I just upgraded my main banjo to a Nechville Archtop. I love the sound, the playability, and basically everything about the actual *banjo* itself. However, I’m having one huge issue: there appears to be no effective place to attach a tuner to the instrument.
Has anyone found an effective setup to attach a clip on Tuner to their Nechville?
I’ve been using D’Addario micro tuners for several years now and really enjoy them. I feel that they are accurate, convenient, and discreet, all of which I value. In particular, being able to keep the Tuner on while in the case has been very nice. Ideally, I’d like to find a way to attach these tuners.
On the hangout, there exists an older thread where someone commented that a Snark Tuner would fit on the headstock. However, I’ve used Snark tuners before and not been pleased with their tuning accuracy, look, nor the requirement that they must be taken off the banjo to put the instrument in its case.
For my current setup, I’ve tried both the Microtuner with the Clip on and the Pot Mount attachment, and neither works effectively.
I was able to Jerry-rig (broke one side, cut it, taped it to allow for bendability) a Microtuner to slot into the spaces on the Heli-Mount, but the tuner slides around and looks like it would scratch the banjo if left on for an extended period of time. This is currently my best workaround, but there has to be a better solution out there somewhere.
Any suggestions?
I’ve used a Peterson StroboClip on a Nechville headstock. You gotta really squeeze it on, though.
There is a 3d printed bracket out there that allows you to mount a Snark to the pot. Is that something you are interested in?
quote:
Originally posted by mud400There is a 3d printed bracket out there that allows you to mount a Snark to the pot. Is that something you are interested in?
Could be. I don't have a 3D printer, but could possibly figure something out. Where is there more info?
It is here:
Nechville bracket
I printed up a couple. Let me see if I still have them. I could send you one.
I don’t understand why Tom Nechville hasn’t started producing a Snark tuner adapter to fit a Nechville banjo. He could sell a lot of them or provide them free of charge to Nechville owners. They would only cost pennies to manufacture probably.
Wouldn't the D'Addario Micro Banjo Tuner be a viable solution?
If you're so inclined making* a bracket from HDPE is doable.
* none of this new-fangled stuff like 3D printing ... I'm talking saw, file, JB Weld, etc. 
I found three of the extra brackets I have from printing mine.
If anyone wants one for free, go ahead and send me a DM.
I wasn't planning on printing more. But I might.
Edited by - mud400 on 01/07/2025 08:57:11
From your description I have no idea why the microtuner clip attachment won't work, but just in case it helps, here's a modification of the banjo attachment microtuner that might work for you (or others) on a Nechville Meteor. Assuming the photo attachment works, you may be able to see that I shortened the mount and put a hole through it that the (new, longer) screw holding the tuner in place passes through.
quote:
Originally posted by aaronobleFrom your description I have no idea why the microtuner clip attachment won't work
To clarify my confusion... Here's a microtuner clipped to a Nechville headstock
Looks like it should work
Hi Isaac, Congrats on the new Nechville banjo! I have the same tuner mounted in the same place on my banjo, and I've figured out some things to make it work better. I don't know if these will work for you, but I'll pass along these tips in case they might be helpful.
Both this D'Addario and my Snark tuners have wide leeway of pitch that they will indicate as in tune. If I just tune the open strings, I'll often find that the instrument sounds out of tune when I start playing it. I found better results by tuning each string open until the tuner says it's good, then tuning the same string on the 5th fret. This usually requires some micro-adjustments before the tuner indicates that both the open string and the 5th fret on the same string are in tune with their respective pitches. This double-check approach works well on my banjos and guitars.
I've noticed that the D'Addario tuner is kinda stubborn about displaying the previously tuned pitch. When I start to tune a new pitch, it keeps displaying the previous one. I found that if I keep playing the new note, eventually the tuner screen will go blank for a second then start showing the new pitch. I think this might have something to do with how the tuner was programmed, perhaps buffering the pitch inputs so the tuner won't seem too fickle.
I've also found that the D'Addario tuner sometimes struggles to detect the pitch if I have a capo on. I suspect that the vibrations aren't strong enough to get past the capo and the tuner's pitch buffering. However, if I keep playing a pitch, eventually it will respond (usually). I think this is probably due to how the tuner was programmed rather than a problem with the banjo.
It may seem like I'm saying the D'Addario has lots of problems, but I'm satisfied with it once I figured out these things to make it work for me.
Hope this helps.
All,
Wanted to come back to this thread. I missed some replies (didn't get an email notification!) So I apologize for the late response.
For those that commented about the MicroTuner, I could not get the clip to fit on the headstock of the banjo AND face me at the same time. There was a couple of positions that the MicroTuner would be able to clip on....and face away from me towards the ground. Not helpful.
My headstock is not the traditional kind, but like the kind shown in Aaronoble's post about the meteor Nechville. There's limited space on this headstock. On the traditional headstock (like on my other banjo and the kind seen in Aaronnoble's other post) a microtuner fits fine.
I'm uploading pictures for those curious. In the pictures with a microtuner, the tuner will not clip on to the headstock consistently nor will stay flush with the instrument. I had to hold the banjo and take a picture quickly so they did not fall off-maybe this is on me for not finding the right angle/position or for having a worn-out microtuner clip.
The pot attachment, for the record, simply will not fit without breaking or adjusting it. If I had a 3D printer, I could print a bracket, but alas.
I ended up getting a Peterson Strobe Tuner. It's been more precise than my old MicroTuner, which is also a benefit. I was able to clip it on between the 2nd and 3rd tuning machines. Picture attached. I don't love the size, but it's very accurate and stays on the headstock well.
Pictures attached. Note the space between the microtuner and the actual wood of the headstock. None of these microtuner positions would work. Tried other positions, but no success.
Edited by - isaacmccarthy on 01/20/2025 06:00:02
