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| Moderated by: Tony Provencher, Richard Hefner |
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| Tone woods | Rate Topic |
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| Posted: Mon May 10th, 2004 11:53 pm |
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1st Post |
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Windhorse Approved
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Lots and lots of information (and opinions) out there on tone woods. It is quite subjective. So, what do you consider to be the best and why for both neck and fingerboard? Remember this is for clawhammer sound, not bluegrass sound!
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| Posted: Wed May 12th, 2004 04:26 pm |
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2nd Post |
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uncburr Approved 
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Excellent question Windhorse. I'll be the first to tell you that I don't know jack about tone woods----not to mention any other things you can do to give your banjer that plunky old time sound. Are there any easy small changes you can make to your banjo that can help with getting that tone? Bridge, tailpiece, strings, etc? I know most "traditional" open backs have a "no-knot" tailpiece----but does that actually alter the sound of your playing? I'm interested to find out all this stuff.
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| Posted: Wed May 12th, 2004 05:12 pm |
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3rd Post |
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Windhorse Approved
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The most important factor that effects the tone is the player. That aside, I think the pot, the density of the neck, fingerboard, and peghead contribute most to the tone. I do not favor the no-knot tailpieces. I think oldtime banjos need high action on the 5th string. I think a Kerschner is great. Compliment that with a high 5th-string nut & a 3/4 bridge, and I think one should have plenty of space for that thumb. Of course, every banjo is different. I like medium gauge (12) for the 5th string. Back to tone woods... what do you think of the Lost Timbre pots? What sort of fingerboards do your banjos have? What sort of wood is your neck composed of? What about the peghead? Also, do you favor 11" or 12" rims? Any opinions of specific types of woods?
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| Posted: Thu May 13th, 2004 03:34 am |
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4th Post |
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banjo brad Super Moderator 
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Since most of the members here (I think) are fairly new to banjo, etc., this might not get a lot of attention. I would suggest that some of the other banjo-oriented sites can give you a lot more information and opinions than you will get here. I know very little about tone woods, but like my Goodtime, which is all maple, with no tone ring, and no added fretboard - the frets are placed directly into the neck. Try Banjo-L, Frets.com, Mudcat discussion forum, to name a few places to ask.  keep on pickin'brad p.s. and keep us posted on your findings.
____________________ ezFolk Help Brad Prickly Pear Music Banjo Brad's ezFolk page TOTMC |
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| Posted: Tue May 18th, 2004 02:52 am |
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5th Post |
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Windhorse Approved
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Well, I currently own an Ome. It is a great banjo -- a stunningly beautiful voice. Nonetheless, I am having a banjo built to my specifications. Thus the questions. I am opting for a wider neck. The 5th string tuner placed at the sixth fret. Hand-crafted bronze tone ring. 4" pot with a 12" rim. Interesting woods. Stuff like that. Designed to be a clawhammer banjo. Any advice others can pass along who might have opted to have a banjo built would be appreciated.
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| Posted: Thu May 20th, 2004 08:28 pm |
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6th Post |
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Windhorse Approved
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I am looking for brass hardware. Have any of you stumbled upon all-brass hardware in your travels? Any suggestions for sources?
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| Posted: Fri Oct 29th, 2004 12:50 am |
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7th Post |
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MrPhysics55 Approved
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Hey Windhorse, Putting the drone string tuner at the sixth fret! Interesting. What's your thinking here?
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| Posted: Fri Oct 29th, 2004 01:00 am |
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8th Post |
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MrPhysics55 Approved
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Hey uncburr, No-knot tail pieces due plunk-up you banjo somewhat. They present the strings to the bridge at a relatively low angle, reducing the down pressure on the head. The lowered action, mentioned by Windhorse can be compensated several ways. One can use a taller bridge, tighten a (sagging) head, raise the hight of the 5th string pip, and my personal favorite ... scoop the neck for that needed thumb space and give better access to playing up on the neck. But ... as Windhorse says ... one's playing style is probably most important and can overwhelm the affects of most any instrument alteration. Try another nail ... index vs middle, etc. Experiment! and tell us what you think!
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| Posted: Fri Oct 29th, 2004 02:00 am |
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9th Post |
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banjo brad Super Moderator
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Windhorse- The September 2004 (Vol XXXI, No. 11) issue of Banjo Newsletter had a terrific article by Bob Carlin evaluating the Tony Pass rim on an open back banjo designed for clawhammer. If you don't subscribe to this magazine, I highly recommend it for any banjo-picker. Although it is heavily oriented towards Bluegrass, there is always something of interest for all areas of banjo-dom. Always lots of tabs, interviews and reviews. Regular columns for beginners, clawhammer, old-time, stroke-style, etc. The magazine is a monthly, around 50 pages, and, as I have said, well worth the price. http://www.banjonews.com (disclaimer: I have no interests in the magazine other than being a satisfied subscriber). Keep on pickin'Brad
____________________ ezFolk Help Brad Prickly Pear Music Banjo Brad's ezFolk page TOTMC |
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| Posted: Sat Oct 30th, 2004 04:10 am |
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10th Post |
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Windhorse Approved
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Thank you for the feedback. I opted for a 12" x 4" x 3/4" pot -- a Tony Pass birch rim with brass and bronze Electric style tone ring. The neck is constructed of well-figured East Indian Rosewood with veneer laminations (light walnut) vertically through the neck, under fingerboard, and peg head. It is rather wide... 42mm at the first fret with 7/8 thickness (I am 6'5" with large hands). No inlays. The neck binding is black. The peghead, armrest, and heal plate are ebony. The fingerboard is well-figured Brazilian Rosewood. The position dots are gold mother of pearl. Oldtime dowel stick. It has Keith tuners and a Waverly gold-plated 5th string tuner. All with black knobs. The fret board is radiused. All of the remaining hardware is brass. **Update -- The Keith tuners don't come in black. So I opted for pearlescent. In consequence, the binding is an ivory stripe and the outside is black. Last edited on Sat Dec 11th, 2004 04:35 am by Windhorse |
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| Posted: Mon Nov 8th, 2004 08:36 pm |
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11th Post |
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MrPhysics55 Approved
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Hey Windhorse, I've been considering an tunneled 5th string for the same reason. If I ever commission a banjo I'm gonna get rid of that darn peg!
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| Posted: Tue Nov 9th, 2004 09:51 am |
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12th Post |
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Windhorse Approved
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The banjo I describe above is being crafted by Jeff Kramer. You can check out his work at: http://www.string-instrument-services.com/site_pages/banjos.htm Last edited on Sat Dec 11th, 2004 04:25 am by Windhorse |
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