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| Moderated by: Richard Hefner |
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| Beginner Banjo questions - Beginner Questions - Banjo - Banjo - ezFolk Forums | |||||||||||||||
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lrbleueyzz Approved
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Help!! I have a Fender Banjo that I just purchased and one of my hooks was loose. I took the resonator off and tightened it up. Not knowing what I was doing, I also tightened up all the other hooks. I totally ruined the sound of my banjo! I have since then loosened and loosly tightened all the hooks.The sound is MUCH better, however I now have two humming strings. The third and the fifth string. Before I do anymore damage to my banjo, and not having the money to take it to a Pro, can anyone give me advise on how to fix this myself??? Do I need new strings or is it something I done?
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Philj200 Approved 
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First calm down. Stings humming: do you mean rattling against the fretboard, nut, saddle or bridge... all are fixable without fuss (or too much fuss). None have anything to do with head brackets. If you can be a little more specific, maybe I (or anyone else) can help more. Can I assume that the strings are in good condition and are actually banjo strings? And that you've been tuning to pitch? There are EZFolk memebers in North Carolina. Perhaps one of them will join in.
____________________ My MP3 Section: http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/1143/ My Myspace area: http://myspace.com/philj200 |
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lrbleueyzz Approved
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Hello Phil, Okay,I'm calm. First, the strings are banjo strings. They should be good due to the fact I only bought the banjo two weeks ago. I am using a cromatic tuner that came with the banjo and it says the strings are in tune. (All green lights), however when I pick the 3rd or 5th string it sounds good at first pick then humms or vibrates until it stops or I stop it. Can this be fixed? Thanks!
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Philj200 Approved
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Everything can be fixed. Does the string buzz when plucked unfretted? If not, at what fret does it start to buzz? Four possible culprits: Your nut may be too low. It can be raised or replaced. But not yet. Your bridge may be too low. It can be replaced. Your may have frets that need dressing. Unless you are experienced with this, it is a job (and not all that big a one) for skilled hands. Your neck is set at slightly too high an angle. If this is the culprit, then I bet your string action is terrfiic. If fact, it's too good. The strings are too low. And to a large degree, this is the problem easiest to address (maybe). Depending on the type of banjo, you will have to remove the resonator if your have one. And look for a mechanism inside the pot. It might be a screw that tenses a cam-like wedge or a large turnbuckle on a rod trasversing the entire pot. A gentle turn (with a wrench or screwdriver), no more than 1/8th revolution will either raise or lower the angle of the neck... and therefore the height of the strings. Experiment. Do not use pnumatic equipment (wink). The odds of doing any damage are really minimal. But it can be the cure to your banjo problems. Have fun. Be patient. Last edited on Sat Aug 9th, 2008 02:44 pm by Philj200 ____________________ My MP3 Section: http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/1143/ My Myspace area: http://myspace.com/philj200 |
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lrbleueyzz Approved
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Thank you for all your help phil! And to answer your question, the string is buzzing unfretted.
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Philj200 Approved
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Okay. That's not a worst case scenario. Lay the banjo on a flat surface. A table will do. Get close to the fretboard and watch carefully while the string in plucked. See where it is making contact. If it's just one fret, a little file work can lower the fret. Don't do it yet. Or see if you can raise the entire action (height of the strings over the fretboard) a fraction. This may (should) cure everything. And increase volume a bit too. Tell us about your banjo: make, type, tension rods or wooden bars. Did you buy it during a full moon? Last question not relavant, just seeing if you jumped a bit. Last edited on Mon Aug 11th, 2008 12:21 am by Philj200 ____________________ My MP3 Section: http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/1143/ My Myspace area: http://myspace.com/philj200 |
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banjo brad Super Moderator 
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It is also possible that you didn't get the head retightened to the tension required to get the action as high as it was originally. Check to see if the footprint of the bridge is a little deeper than it was (I know, this may be hard to do). Raising the action, like Phil said, may cure the problem. You can check this easily by inserting a piece of paper or cardstock under the feet of the bridge to raise it. My thought, actually, is that if you tighten the head maybe 2 more 1/8 turns you will still have the sound you like, but the action will be high enough to end the buzz.
