I've recently acquired a 1980 Ode banjo and love it. Except the tail piece, although pretty, is a nightmare to deal with when restringing.
I've only changed the strings once but it took me an hour and I wasn't even able to do my usual "locking" method at the tuners because the strings continually come loose from the tail piece.
It's all original and in amazing shape so part of me hopes there's not a good replacement but if there is id certainly replace the original...unfortunately. It's that annoying to me personally.
Maybe just talk me off the cliff if it's a bad idea.
What kind of tailpiece do you have now? Show us a photo.
get a capo. Install one string and pull it taunt at the peghead. Use the capo to hold the string in place while you thread it thru the tuner. Remove capo and repeat. You'll improve at restringing, since you've only been playing for year.
Edited by - deestexas on 06/01/2023 16:12:56
You are correct, the Ode tailpieces are the worst!!! I have a beautiful D and have kept the original because it looks so good, but I dread every time I have to change strings If I had a C i would change to probably a Kershner Banjo Bens General store has them for around $45.
Second what Lloyd said: Kerschner.
From photos it looks to me that a Kershner would be closest in mass to the original Ode.
But I also agree with Deestexas that maybe try a capo to hold strings.
I always use a capo to re-string. It is that extra hand you need when re-stringing. I figured it out to use a capo before reading about it here at BHO – "necessity is the mother of invention" (know you know what that phrase is all about!). banjered
quote:
Originally posted by FooteYou are correct, the Ode tailpieces are the worst!!! I have a beautiful D and have kept the original because it looks so good, but I dread every time I have to change strings If I had a C i would change to probably a Kershner Banjo Bens General store has them for around $45.
No. The Kluson/Elton adjustable tailpiece was the absolute worst. Although the originals haven't been made since the early 1970s, repros are still being used on some inexpensive Asian banjos.
I like the ODE tailpiece and have no problem with it if I use a pencil to open the loop on the string a little first.
Keep in mind that I have only one working arm and hand. I've been laying my dead arm over the fretboard to hold strings in place but the capo trick is good, too, I should try it.
Edited by - mikehalloran on 06/01/2023 20:29:45
ODE tailpieces - I feel your pain. I long ago gave up on hooking the 3rd string to the middle tine, I share it with the B string. I don't blame you for wanting to swap out the tailpiece, but the originals are sand cast and have that 60's mojo that I can't quite part with.
quote:
Originally posted by deestexasget a capo. Install one string and pull it taunt at the peghead. Use the capo to hold the string in place while you thread it thru the tuner. Remove capo and repeat. You'll improve at restringing, since you've only been playing for year.
Wow what a simple and amazing solution lol. I'd prefer to keep it original so I'll certainly be giving this a try next time I restring. Thanks.
quote:
Originally posted by FooteYou are correct, the Ode tailpieces are the worst!!! I have a beautiful D and have kept the original because it looks so good, but I dread every time I have to change strings If I had a C i would change to probably a Kershner Banjo Bens General store has them for around $45.
Thank you Lloyd
You`re welcome. I`m usually in favor of keeping banjos stock, but in this case, I make an exception. Also the Kershner won`t be that noticeable a change both in looks and sound. Enjoy, they are great banjos. The first bg band I was in back in 1963, the banjo player played an Ode and I`ve loved them ever since.
I second what Mike Halloran said:
"I like the ODE tailpiece and have no problem with it if I use a pencil to open the loop on the string a little first."
In addition to that I kink the loop end of the middle G-string sideways a little bit to get it around the middle screw. I bend the loop almost 45 degrees, hold up the string with one hand and run it through the tuning peg with the other hand. Works for me.
Besides using a pencil to open the loop, and a capo for re-stringing, when I bend the loop end to bend over the tailpiece top, I make sure the bend occurs at the loop because if you bend it a fraction higher up where the strings wrap around one another it makes the string vulnerable to breaking at the bend. I think the double wrap makes the string a bit more brittle. banjered
quote:
Originally posted by FooteYou are correct, the Ode tailpieces are the worst!!! I have a beautiful D and have kept the original because it looks so good, but I dread every time I have to change strings If I had a C i would change to probably a Kershner Banjo Bens General store has them for around $45.
When I got my Baldwin Ode 'D' in the 70's here new, I had the opportunity to talk with the Baldwin rep in the music shop I bought the banjo from. I told him I thought the design of the TP was the worst I had seen. He said it was designed by top players. Fast forward to the 80's where I worked in a place that had a metal lathe. One of my co-workers had experience in metal lathe work. I asked him to make up some small brass posts and install them on the TP. It worked a treat.
I got a Baldwin/ODE Style C about a month ago. It had a Kershner style tailpiece. Nice and heavy,with no manufacturer marks on it. The banjo sounds nice, but it didn't look like the tailpiece was attached properly. It had a long hanger screw that was slanted down to the flange. So, I custom bent a tension hook and I had to use a nut and washer on the underside for a spacer. Sounds the same and I am happier with the appearance. That being said I would like it to be original hardware. Just made an offer on an ODE.
If you're going to change to a Kershner-style tailpiece, I suggest the "re-designed" Kershner by Prucha, which is available through Greg Boyd's shop.
It adds "a string slot" for the 3rd string, which the original style Kershner lacks (and which makes it A PAIN to get the string through!)...
quote:
Originally posted by PickinUhBanjerquote:
Originally posted by deestexasget a capo. Install one string and pull it taunt at the peghead. Use the capo to hold the string in place while you thread it thru the tuner. Remove capo and repeat. You'll improve at restringing, since you've only been playing for year.
Wow what a simple and amazing solution lol. I'd prefer to keep it original so I'll certainly be giving this a try next time I restring. Thanks.
If you want to swap the original for a Kershner, PM me. I keep them in stock. If the plating on the ODE is decent to good, I'd be up for an even swap. There's always a market for the originals.
Edited by - mikehalloran on 06/29/2023 23:01:43
Newest Posts
