I recently set my action to about .08" and haven't heard any buzzing and I like the feel of it. I play mostly Scuggs style on a resonator banjo.
I'm curious about the action that players like Bela and Alison might use. I can't find any information.
"haven't heard any buzzing and I like the feel of it"
That's the goal! A lot depends on how the player strikes the strings. You know what works for you.
If you mean .080 inches from the top of the 12th fret to the bottom of the strings, this is on the low side for many players -- but that's not wrong. "Masters of the 5-String Banjo" list the preferred string heights of many well-known professional players, and it seems the typical height is somewhere around 1/8", or .125".
I have small cnc and plenty of maple and ebony. I'm considering making a pile of them in all configurations including curved. Just for the fun of it.
Since you can make your own bridges for experimenting, here is something to try that I've found useful:
Make one a little higher than your existing, but not so much that it feels "high". Maybe go from .080 to .095", about 1/64" higher.
Here is why: If the string height is just barely too low, the player won't hear an actual buzz or rattle. However the string will be slightly brushing the top of the frets when picked. The dampening won't be obvious.
But when the string height is raised a tiny bit, the dampening goes away, and the change to more clarity of tone is audible, that is, the difference is audible.
If no difference is heard, then all is fine at .080.
quote:
Originally posted by banjopicksI'm curious about the action that players like Bela and Alison might use. I can't find any information.
Then you probably don't own a copy of Masters of the Five String Banjo.
According to the table of facts and figures on over 60 top players (as of 1988) Bela Fleck's action at the 12th fret was 5/32 of an inch and Alison Brown's was 3/16. Both of these are high by my preferences. I don't even like that high at 22 (where I measure) which means lower at 12.
The summarized results for all the players included in the table show that the participating pros lean toward higher action, as measured at the 12th fret:
Height Number
under 1/8" 12
exactly 1/8 11
just over 1/8 11
9/64 - 5/32 12
3/16 +/- a shade 16
7/32 - 1/4 3
Those reporting very low actions in Masters included Bobby Thompson, Vic Jordan, Fred Sokolow, Lynn Morris, Vincent Sadovsky, and Pat Cloud at 3/32-inch. Two or three reported just under 1/8. Don Reno said "real low." I didn't count 12 at under 1/8 as in the summarized results. I could have have missed some.
But as I said in your other current discussion on action, your height of .08, which is between 1/16-in (.0625) and 3/32 (.09375,) is lower than almost anyone uses. It appears to be lower than professionals play -- though who knows what Don Reno meant by "real low."
I like 3/32 at 22nd fret, and at least one of my banjos produces that with neutral rods and a 5/8-inch bridge, but over the years I've gravitated to 1/8-in or 1/64 below that.
I prefer measuring at the 22nd fret because that tells me the highest action anywhere.
quote:
Originally posted by banjopicksI have small cnc and plenty of maple and ebony. I'm considering making a pile of them in all configurations including curved. Just for the fun of it.
Then you owe it to yourself to listen to the Silvio Ferretti episode of the Picky Fingers Banjo Podcast.
"This episode features Silvio Ferretti, the longtime banjo player for Italian bluegrass band Red Wine. Silvio is also one of the world’s top makers of banjo bridges with his Scorpion line of products. Silvio discusses how he came to find the banjo and bluegrass while growing up in Italy, and takes us through a fascinating deep dive into the world of bridge construction, including tips he learned from the great Snuffy Smith."
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