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I just restrung my banjo and my fifth string seems a lot closer to the fretboard than it should be. Is that normal?
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Jan 20, 2013 17:25
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Pufflekins posted:I just restrung my banjo and my fifth string seems a lot closer to the fretboard than it should be. Is that normal? A few possibilities here: You could have missed the 5th string nut. Your bridge could be reversed, and the string slot is deeper on the reversed side. The banjo head loosened when the strings were removed. Lower head tension will lower the bridge. I'd start by checking the head tension. Push down on the top all around the circumference and see if there is more give in some places. Also check for loose tensioning hardware.
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Jan 20, 2013 18:27
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PoorPeteBest posted:A few possibilities here: I made sure not to gently caress with the bridge by switching one string at a time. The head tension is fine as well. I'm assuming the fifth string nut is the little circle near the tuner? If it is I didn't miss it.
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Jan 20, 2013 18:57
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Pufflekins posted:I made sure not to gently caress with the bridge by switching one string at a time. The head tension is fine as well. I'm assuming the fifth string nut is the little circle near the tuner? If it is I didn't miss it. How close to the fretboard are we talking? My 5th string is always closer than the others and I've never found it to be a problem. Is it causing any fret buzz or making it difficult to play in any way?
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Jan 20, 2013 20:50
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Captain Mediocre posted:How close to the fretboard are we talking? My 5th string is always closer than the others and I've never found it to be a problem. Is it causing any fret buzz or making it difficult to play in any way? Everything seems normal when playing it, so I probably just forgot how close it was before I restrung it. Thanks.
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Jan 20, 2013 21:22
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Did your string gauge change?
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Jan 20, 2013 23:04
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PoorPeteBest posted:Did your string gauge change? I put slightly thicker gauge strings. Nothing really noticeable though.
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Jan 20, 2013 23:29
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Also just check with a tuner/by ear that the intonation is still alright on every fret. If so then it's probably nothing to worry about.
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Jan 21, 2013 02:13
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Captain Mediocre posted:Also just check with a tuner/by ear that the intonation is still alright on every fret. If so then it's probably nothing to worry about. Just did it and everything worked out fine. Thanks a lot guys.
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Jan 21, 2013 20:21
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Anyone have any experience with pickups? I've been using a K&K Twin Spot, which sounds great, and I picked up a different one (Shadow brand) for my other banjo so I can cut down on re-tuning in the middle of a set. The K&K is on a resonator and the Shadow is on an open back, but the open back is way quieter. I played tonight with the banjos going into an AB/Y box and from there to DI/amp, but I could barely hear the open back. If I put the resonator back on will I get some volume back or are some pickups just quieter in general? The head on the open back is a little old but I tightened it up before the set and it sounded fine acoustically.
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Jan 26, 2013 06:14
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I use a Schatten pickup on my banjo and it sounds great, very natural. You'll need to get yourself a pre-amp if you want volume though. I'm very happy with my sound through a Baggs Para DI.
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Jan 26, 2013 17:57
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I'm moving. Any of y'all pickers in the Baltimore / DC area?
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Feb 7, 2013 06:36
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Planet X posted:I'm moving. Any of y'all pickers in the Baltimore / DC area? You are in a decent place for bluegrass. Check out the DC bluegrass union, there are a lot of jams in your area. I spent a bit of time around there off and on about a half dozen years ago. Plenty of places where a picker could find a spot and meet some fellow bluegrassers.
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Feb 8, 2013 12:41
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Wow. I just saw Carl Miner (National Flatpicking champ) and Kym Warner (Aussie mandolin champ) who are half of The Greencards - at a house concert last night. It's unfair how well they can play. I'm going to work on my flatpicking. Anyone here seen The Greencards? If not, put them on your list, go check out their tour dates. I'm doing my best to piece together an interesting series of breaks for Cherokee Shuffle, and have drawn inspiration from these: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6s8Mmc69CP8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbrhbmx2OxQ
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Feb 14, 2013 17:43
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Planet X posted:Wow. I just saw Carl Miner (National Flatpicking champ) and Kym Warner (Aussie mandolin champ) who are half of The Greencards - at a house concert last night. It's unfair how well they can play. I'm going to work on my flatpicking. Anyone here seen The Greencards? If not, put them on your list, go check out their tour dates. Yeah, Greencards are amazing. A fiddler friend of mine went on tour with them.
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Feb 14, 2013 18:15
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I saw them at a festival two years ago and the power for the stage went out. They came down and finished their set acoustically like the champs they are.
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Feb 14, 2013 18:20
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When/if ever should I be concerned with head tension? I've had a deering goodtime for about a year and have done nothing but change the strings. It doesn't sound bad to my untrained ear, but is head tension upkeep a thing? Man, when I say I've been playing for a year it makes me wonder where all that time went. I'm like half way through Ken Pearlman's book and can only remember two or three songs at a time. 
