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Hello all, i’m fairly new to banjo, but just got a mountain banjo online. The sellers description says “Banjo bridge that came with this when I bought it is not suited for nylon strings. I never got around to getting a correct bridge for it.” After looking into it more i found some through here on banjo thimbles website. Being novice really don’t understand the hardware part and don’t really know what i’m looking for. On the website it gives some options, sizing for 5/8 and a 1/2 inch. What should i be looking for? Can i file down the bridge it already comes with? Any help is appreciated!
Bridges are easily replaceable and not very expensive. The ones on banjothimble.com are my favorites for nylon strings.
Modern banjos tend to be built for 5/8" tall bridges. Without seeing your banjo, I'd start there. For clawhammer, I would want the wider string spacing of his "Joe Morley" bridge.
Yes, you can file down just about any bridge and/or re-notch for nylon. Just takes a bit of patience...I've done it with a pocket knife.
A key issue is weight. And Joel Hooks' bridges (at banjothimble) will get you in the right ballpark. Height and string spacing depend on the particular instrument and the particular player. As you play more, you'll get some ideas of what you might want to try. Making your own is easy once you have an idea of a starting point.
Nylon strings on a bridge made for steel will be relatively quiet (already an issue with a mountain banjo) and give more sustain than banjo music generally wants. Put another way, the hoped-for punch will be missing. A lighter bridge will let the sound of the string come out quicker and louder.
I recently restrung a new-to-me fretless openback banjo from steel to nylon (specifically the LaBella 17s). So far I haven't changed anything about the bridge or nut. No problems with the nylon strings coming unseated. Plenty of volume and plunk and character.
I'll tinker with the bridge at some point, just because. Otherwise I'm enjoying the banjo a lot just as it is now.
Point being, give your mountain banjo a try with nylon strings just as it is now. You may like it!
So much depends upon the sound you are after, bright, loud and snappy – a light bridge, perhaps no ebony top, just wood . Or more mellow, backing singing, a heavier bridge such as Sampson. I prefer the curved, compensating bridges (Moon bridges). Height depends upon the banjo and your playing preferences, ditto spacing of the notches. To widen notches/slots I have just used a folded sand paper which worked fine. Depending on the banjo slots and strings sometimes you don't have to do anything. Good luck! banjered
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