Hey guys, I am tinkering around with this banjo that I'm borrowing from a friend and it's fretting out on just the 18th and 19th frets, and only on the 1st string. What's the easiest troubleshooting path for this?
What do you mean by “fretting out?”
quote:
Originally posted by Joel HooksWhat do you mean by “fretting out?”
What Joel asks.
I'm going to guess that, when pressing the 18th fret, the 19th stops the note, yes? If not, please explain.
Otherwise, this is easy to address. If the head is loose, tighten—many threads on this.
Since one fret and one string, check with a straight edge to see if the 19th is tall. Now look for a gap under the wire. If so, put a block of wood over the crown and tap with a hammer. If that doesn't hold and the tang lifts back up, a tiny drop of superglue will do the trick but clamp the fret down. A Shubb capo over a piece of wood will be enough. Mask off the area with painter's tape and use a razor blade to scrape away any excess glue from the fretboard.
If there's no gap and the head is tight, the fret end should be dressed and re-crowned with a file.
Edited by - mikehalloran on 01/23/2021 08:42:57
If the tension hoop is sitting high under the first string, it may be interfering with notes fretted at the 18th and 19th frets.
Fret one of those notes and make sure that the string is clearing the tension hoop. Since we don't know what kind of banjo you have, it is difficult to give you the best solution for that problem. The head could be a little loose, or the bridge could be a little low, or the neck could be slightly loose, or need to be turned slightly or raised slightly to put it in its correct position.
Another possible cause may be that one or more of the frets past 19 may be sitting high.
Thanks for the help guys. It's a top tension and of course I don't have anything that fits the bolts on it, so I'm waiting on that to come in the mail. I'll see if tightening the head helps before I start messing with everything else.
Because this is a borrowed banjo, I would only address the head tension. If that doesn't work, I think it would be best to let the owner worry about it. In any case, make sure you tell him or her of the problem and get permission before you do too much.
I still don't know what you mean by "fretting out". I never heard that term before.
Any old fashioned clock key will work on a Gibson top tension.
Dave, Joel, and Mike: "fretting out" is a term that is fairly common in the guitar world that refers to getting a false, unclear, or noisy note at one or more frets.
Edited by - rcc56 on 01/23/2021 15:37:45
Thanks Bob.
Yes, as Bob stated, I just mean when I put pressure at the fret, I do not get a defined note. Sorry, I have heard that term my whole life and though it was a pretty common descriptor.
quote:
Originally posted by reely989Yes, as Bob stated, I just mean when I put pressure at the fret, I do not get a defined note. Sorry, I have heard that term my whole life and though it was a pretty common descriptor.
If that's all, it's possible that a 1/8" turn on each ot the lugs will clear it up.
After closer inspection, I think the frets are starting to pull up, so I'll not mess with that unless I decide to buy it. It could use a good set up and some frets anyway I'm sure.
