck can sound different is an indicator that for this test the neck is not the significant effect on tonal difference. The neck material and structure including thickness likely have some effect on resonance because they are a part of the total picture of this sound pump. But what is also likely important is how each of us reacts in relation to feel because our hands and how they move effect the tone. A good player can bring a lot more tonal quality from any instrument than a novice. And if the neck feels good to me and helps my playing whatever my level of proficiency, it is also likely that the sound I produce will be better than playing the same banjo but with a different neck that doesn't feel as comfortable to play. Most people assume that the smaller the hands, the thinner the neck should be but this might not be necessarily so. Although a thicker or wider neck may make thumbing the 5th string more cumbersome, it might also add more support to smaller hands to allow more energy to be utilized by the fingers. Anyway, just some thoughts.
Might be interesting to find one of the newer models of your banjo and try it side by side with yours and see how they compare? Would you change anything about the tone of your banjo? If so, what?
Jim
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 | DIV says:
9/1/2011 10:11:23 AM
RUSTYSTILL mentioned the bridge position's effect on tone and that's right, but there's very little variation on bridge position because of intonation. HOWEVER, what does have an effect is how close the neck is mounted to the pot. So look at how much wood there is beyond the last fret. When there's less wood between the last fret and the tension hoop, the bridge is placed closer to the center of the head and some people believe that this reduces overtones and therefore cleans up the tone. Maybe of the later prewar Gibson 5 strings are like this.
If you look at some of the early (1980's etc.) Deerings, they have alot more wood at the end of the fretboard than they have currently...coincidence...probably not!
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| RUSTYSTILL says:
9/1/2011 10:01:27 PM
Interesting, Div and corresponds to what I wrote earlier about the 12 fret Martin Sseries tone. But in this case my take on it is because the bridge is more toward the center of the soundboard (or pot) it allows more of the top surface to vibrate with stronger amplitude than when it is back toward a fixed end. The result with guitars seems to be a more robust tone. At the centrailia old time jam, I met a player who suggested I use a "plunkifier" to soften the tone of my Whyte Laydie. That consisted of putting a handkerchief inside the pot which dampened some unwanted frequencies. Made my WL sound MUCH cleaner of unwanted overtones. I'm not sure whether a neck set to put the bridge toward the center would do the same thing. Might be an interesting experiment.
Jim
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 | Bob Murphy says:
9/2/2011 8:19:30 AM
Great info DIV and Rustystill!
I checked the distance from the fretboard on my 1999 Golden Era, which has more wood after the 22nd fret, and yes it is closer to the fretboard (more toward the center of the pot) than my other banjos. I also just converted a 1927 tb3 with a no hold archtop ring. The luthier made the neck with the extra wood as well. I didn't specify this, and was kind of upset that he did so, however after playing it for a month or so, I now feel that I can get a much deeper and more complex tone from it, even though it is an archtop. Not sure if this is due to the bridge placement, old wood, or what, but I sure like it. By the way, the neck on this one is slightly thinner than my other banjos.
As far as the tone from my Legacy, when I first received the banjo (2006), I was blown away by the tone. Over time, as my perception of tone and preferences have changed, I tend to not enjoy the sound as much. It seems too "thin", and I can't get the "growl" out of it that I can get with some of my Gibson banjos. I had the set up checked and head changed by Deering, when I visited the factory last year, but it didn't seem to help. I don't think it is the banjo, I just think that my taste has changed. I don't know if anyone else has experienced this, but I seem to now prefer a different tone than I did five years ago, and certainly way different than when I started playing in 1990.
Over the years I have collected WAY too many instruments, but can't seem to part with any of them. I hope that I am done buying banjos!
My question regarding the neck was initiated by a thread in the forum. I really love the feel and look of my Legacy, and would like it to be my favorite again. I think the next step might be to find a legacy with the new thinner neck and compare. I doubt that I would ever sell it, as it has the Kruger ring, and I doubt I could get back what I spent, but I'm certainly up for modifications. I've tried all of the usual: a box full of bridges, head tensions all over the map, tailpiece adjustments, you name it.
Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading my long rant!
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