To long neck or not to

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Long Neck Banjo

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... for those of us who prefer the tuning and singing differences the LN provides. All questions & help welcome!

273 Members, Created 1/30/2011 -

Administrators: TonyS (owner) , Gary Blanchard , pastorharry , vega long neck

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From Newbanjo21 on 6/30/2022 2:34:10 PM

Hi guys I've been looking for a long neck to use in my folk song set, ideal for Seeger songs and Irish folk. I sing in E and F quite alot. Problem is, I'm only 5 ft 7 and don't have long arms. Should I just get a regular scale and tune down? would the reach me too much for me? no way to try here before buying I'm afraid.

11 Comments
	Carey Kohl says: 6/30/2022 3:08:57 PM The extra frets would be about where your peghead is now. Grab a hold of that and play some open strings for a while. That should give you a rough idea if it's too big a stretch or not.
	reese158 says: 6/30/2022 3:37:36 PM I think the bottom frets are probably a stretch for everyone at first—you get used to it.
	R.D. Eno says: 6/30/2022 3:42:24 PM I'm 5'4", and I can manage a long neck. You may find it less trouble than you imagine. Tuning a regular scale neck down a step and a half risks string buzz and wobbly pitch, unless you use heavier strings. Of course, not all long necks are equally long, and you could have a custom neck made with a shorter scale -- picture an A scale neck with three extra frets.
	TonyS says: 6/30/2022 4:00:28 PM Hi! I have a Gold Tone. I'm the same hight as you and the first first were tough, until someone advised me to slide the pot over a bit until the fret board is in front of you like a regular jo.
	reese158 says: 6/30/2022 4:06:01 PM I think the bottom frets are probably a stretch for everyone at first—you get used to it.
	Helix says: 6/30/2022 4:17:56 PM I play light strings with my longnecks. You don't "always" get a buzz by tuning down, so you may not need heavier strangs until you need them. Tony S Listen to what Tony said, pull the banjo around to the side. It's better to buy a Bass gig bag for a longneck, more padding and more rectangular pockets. It's easier to get through airport security. I played in "The Minutemen." We built our own longneck. Our banjo player is still 5'4". And of course, you'll need a longneck permit.
	Helix says: 6/30/2022 4:20:03 PM Dude, an A scale with 3 extra frets is a 22 fret.
	TonyS says: 6/30/2022 4:55:08 PM ?? my Gold Tone came with a real nice, real off balance hard case- no I'm not doing the handle fix!! Bur I got a nice gig bagfrom them.
Newbanjo21 says: 7/3/2022 1:52:51 AM The one I'm looking at is a Richwood . White lady tone ring and hardcase supplied. A tech I buy my instruments from will install the railroad spikes. It's only €650. I'm aware it's not a Vega but for that price, why not! I may have it a couple weeks so will post pictures.
	TonyS says: 7/6/2022 4:57:18 PM Helix, which bass gig bag do you like? I'm Googling now...
Newbanjo21 says: 7/6/2022 10:53:13 PM the Richwood comes with a hard case
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