I have an old Stewart banjo. The tailpiece is JUST a bar. Someone had strung it before I obtained it (steel strings) and it looked like they just looped the loop around the bar and fed the string toward the bridge. Simple enough...
When I try the same thing, as I get the strings close to proper playing tension- they SNAP! It appears the tension between the loop and the main string is too much and the string breaks.
Any advice? Tricks. I cannot figure out how to totally avoid that unwanted tension, while still keeping the string feeding toward the bridge from the underside of the tailpiece.
And while I'm here... I have been told these old Stewarts were strung with gut strings. Would I have this same issue if I put gut strings on it?
Stewart banjos should only be strung with light gut or nylon strings. Simply tie them on with a knot.
John-
I appreciate your answer, and have been considering that option. But in the mean time... I am looking at steel strings on this banjo, and have played it with steel strings. So someone has managed to make steel strings with loop-ends work
Perhaps you could trade or sell it to this guy, then buy a banjo made for steel strings?
banjohangout.org/topic/410422
Long before there was an internet, I had a worn out SS Stewart that I made flush fret and played it with nylon and steel strings. I used lighter so I could tune up and not put too much stress on the neck. The fingerboard was badly gouged out from playing and even the overspun pot had a bad pock mark from a blow it received along the way The banjo worked fine and it did have a no knot tailpiece as the original was not functional.
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