Hey there, I just got a new project I'm setting up, it's a Bacon Peerless manjo that's had its head replaced with, what looks like a old fiberskin with the wrong crown, the tension hoop sets up 1/8 to 1/4".
It's a good head and sounds great, don't really want to change it if possible, so I have a weak break angle. My question is if y'all know of a tensionable tailpiece for a manjo?
Thanks, Glenn
Manjo? is that a typo??
It's a contraction of mandolin banjo. I don't know of any new 8 string banjo tailpieces being made at all, but I don't know much anymore. Maybe you could use a 4 string tailpiece and double up the strings, if there was enough room for two of them in each spot.
banjolin? tensonable?
quote:
Originally posted by Zachary HoytIt's a contraction of mandolin banjo. I don't know of any new 8 string banjo tailpieces being made at all, but I don't know much anymore. Maybe you could use a 4 string tailpiece and double up the strings, if there was enough room for two of them in each spot.
Yeah, I looked around the web and saw none, I will probably have to modify a Presto or change the head, I really prefer a skin head on the old ones anyway. It's not too bad right now, I'm close, I reset the neck and shaved a bit off the bridge feet so it's around 3/8", the strings stay in the slots fine though, just seem like a little more angle would be better.
Edited by - Wildeman on 07/08/2026 07:35:20
Boy, everything I see would look terrible, I'm leaning towards a new head.
I don't think I've ever seen a tension tailpiece of any sort that would fit that at all, much less look right.
What's on there is functionally about as good as you're going to find, unless you're a creative machinist who can design and make one from scratch.
One vote here for a new (real hide) head.
FYI: Smakula sells custom-sized square brass flesh hoops.
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