Tuning a Boucher

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Minstrel Banjo

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For those interested in Minstrel Banjo.

132 Members, Created 11/14/2011 -

Administrators: banjosnapper (owner)

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From weetmans on 11/15/2011 3:47:39 AM

Hi, as mentioned in the original post when this group was set up, I'm having difficulty tuning my newly acquired Boucher. As I've just put Nylguts on it, I'm not surprised it isn't staying in tune very long, as I know it takes a while for these strings to settle down. But where I am having difficulty is in getting it there in the first place. The problem is around the way the pegs fit in the holes. They are either too tight to move, or too slack to grip. My technique, such as it is, is to pull the peg out just a bit to allow me to change the pitch of the string, then, when I'm there, push it in a bit tighter. That feels like the right way to do it, but it is quite difficult to get it right. Am I doing something wrong, or is it just a matter of practice? I don't want to try and twist the pegs when they are tight, as I can feel the "button" twisting when the peg isn't moving, and I am scared it might sheer off.

5 Comments
	C Nyal de Kaye says: 11/16/2011 6:56:48 PM I don't know the answer but I'm watching to find out.
	banjosnapper says: 11/16/2011 7:00:17 PM What make is it?...I forgot what you said
	weetmans says: 11/17/2011 12:34:16 AM Hi, Banjosnapper. It's a Hartel.Made in 2003. The pegs are very well fitted, as you would expect. I think I might have got an answer from another thread, though. For the moment, I won't do anything, as the strings have settled down (good ol' NylGuts - only took them 2 weeks!), and I only need to change the 4th to move from low to high bass. Next string change, I'll take the pegs out and rub a little violin rosin onto them. A fiddle playing buddy assures me this will work, and I can't see it doing any harm. What do you think?
	banjosnapper says: 11/17/2011 4:20:40 AM So it is the slipping more than a stuck peg? I keep a little peg dope handy, but have not had to use it on the Hartel. I remember Nylguts taking a little time to settle. A peg is a peg...perhaps rosin has the same function. If it is a perpetual problem, I would rest assured that Jim Hartel would service the instrument.
	weetmans says: 11/17/2011 6:55:16 AM Hi again. It is not so much a stuck peg, but the way the pegs fit. I am finding that, if they are pushed in tight enough to hold, then they won't turn without, as I said, feeling as though the button is in danger of sheering off. So I pull them out enough to get them turnable, then push them in a bit to grip when they are at the desired point. It is a bit "hit and miss", but I'm starting to get the hang of it. I've probably been "spoilt" by using planetarys on all of my banjos. I am quite sure Jim Hartel would service it, but as he is several thousand miles away (I'm in England) I don't think I'll ask him. I'd never heard of peg dope, I confess. Looked it up on the Internet and we call it "Peg Paste" over here. Looks easier to apply than rosin. Probably a good idea. I can just imagine the look on my wife's face if I tell her I'm going into town to buy some dope :-)
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