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I have had a cheap tenor guitar for just over a year and I am still learning, but it doesn't click with me for many reasons. Sound is one, but also the guitar needs maintenance: neck relief, nut and saddle sanding, experimenting with strings, etc.
I have never had the privilege of touching a tenor banjo. How does maintenance differ compared to a guitar? Learning the instrument is already a chore, having to take care of it can be overwhelming.
Tenor banjos have those same variables: neck relief, nut and bridge adjustments, different string options. On a banjo you can also change out the bridge or head for a different sound.
However I wouldn't consider any of the above regular maintenance on guitar or banjo. That's setup work, and generally once you've got a good setup you can play a guitar or banjo for years before additional adjustments.
One caveat: if the banjo has a hide head, it might need more frequent adjustments due to changes of humidity affecting head tension.
Edited by - A Drum On A Stick on 09/28/2024 14:27:57
quote:
Originally posted by PIzzaPastaMafia I have had a cheap tenor guitar for just over a year and I am still learning . . . . Learning the instrument is already a chore, having to take care of it can be overwhelming.
Even a brand new guitar usually needs a good setup. And as already noted above, once a stringed instrument is set up properly, it shouldn't need much more tweaking unless there's a big change in its environment (primarily humidity and temperature ).
Most guitarists/banjoists are able to handle MINOR adjustments like neck relief or dealing with the action on their own -- IF they know what they're doing and are careful. I'd leave any changes to the nut, frets or saddle to an expert. Deciding what strings you like is a very personal matter that you'd need to figure out on your own anyway, no matter what you end up playing. Fortunately most strings are pretty cheap, so going through half a dozen different kinds of strings (different gauges, rounds, flats or half-rounds, steel, bronze, wound G's, etc.) isn't expensive or difficult.
But cheap instruments are often harder to set up properly, more difficult to adjust, and then may still need more TLC over time. Sometimes you still can't get the action or the intonation to where it needs to be, no matter what you do. I suggest you take your guitar to a good guitar tech, let him look it over and see what he thinks. If he says you're just throwing good money after bad, maybe it's time to throw in the towel on this particular instrument.
As far as changing to a banjo, I'd make that decision based on what sort of music you want to play and what sort of sound you want to produce, rather than how much maintenance one instrument needs versus the other. Good luck to you! SETH
Edited by - sethb on 09/28/2024 16:44:16
quote:
Originally posted by sethbquote:
Originally posted by PIzzaPastaMafia I have had a cheap tenor guitar for just over a year and I am still learning . . . . Learning the instrument is already a chore, having to take care of it can be overwhelming.Even a brand new guitar usually needs a good setup. And as already noted above, once a stringed instrument is set up properly, it shouldn't need much more tweaking unless there's a big change in its environment (primarily humidity and temperature ).Most guitarists/banjoists are able to handle MINOR adjustments like neck relief or dealing with the action on their own -- IF they know what they're doing and are careful. I'd leave any changes to the nut, frets or saddle to an expert. Deciding what strings you like is a very personal matter that you'd need to figure out on your own anyway, no matter what you end up playing. Fortunately most strings are pretty cheap, so going through half a dozen different kinds of strings (different gauges, rounds, flats or half-rounds, steel, bronze, wound G's, etc.) isn't expensive or difficult.But cheap instruments are often harder to set up properly, more difficult to adjust, and then may still need more TLC over time. Sometimes you still can't get the action or the intonation to where it needs to be, no matter what you do. I suggest you take your guitar to a good guitar tech, let him look it over and see what he thinks. If he says that you'd just be throwing good money after bad, maybe it's time to throw in the towel on this particular instrument.As far as changing to a banjo, I'd make that decision based on what sort of music you want to play and what sort of sound you want to produce, rather than how much maintenance one instrument needs versus the other. Good luck to you! SETH
I had one more thought for you. The amount of information needed to be a good guitarist or banjoist is indeed overwhelming, and that's why you're feeling overwhelmed!
But you don't need to know all of this stuff all at once. My suggestion is to take small steps and just do the most important things first. Let someone else set up the guitar for you, and use whatever strings are already on it, or have the guitar tech put a new set of strings on for you, if they're rusty, sounding bad or won't stay in tune. (And watch how he/she changes the strings so you can do it yourself the next time).
Then work on learning some basic chord fingerings at the nut, and practice moving easily and quickly between the chords. If you know C, F and G7, you can play about a thousand songs with just those three "plain vanilla" chords. Playing an instrument is supposed to be FUN, so have some fun with it while you're learning!
Next, gradually add in your minors and seventh chords; now you've got about ten thousand tunes at your disposal. When you have the time and inclination, add in the sixths, ninths and the beautiful augmented/diminished chords. You can also start working your way down the neck with chord inversions that will give you even more variety.
Along the way, you can experiment with different strings and see what you prefer; your fingers will help to tell you the answer. Thicker gauge strings will be louder, more resonant and last longer, but they can be tough on the fingers (more pressure is needed to fret them). Thinner gauge strings are easier on the fingers (less pressure is needed to fret them), but they are softer, more delicate and generally aren't as long-lived.
It would also be worthwhile to get some in-person lessons from a local guitar teacher, if you're not already doing that. This way, you won't acquire any bad habits that you'd just have to unlearn later on. And you'll also probably progress faster with whatever tips and tricks he/she might show you. SETH
Edited by - sethb on 09/29/2024 06:06:36