captbanjo Says:
Thursday, September 15, 2016 @7:34:42 AM

How did it change the tone? Let's hear it! I have it on my five string and it seemed to deepen the tone a bit, with a rounded attack and decay.

captbanjo Says:
Thursday, September 15, 2016 @7:39:50 AM

Here are two clips: one with my Cox tailpiece, followed by the Fults:

banjohangout.org/myhangout/med...archived=

banjohangout.org/myhangout/med...archived=

FYI, my five is not a Deering (my four is) and is custom made, with recovered old wood.

SouthCreek Says:
Thursday, September 15, 2016 @9:48:23 AM

Hi Captbanjo. That's a big question. The way this tailpiece affects the tone depends largely on setup -and there are so many ways to set this tailpiece. I have my head tension set quite high and therefore to balance out the brightness I installed the Fults higher off the head than usual. That's just following my personal taste. If I wanted to have it brighter, I could either lower the entire tailpiece or just increase the Y axis. But I like the mellow sustain of the Eagle's thicker wood-rim and prefer to let that loose as much as possible. In my communications with Bob Fults and Peter Schwimmer, I explained that I wanted a tailpiece which could retain and improve upon the banjos unique characteristics. Here's part of an email I sent to Mr. Schwimmer:


"I own a Deering Eagle II. I play a variety of styles including Jens Krugger, Steve Martin, Don Reno and Earl Scruggs. Therefore I need versatility. For some music I like my banjo with a lot of sustain and tone color. But I also like to tighten my tailpiece (currently a Deering TrueTone) for added clarity and brightness when playing Scruggs. Overall, the Eagle II is a mellow and versatile banjo with strong mid range and vibrant highs. The highs are not as piercing as on a Deering Sierra and I quite like that.

I wonder what feedback you've received regarding Fults tail pieces on Deering Banjos? The tailpiece I have been considering is the Pro 5, with XYZ mount. Either that or the 34 Parallel. I'm not sure how much difference the weight would make in terms of responsiveness and tone qualities. Is there a general idea?

Mr Fults commented that you like the PRO-5 but perhaps the Lite a bit better. I wasn't actually aware the 1934 Parallel had a Lite version."

Mr. Swimmer replied:

"I think that Bob Fults has stated my preference pretty well, which is that I like the Parallel Lite and the Pro-5 both quite a bit, but maybe giving a slight edge to the Parallel Lite. I like a tailpiece that doesn't darken the sound of my banjo, or reduce the responsiveness. Some may like a darker sounding banjo, or if they already have a very bright sounding banjo, they may want a tailpiece that reduces the highs a bit, in which case the standard weight 1934 or 1934 Parallel might be the tailpiece to select. If you want to be able to hear whatever "presence" there is in your banjo, then the lighter weight tailpieces seem to give you more of that. You can always raise the tailpiece a bit to make the sound a bit warmer (as the bass frequencies will be increased by doing that). Both the Pro-5 and Parallel Lite have a fair amount of sustain, so if you are adverse to that, then a standard weight tailpiece might be better.

If you were thinking about the Pro-5, I think it is a great tailpiece, and if you don't mind the slightly less traditional appearance of the Parallel Lite, then you might like that even better (if just by a little bit).

Anyway, that is a summary of my preferences in regards to the Fults tailpieces. I think you will enjoy the sound of either the Pro-5 or the Parallel Lite."

Mr. Schwimmer's advice was spot on. The 34Parallel Lite improved the unique "presence"of the banjo. In addition, the attack is, as you say, much more rounded. I have it setup in relation to the rest of the banjo for maximum sustain - and I have never heard sustain like this on any other banjo (in person). Interestingly though, the clarity of note separation has also improved. The banjo is less "muddy" at higher tempos, even with all that sustain. The attack really pierces through it all. The highs are even more vibrant and mid range to low range pack so much energy the banjo peg-head vibrates like the bonnet of a car engine. Overall, the tone is sweeter, thicker, more complex (but very well balanced) - and maybe just a little bit more 'in the pot'. It feels like I'm playing the whole banjo. Volume wise, it is about 20% louder.

I will record and post something soon.

SouthCreek Says:
Thursday, September 15, 2016 @9:49:00 AM

Oh and your banjo definitely sounds better with the Fults!

captbanjo Says:
Thursday, September 15, 2016 @10:02:02 AM

You know, it's been quite some time since I listened to those clips and yes, I do think the Fults brings out a richer tone, at least to my ear. More roundness and presence with more immediacy. Wow, trying to write about tone is like dancing about architecture huh?

Schwimmer is a monster player!

For your style, the Fults is perfect I think.

SouthCreek Says:
Thursday, September 15, 2016 @10:07:32 AM

.."roundness and presence with more immediacy" - I think that's well put. Yes, there doesn't seem to be a standard jargon when it comes to writing about tone, past a certain point. This is why posting clips is such a help.

SouthCreek Says:
Friday, September 16, 2016 @12:18:47 AM

Capt banjo,here you go. banjohangout.org/myhangout/med...archived=