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Feb 20, 2013 05:12
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I'm thinking of busting out my lovely <$100 one again and having some fun. The banjo is such a pleasant instrument. Is it okay and reasonable to play banjo with just your fingers? I've never really got a feel for music with finger picks and it doesn't seem to hold me back to not use them. I've always used my bare fingers, no nail, on guitar.
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Feb 20, 2013 05:31
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Smeed posted:When/if ever should I be concerned with head tension? I've had a deering goodtime for about a year and have done nothing but change the strings. It doesn't sound bad to my untrained ear, but is head tension upkeep a thing? Sort of. If you want it to sound it's best as a bluegrass banjo, the head should be tight, and I think tuned to G sharp. That's what I was told anyway, I have someone else do my setup. If you're doing more clawhammer or if you're not that worried about it, don't - head is looser on a clawhammer banjo. If you've had it a year, may not hurt to go have someone look at it. Then again, it's a Goodtime, so I don't think there's much adjustment to them. Planet X fucked around with this message at 00:57 on Feb 22, 2013 |
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Feb 20, 2013 23:06
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Kilometers Davis posted:I'm thinking of busting out my lovely <$100 one again and having some fun. The banjo is such a pleasant instrument. Is it okay and reasonable to play banjo with just your fingers? I've never really got a feel for music with finger picks and it doesn't seem to hold me back to not use them. I've always used my bare fingers, no nail, on guitar. Yes, totally reasonable. If you don't want to use finger picks or a thumbpick, you don't have to! Play with your fingers, strum, or learn clawhammer. Accomplished Austin artist Joe Sundell plays (I think) with only a thumbpick and his fingers - no finger picks that I saw. In addition to there being the two camps of Scruggs style and Clawhammer style, there are some other hybrid styles worth exploring if you want to put some structure to it. I believe Ralph Stanley started off playing like his Mother showed him, it's some sort of one or two finger style, no picks. It's on the Homespun instructional DVD of his, somewhere in the middle of this clip before he plays Little Maggie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unbKvS1QCpQ&t=49s It's the banjo, do what you like. 
Planet X fucked around with this message at 23:16 on Feb 20, 2013 |
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Feb 20, 2013 23:13
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Planet X posted:Yes, totally reasonable. If you don't want to use finger picks or a thumbpick, you don't have to! Play with your fingers, strum, or learn clawhammer. Accomplished Austin artist Joe Sundell plays (I think) with only a thumbpick and his fingers - no finger picks that I saw. Thanks for the clarification! I've always had really naturally independent fingers and limbs so fingerpicking bare feels normal to me. I'll definitely try a bunch of techniques and styles. It's going to great watching how banjo practice affects me on guitar. Hopefully it opens up a lot of new ideas for me to cross over with both ways.
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Feb 20, 2013 23:26
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Also, while it's fine and encouraged to find your own style, you may want to adopt Scruggs or Clawhammer eventually if you ever want to get into jamming. The tab, repertoire and structure of the jams are either one or the other, if that makes sense. In order to be heard at a jam while taking a break, you have to play with confidence and volume. You may struggle with this if you're going to not use fingerpicks in bluegrass. Less of an issue in Old Time. Again, dowhatyoulike. One thing I've noticed is that it varies from picker to picker how much one prefers to bend their finger picks inward towards the fingers. If you feel like trying to play using fingerpicks again, I would use a speedpick on the thumb that's smaller than a standard, say National thumpick. Also get some super light gauge finger picks and curve them way inward so they hug your fingertips. This way they're less obtrusive. Ernie Ball makes fingerpicks that come to a very thin, fine point, so maybe seek them out:  Yes, it will open up styles cross-instrument! Brent Hinds of Mastodon: My family is deeply rooted in country and bluegrass, so I first learned how to play the banjo, then my dad bought me my first guitar and I studied music too [Alabama School of Fine Arts]. So I mean, since I learned the banjo first and studied music, there’s going to be an indirect influence on my guitar playing with banjo-type fingerings, but its nothing I specifically set out to do. I guess my dad knew what he was doing by giving me the banjo first. His Dad made him learn the banjo first.  That's why he's got very unique, fingerpicky lead lines. Planet X fucked around with this message at 00:57 on Feb 21, 2013 |
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Feb 21, 2013 00:51
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Thanks again for the help, its appreciated. And I almost forgot about Hinds. Awesome musician. Anyone care to give an informed opinion about Rover RB-20s? That's what I'm working with. Reviews on the Internet are inconsistent and I'm just curious to see if its much of a banjo.
