I hope to receive a new Prucha Spirit banjo in a few days. I assume it will NOT have the bite of my Osborne Chief, in other words, I don't expect it to have the bluegrass 'penetrating punch' of other Gibson Master'clones' either. I assume it will be more 'rounded' and have a possibly softer, warmer, more balanced tone. I could be wrong of course. My question is: "What bridge change out might make the Prucha to sound more like Gibson Master'clones' ?
Edited by - Texasbanjo on 02/14/2025 04:16:57
I got my Spirit in August. I don't think you can buy a finer banjo, so I'd suggest you not change anything until after you've played it for a while. I'd be surprised if you feel like you need to change anything.
wadr, I’m surprised you would buy a banjo that you think would not sound to your liking.
Duplicate post.
quote:
Originally posted by techmanI hope to receive a new Prucha Spirit banjo in a few days. I assume it will NOT have the bite of my Osborne Chief, in other words, I don't expect it to have the bluegrass 'penetrating punch' of other Gibson Master'clones' either. I assume it will be more 'rounded' and have a possibly softer, warmer, more balanced tone. I could be wrong of course. My question is: "What bridge change out might make the Prucha to sound more like Gibson Master'clones' ?
I have a friend who has owned Prucha for over 10 years and it still packs a punch. I'd say don't be in any rush to modify. If you wanted it to sound like another Gibson Master clone you should have bought one of those instead. I really don't get folks who are never satisfied. The grass is always greener somewhere else.
Well, keep in mind that Prucha was making parts for Gibson, while they were still in business. As for tone it heavily depends, whether you got a mahagony or maple neck (no surprise here)
I had the biggest change in tone when switching to Purcell or Dotson bridges. But that is just my ear and personal taste.
Edited by - pfalzgrass on 02/13/2025 23:43:49
Youll just have to do a bunch of tinkering.Lots of factors affect the sound of most any banjo. The bridge is a HUGE factor, but not the only factor. Everything from the wood the banjo is made from, type of head, head tension ,type of tailpiece, strings, string action,and last but not least, the player himself.
My approach involves adjusting or replacing banjo components to bring out the best voice of a given instrument. Contrary to trying to make the instrument sound like I think it should, my preference is to have the instrument’s voice be what it is meant to be.
I always thought the primary appeal of Gibson Mastertone's (and their clones) was the large variety of tone you can get out of them with various setup tweaks. The question about whether one brand will sound like another never made sense to me, because the whole point is their large range of tonal capability.
If you want your Spirit to sound just like your Chief, set them up with the same bridge, head, and strings, and set the tailpiece and head tension the same.
Prucha has a ton of experience with Pre-war Gibsons. I would reach out to them and see what they say. Congratulations! by the way. I love Pruchas.
Edited by - mud400 on 02/14/2025 09:12:23
The Prucha bridge is a very fine bridge. I would not discard it too quickly…
Isn't Prucha made to Mastertone specs,basically?
steve davis Some models are, some are a bit different. Maybe stanger can throw some light on this matter…
Hello Robert, I agree with everything that has been said regarding not changing anything until you've given it a chance to show you what a Prucha can deliver. But,... to address your initial question: I have a few banjos but not a Prucha ( yet ! ). One of my banjos is a Gibson RB-4, and the walnut has what I believe you called a more "rounded" tone. For years, I performed with a group who was not "hard core" bluegrass and we did a variety of acoustic songs. So, my RB-4 was ideal for blending in a more mellow way. I'm the original owner and bought it in '92.
I love the banjo, and it was my first real banjo, but in recent years, I've performed with what I will call, more true bluegrass groups, and as such, the Gibson didn't have the punch of my Hatfield. My main performing banjo is my Hatfield. A dear friend, and excellent banjo player who has multiple pre-warGibsons, suggested I try an Katz Eye bridge. The difference was astounding; it brightened the RB-4 just enough to my liking, and to cut well for a solo amid the group.
All that beings said, I am a huge fan of my dear friend, Arthur Hatfield, absolutely love his banjos, and love his bridges. I also like Sosebee bridges. But in this one instance of the walnut RB-4, the Katz-eye did precisely what I think you were asking in your original question.
Best of luck and enjoy your new Prucha. I look forward to owning one myself one day.
Cheers, Knight
quote:
Originally posted by techmanWhat bridge change out might make the Prucha to sound more like Gibson Master'clones' ?
For any of the later P models, just about any wood species, EXCEPT WALNUT, and ebony-topped bridge in the 1.8~2.0 gram range will fit the bill for that just fine.
Edited by - Bart Veerman on 02/14/2025 22:48:59
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