____________________ ezFolk Help Brad Prickly Pear Music Banjo Brad's ezFolk page TOTMC |
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Philj200 Approved
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Tigthening the head will raise the bridge. But you didn't say if you have a plastic or natural hide head on your banjo. Plastic can take a lot more pressure than natural hide. I've split a few natural hides, so I suggest you get advice on this or really take baby steps... or turns. If the bridge makes little or indentations on the skin, it is probably tight enough. But Brad's suggestion is totally valid. I disagree on the paper or wood shim as a long term solution. Either can interfere with tone, volume and can introduction buzzes of their own. A shim ... if it works... will point out where a more permanent solution is needed. Last edited on Mon Aug 11th, 2008 02:42 am by Philj200 ____________________ My MP3 Section: http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/1143/ My Myspace area: http://myspace.com/philj200 |
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lrbleueyzz Approved
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Thank you all for the great advise! First, I just bought a $300 fender banjo to learn on. I don't know the type because I burned the box and it's not on the banjo! It does have a plastic head and it has a rod inside attached to the arm.To raise or lower the action, do I loosen the nut at the arm end of the rod and then turn slowly the round thing one way or the other to raise or lower the action? And I'm afraid if "I" tighten the head I will bust it not knowing how tight to go with it. Do you tighten the brackets up in a circular motion or do you alternate which one you tighten until you tighten them all?
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Will Approved 
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When tightening the banjo head, turn the wrench about 1/4 of a turn until all of the brackets have been turned. Then, tap the drum head with your fingertip to gauge how tight it is. If the drum head is very slack, the drum head will sound like a dull thud. Repeat the tightening process as necessary. If all of these fixes still don't solve your buzzing string problem (or there is still only one buzzing string left), the problem might be the resonance frequency of your banjo (a natural frequency that over-accentuates the vibration of one of your strings). I had that problem before with one of my banjos, and I solved it by replacing the offending plain (G) string with a slightly thicker gauge wound string, tuned up to G. It is not as expensive as you may think to get your banjo set up professionally. I paid the local music shop owner about $15 to set mine up. Last edited on Mon Aug 11th, 2008 02:31 pm by Will ____________________ Will http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/ Loose Change & Friends http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/ http://loosechangeandfriends.com The Earth Tones http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/337/ A Bunch Of Coconuts http://abunchofcoconuts.com |
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Philj200 Approved
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Fender makes a decent banjo. You can be satisfied with it for a very long time. This is in no way a poor instrument. You may never need another.
____________________ My MP3 Section: http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/1143/ My Myspace area: http://myspace.com/philj200 |
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lrbleueyzz Approved
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Thanks Phil & Will. I did tighten my head (alot) compared to what it was, and to my surprise, it sounds like a banjo! It made a tremendous difference. The strings don't buzz anymore. Thank you for all your help.The Fender might be a decent banjo, however, I'm waiting on my uncle to send a Gold Edition Earl Scruggs banjo to my step-mother. Maybe it will make a difference in everything when I attempt to play!
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Will Approved
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If indeed your rich uncle had an Earl Scruggs Gibson Mastertone (or something comparable) to bequeath to you, be prepared to invest in a good, strong, padded leather strap, because you would be playing an instrument that weighs about 12 pounds.  (The more expensive banjos have solid metal tone rings which are very heavy.)Last edited on Tue Aug 12th, 2008 08:21 pm by Will ____________________ Will http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/ Loose Change & Friends http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/ http://loosechangeandfriends.com The Earth Tones http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/337/ A Bunch Of Coconuts http://abunchofcoconuts.com |
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Philj200 Approved
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And ask your uncle to adopt me.
____________________ My MP3 Section: http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/1143/ My Myspace area: http://myspace.com/philj200 |
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| ezFolk Forums > Banjo > Beginner Questions - Banjo > Beginner Banjo questions | |
