Nice banjo! It's been a while since I've used that type of tailpiece, but if you're fairly mechanical, it should be apparent once you start the re-stringing process. Someone will hopefully chime in!

Welcome to BHO! I hope that playing banjo brings you the joy that it brings me and the rest of us!

quote:

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Originally posted by smithn00

I want to install new strings to start with.
I don't see how to open the tailpiece.

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Hi Ned, Welcome to the hangout.

That type of tailpiece does not open.  The strings slide thru the holes and the loops hook in.  Do one string at a time.

Undo the strings from the tuner and pull the string backwards out of the tailpiece, or loosen the strings enough to get the loop off the hook of the tailpiece and you can probably pull the loop through.

I highly suggest for now that you change one string at a time.

The bridge (the wooden piece holding up the strings on the round drum head) is only held on by the downward pressure of the strings and it needs to be in a specific spot on the head. If you take all the strings off you will need to deal with having to reorientate it (which is easy, and a skill you'll need to learn sooner rather than later). I realize that in current condition you don't know if it is correct but for now its one less thing.

But if you plan on playing the banjo and you have a measuring tape and pencil you'll want to watch a youtube video and perform the proper bridge placement either right before or right after you change the strings. Once you get the right spot, trace the outer edges of its feet with a pencil so that you have a reference until you get more accustomed to doing it.

Welcome to the Hangout. And to banjo.

To the excellent instructions above I'd add:

It can sometimes be difficult to feed a string through the hole after putting the loop on the hook, or hooking the loop after feeding the string through. In those cases it can help if you pre- bend the loop. (Look at how the strings are installed and see rhe loops are going to bend once the strings are tightened.) If you can't do it by hand alone, needle nose or jewelers pliers are good tools for this.

Good luck.

Got it.
Thanks everyone.
Can anyone tell me the complete name of this instrument?

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Originally posted by smithn00

Can anyone tell me the complete name of this instrument?  SB4720 is as good an answer as any...

note:  There have been a lot of these entry level aluminum rim banjos made with various names and slightly different specs; records are spotty and the exact model specs shifted with the weather.

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https://www.guitar-list.com/aria-pro-ii/banjos/aria-sb4720

Word of experience. If you don't want to have a mental breakdown while stringing this tailpiece, use ball end strings. GHS and D'Addario both make sets with ball ends. Trying to string this one with loop end strings will make a preacher swear. I like the tailpieces and have them on several banjos. Here are a couple of pictures of the tailpieces and my RB150 strung with ball end strings.

quote:

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Originally posted by smithn00

Can anyone tell me the complete name of this instrument?

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Aria 5-string resonator banjo?

One of the most beneficial things seasoned pickers taught me as a young kid helps when stringing. If you can’t bend the string loop by hand, use small pliers, and put a step or bend right before the string loop where the wire is twisted and fastened on itself and used to be always chenille covered. A small bend before the loop is ESSENTIAL to restring Bigsby equipped guitars, and can be beneficial if you have an aggravating tailpiece youre working with.

Additionally, a small bend exerted onto last 1/2” or so of tip of fresh string helps make the string less squirmy and easy to string, you have something to grab onto to pull from under front ledge of a tailpiece.
Otherwise, left flat on tip, the string wants to go through tailpiece, squirm, and try to exit behind your bridge. And the flat string tip is impossible for fingertips to grab easy off a grainy frosted head.

I do not like that tailpiece design at all. I'd recommend replacing it with something easier to string-- Amazon sells imitation 'Presto', 'Price Straightline' (easiest IMO), and 'clamshell' style TP's for $10-$12 apiece.

Or, you could try drilling 5 holes in it, like I did on this one:

That is a pretty old tailpiece, though, so it's probably made of thicker metal than yours, which may or may not tolerate the twist those strings put on the edge.  And, FYI, that is the end of my armrest over the tailpiece. 

quote:

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Originally posted by Dan Gellert

I do not like that tailpiece design at all. I'd recommend replacing it with something easier to string-- Amazon sells imitation 'Presto', 'Price Straightline' (easiest IMO), and 'clamshell' style TP's for $10-$12 apiece.

Or, you could try drilling 5 holes in it, like I did on this one:

That is a pretty old tailpiece, though, so it's probably made of thicker metal than yours, which may or may not tolerate the twist those strings put on the edge.  And, FYI, that is the end of my armrest over the tailpiece. 

 

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Nice job Dan, 

I like how you notched the 1st and 5th. 

If they had initially stamped them this way and used brass, we'd be using these instead of Prestos.  

I’m with Dan. Buy another tail piece . Trying to string it with that tail piece will make you want to stop playing the banjo before you start.

I have a Morgan Monroe with a tailpiece similar to Ned's.   I change strings infrequently, but I use loop end strings, and in addition to the tips ^^, I use a bit of masking tape to hold the loop onto the peg (?) until tension takes over.  It's a fairly straightforward [uneventful?] procedure ... what am I missing??

P.S. Ned are you changing the strings "on principle"?  .... or you can hear that they're worn out?  .... or?   

On principle.

Here are some of the tailpieces recommended above by Dan (with whom I agree).

Old style Waverly. $8.28.
If you get this, please know that the strings come over the back corner, lay on the top side, dip under the prongs, then emerge from under the leading edge. Many Asian banjos with this tailpiece leave the factory incorrectly strung. This tailpiece sits on your banjo's tension hoop the same as your current one. It has adjustable down angle so you can fine-tune the pressure it applies, which (if you can hear it) adjusts the tone.

Presto style tailpiece. $9.99.
High-end banjos use this style of tailpiece. Usually a better made version, such as from Prucha. Though other than metal (brass vs steel?), thickness or plating, I'm not sure what makes one Presto inherently better than another. Add that to what I need to learn. Anyway, I'd expect this low-priced version to be perfectly suitable for your entry-level Aria. Note that this is a "floating" tailpiece. It doesn't have a base or feet for sitting on the tension hoop. It simply presses against the back side of the hoop. It's held in place by the opposing forces of the forward pull of the strings and the downward pull of the anchor screw. This means it flops around during installation and string changes until you have at least some of the strings up to tension.

Low-cost version of the Price Straightline.  $12.99
Heavy, which I think contributes to tone and stability. But maybe more than this banjo needs or can benefit from. Another floater.

Clamshell tailpiece. $10.59.
Another one that sits on the tension hoop. Like the Waverly, it has adjustable down angle, which is a nice feature, since you can't raise or lower the position of the tailpiece itself. Gibson Mastertones of the 1970s came with this style of tailpiece.

On your banjo, I'd go with a Waverly for its adjustability and slight increase in mass or the Presto for its simplicity but potentialy better downward pressure on the strings.