BANJOS

The most common work we do on banjos is setups. Other common work includes replacing the head, repairing cracks, fret jobs, replacing tuners and fixing saddles.

A typical setup includes:

Below is an example of a typical banjo setup.

The following banjo setup procedures are the ones that I follow on almost all banjos. The specifications are from various websites and experience. They work well as a starting point for most banjos. These are minimum specifications which are meant to guide you, and should not to be taken as hard and fast rules, as we realize that every player's subjective requirements may differ somewhat based on individual playing style or application (i.e. how hard you fingerpick or fret the banjo).

Head tension is important to the overall tone of the banjo. There are many schools of thought how to set the head tension and how much tension is correct. The basic rule of thumb is the tighter, the more treble shines through. After the banjo is setup, the head tension can be increased or decreased. A word of caution: it is possible to over tighten the head and cause the rim to go out of round. Mylar heads are very strong and can be tightened to the point of damaging the banjo.

How to tighten the head is also open to debate. Some recommend tightening each lug in order whereas others recommend a star pattern like tightening lugs on a car wheel. I subscribe to the tightening in order school of thought.

With the bridge removed and the strings off the head, tap the head. There should be a clear ring everywhere. It should be the same tone everywhere. Check each lug for the same amount of torque or "tightness". There are torque wrenches designed to measure this or you can go by feel.

Relief is managed by the truss rod to allow the strings to vibrate without hitting the frets. As the strings pull on the neck, it causes the neck into a bow. Tightening the truss rod straightens the neck and eliminates some of the bow. The amount of bow is known as relief. It is not the same as action. We will adjust the action later.

Tune strings up to pitch. Install a capo at the 1st fret; depress the 6th string at the last fret. With a .008 feeler gauge, check the gap between the bottom of the string and the top of the 8th fret. I prefer to use a straightedge to measure the relief. Caution: Because of the amount of string tension placed on the neck, it is advisable to loosen the strings prior to making any actual adjustment. After the adjustment is made retune the strings to pitch and recheck the gap with the feeler gauge.

After most banjos are played, the frets become worn and slightly uneven. In a perfect world, before a setup the frets would be dressed level with the top of the fingerboard. This is not necessary if the frets are only a little worn. A more accurate way to measure relief is to measure the fingerboard itself. A notched straightedge is used to check the neck relief.

On this banjo, the relief was high so the truss rod was adjusted to lower the relief to .008.

Action is the height of the strings off the frets. Players with a light touch can get away with lower action; others need higher action to avoid rattles. Action is set at the nut and at the bridge.

Be sure strings are tuned to pitch. The action at the nut is usually set at the factory. In some cases it needs to be adjusted. The action at the nut mostly affects playability down the neck. My method for setting nut action is to hold the string at the third fret and measure the distance of the string off the first fret. It should just clear the first fret. No adjustment needed here.

The height of the tailpiece determines the downward pressure of the bridge on the head. The lower the tailpiece, the more pressure. If there is too much downward pressure on the strings, the sound will be bright, but not very loud. If there is too little downward pressure on the strings, the sound will be bassy and loud. The correct pressure is determined by experimentation on a particular instrument. I set the tailpiece so the underside is about 1/4" above the head and parallel to the head. It can always be adjusted later.

Unlike a guitar, the action is set by changing the neck angle. The neck angle is changed by adjusting the coordinator rods. Some banjos have two coordinator rods and some have one. This banjo has one. The same basic procedure applies to banjos with two rods.

The choice of bridges is not covered in this setup description. Bridges come in various woods, shapes, and height. All affect the tone of the banjo. A player should test out various bridges and make a decision before the neck angle is set.

The first step is to place the bridge in the approximate correct position. I say approximate because setting intonation will place the bridge in its correct position. Use a straightedge and measure the distance from the inside edge of the nut to the middle of the 12th fret. The bridge should be the same distance away from the 12th fret as the nut. Now measure from the middle of the 12th fret to locate the position of the bridge. I usually add about 3/32 to this measurement for compensation. This is not critical here since setting intonation will take care of it.

The coordinator rods will force the rim a little out of round and cause the neck to move up or down. On some banjos, it is possible to actually angle the neck heel away from the rim. The optimum is to keep the rim round and adjust the neck heel, find the correct neck angle and carve the heel to fit snugly against the rim.

I set action to about 4/64. If the player is an aggessive player, I set it a little higher maybe 6/64.

Without a full description of what intonation is and the theory behind it, the goal of setting intonation is to have the string play in tune all the way up and down the neck. Setting intonation is a compromise in adjustments since the construction of the banjo does not allow this to happen perfectly.

A starting point of setting intonation is having the string played open and at the 12^th fret producing the same tone.

Final intonation adjustments should be made after all other adjustments have been finished. I make sure the strings are tuned to pitch. Compare the outside strings open to fretted at the 12th fret; if sharp, lengthen string by adjusting the bridge back; if flat, shorten string by moving the bridge forward. I retune and repeat. After setting intonation I make a mark on the head so it is easy to put the bridge back if it gets moved.