Reporting on my Red Fox set up status

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Stelling Owners Club

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For those who own or want to own the ultimate banjo. www.stellingbanjo.com

536 Members, Created 1/28/2011 -

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From pdbanjo on 2/6/2011 9:54:41 AM

As I said in a previous blog post, I installed a good but used USA remo head, a new Scorpion bridge and new med. ga. strings a week ago. I've been playing it on and off over that week, too. I'm not satified, yet! It needs something to take some of the edge off of the tone but I don't know what to try. Maybe another bridge or light strings? It's got all the power and it's plenty loud but there is a stark dryness in timbre that just doesn't please my ear. Maybe I'm so used to the tone that I get from my old Gibson that I'm probably overly biased in that regard. I had a good banjo player play it on stage for me the other night and even tho' he thought it sounded good he wasn't overly impressed with the tone either. He too is a Gibson player. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

6 Comments
	WVChuck says: 2/6/2011 12:04:55 PM Dave my used Fox came with a Deering smooth, white , frosted head. Light phros bronze strings and a setup that darkened the brightness somewhat but it doesn't match the dryness of my Crusader. The mahogany wood of the Crusader seems to sound like what you are looking for. When I bought the Crusader it was played against a 33' TB3 coversion, a RB100 conversion and a Master Flower walnut. The seller, a pretty good picker played all of them and I felt the Crusader had the best overall sound. Just my TCW.
	Geoff Stelling says: 2/10/2011 10:38:16 AM Dave, As you can imagine, I'm a little biased myself, especially toward the original set-up of my banjos. You'd be amazed at how many used Stellings I've been sent to reset them up to "factory specs" so that they'd get that original Stelling sound back. If you want it to sound like a Gibson, you're going to be terribly disappointed. That's because they're not built like a Gibson. I'd love to have heard it the way it was built and then the way you have it set now. There's no doubt about which way I'd like it. Good luck. Geoff Geoff
	Geoff Stelling says: 2/10/2011 10:38:52 AM Dave, As you can imagine, I'm a little biased myself, especially toward the original set-up of my banjos. You'd be amazed at how many used Stellings I've been sent to reset them up to "factory specs" so that they'd get that original Stelling sound back. If you want it to sound like a Gibson, you're going to be terribly disappointed. That's because they're not built like a Gibson. I'd love to have heard it the way it was built and then the way you have it set now. There's no doubt about which way I'd like it. Good luck. Geoff Geoff
	Geoff Stelling says: 2/10/2011 10:40:35 AM Don't know how that got posted twice. Maybe for emphasis.... Ha!
	pdbanjo says: 2/10/2011 11:39:29 AM Geoff, If I could re-set it up as origional I surely would but I don't have the origional head or bridge anymore. You said that very thing to me at an IBMA when I needed a tweek done to a bridge I had on it at the time. You did a quick slot file to that bridge to eliminate a 3rd string intonation problem. At that time you asked me why I had it set up so it played so "darkly"? I was using it at the time for a recording project and it recorded better that way but I admit it didn't sound very good for live performances with that heavy head and heavy bridge on it. Now if I can find an old Ludwig head and Stelling bridge I'll put them on and see how it sounds to me then. Thank for responding and know your advice is double-ly well received.
	pdbanjo says: 3/1/2011 11:38:31 AM Well I've installed a 5 Star head and a 2g Snuffy Smith I bridge. It has come out of its darkness era and now has a voice that speaks volumes. I'm still in the process of tweeking it as those new parts settle in but I'm much more pleased with the sound it's delivering now. Not quite there yet so I might try a new Stelling bridge a little later.
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