Hello all,
I've got a quick question for all my fellow pre war owners that have a tenor conversion. A few months ago, I purchased a TB-11 conversion with a no-name neck on it. The neck appears to be well made, but it was NOT originally made for my banjo. I have run into the issue of the 1st D string hitting the edge of the tenor tension hoop when I fret it up the neck. If I do not fret the string perfectly straight down, and accidentally bend the string VERY slightly, it hits the edge of the tension hoop neck slot and mutes the string. The tension hoop is lined up with the flange so that the hooks are straight, if I try to rotate the hoop in order to give the string more space I'm afraid that will cause other issues. My question is, have you all found ways to avert this issue or do most people end up getting a replacement 5-string tension hoop? I am also aware that the neck on the banjo might be part of the problem and I might have to have a neck specifically made for my pot, which I'd hate to do because it would be pricey. I can post a picture if that would help some folks see what I'm dealing with.
Thanks in advance.
You can move the bridge "sideways" by hand pressure to move the 1st string away from the edge of the notch in the tension hoop.
Do you by chance have a Crowe spacing bridge (wider spacing than usual)? If so put a normal spacing bridge on.
Another thing you could try is buying a high crown head so you can crank the tension hoop down low enough to get well under the 1st string. Just watch out the bottom of the tension hoop doesn't fetch up on the bottom of the heel cut.
It's possible your neck might not be perfectly straight on the pot, depending how how well the heel fits. The neck might be "canted" to the 1st string side. If so, you can tilt it back toward square, plumb and centered with very thin hardwood shims between the neck heel and pot.
Likewise, your tailpiece might be canted a bit, or even off-center between its neighboring tension hooks. Tailpieces are movable, at least a little. Even if it looks centered, try moving it toward the 5th string side with hand pressure.
Lots of cheap things to try before you go to the expense of a new neck.
Multiple pictures will answer a lot of questions and help avoid many guesses. Hopefully you can post them here.
I have a Kel Kroydon KK10 which was the precursor to the Style 11. I had a neck made for it by the late Robin Smith and while I had the original tension hoop on there, I never noticed your problem.
The hoop was a little tulipped so I replaced it with a Kasuga pot metal hoop.
Here is a photo of the relation of the neck height to the tension hoop. Maybe that will help
banjohangout.org/forum/attachm...ID=293791
Edited by - bluenote23 on 01/29/2023 12:16:50
All, thank you very much for the replies and suggestions. Right after I got done posting this, I was looking at my banjo and noticed that the flange was not centered on the pot and the neck was not centered in the neck gap of the flange. The flange was rotated slightly counter-clockwise from where it needed to be. I took the tension off the head, rotated the flange a bit clockwise, lined the tension hoop back up with the flange holes, reset the head, and my problem is solved. I should have noticed this before but I'm glad it was an easy fix.
Thanks again for the advice!
quote:
Originally posted by BanjoGilAll, thank you very much for the replies and suggestions. Right after I got done posting this, I was looking at my banjo and noticed that the flange was not centered on the pot and the neck was not centered in the neck gap of the flange. The flange was rotated slightly counter-clockwise from where it needed to be. I took the tension off the head, rotated the flange a bit clockwise, lined the tension hoop back up with the flange holes, reset the head, and my problem is solved. I should have noticed this before but I'm glad it was an easy fix.
Thanks again for the advice!
A teachable moment....
Good eye.
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