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Feb 21, 2013 05:04
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I joined one of the local bluegrass clubs down here in West Central FL and went to my first jam with them a couple of weeks ago. My local jam group is a little more focused than these guys so it was great to get out and work on new stuff or old songs in new keys or different tempos etc. Here we are doing a long version of Fireball Mail. My Dobro break comes up around 3:30, right after the guy who seemed to only know how to do slants played his. The big guy with the RQ Jones dobro and singing is a local legend. He played dobro with Uncle Josh graves back in the day and recorded and produced his own cd by himself that sounds like an entire band playing at once. http://youtu.be/0C0P5X0xGoc
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Feb 23, 2013 15:04
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N183CS posted:I joined one of the local bluegrass clubs down here in West Central FL and went to my first jam with them a couple of weeks ago. My local jam group is a little more focused than these guys so it was great to get out and work on new stuff or old songs in new keys or different tempos etc. Here we are doing a long version of Fireball Mail. My Dobro break comes up around 3:30, right after the guy who seemed to only know how to do slants played his. The big guy with the RQ Jones dobro and singing is a local legend. He played dobro with Uncle Josh graves back in the day and recorded and produced his own cd by himself that sounds like an entire band playing at once. I posted this in the gear trades thread but I figure this might bea good place to put it too since it's sort of a specialty instrument: 5 y/o Gold Tone LS-6    These go new for about $550, I'd like to get $325 +shipping. Comes with a hardshell case and I'll throw in a Shubb steel
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Feb 23, 2013 17:12
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Nice! I didn't know Gold Tone made a lap steel. I've got a few nice lap steels and they are fun as hell to play. It's amazing how well they fit in with more progressive style bluegrass. Jerry Douglas used his extensively in the newest AKUS album and it sounds awesome.
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Feb 23, 2013 19:31
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I like that video, we need more goongrass vids in this thread.
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Feb 23, 2013 21:06
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N183CS posted:Nice! I didn't know Gold Tone made a lap steel. I've got a few nice lap steels and they are fun as hell to play. It's amazing how well they fit in with more progressive style bluegrass. Jerry Douglas used his extensively in the newest AKUS album and it sounds awesome. I'm actually trying to sell it, I only every played fake pedal steel stuff on it and now I have a real pedal steel rendering this obsolete for me. Also yeah that video is awesome and so is that old guy.
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Feb 23, 2013 21:10
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So I ordered a new Dobro from a guy out on Long Island. He just started building not too long ago so I was asking him who his references were. Turns out Todd Livingston, the guy who played in Gangstagrass is playing one! I talked to him about it for a while and also Andy Hall from the Infamous Stringdusters and they both said they are amazing. I think my favorite thing about Bluegrass music is the access to all the great musicians. There's no other music where you can walk up to one of the top players in the genre and just BS all day. I had about a half hour conversation last month with Tim Stafford, of AKUS and Blue Highway fame, then spent a day jamming and picking the brain of 14 time IBMA Dobro player of the year Rob Ickes. I love this stuff. 
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Feb 25, 2013 01:04
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quote:So I ordered a new Dobro from a guy out on Long Island. Didn't you just get one? Curious to know why you're getting another? (Not that I'm looking for justification, just curious) Or is this just an upgrade to your current guitar? quote:I think my favorite thing about Bluegrass music is the access to all the great musicians. There's no other music where you can walk up to one of the top players in the genre and just BS all day. I had about a half hour conversation last month with Tim Stafford, of AKUS and Blue Highway fame, then spent a day jamming and picking the brain of 14 time IBMA Dobro player of the year Rob Ickes. I love this stuff. So true. Actually, yesterday I did a banjo clinic with Alan Munde who's a constant here in Central Texas. The clinics and camps are a great way to meet your heroes.
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Feb 25, 2013 16:53
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Yeah I just got a new custom one back in December but I saw the wood for the new one and couldn't pass it up. It's grafted walnut. Taken from an old orchard tree, it's actually two species in one piece of wood. I'm trying to thin out my collection, but each one has such a distinctive voice that I just keep them.
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Mar 10, 2013 23:36
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Clawhammer players! For whatever reason, the months of January and February were particularly brutal to my nails. My middle finger nail is especially brittle and keeps breaking and I've got a gig coming up and need an alternative. Do any of you use picks instead of your nail? I've been looking at Alaska piks (cheap) and something called "the perfect touch" (expensive, out of stock, creepy name). Does anybody have experience with clawhammer-centric picking accessories?
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Mar 21, 2013 21:05
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Brass thimbles if nylon strings (or even steel if you like the sound). http://www.thejoelhooks.com/ Pingpong balls work wonders from what I hear. http://www.johnbalchmusic.com/picks.html
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Mar 21, 2013 21:40
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Thanks for the suggestions! I think I may have found my solution though. I ran across some plastic Dunlop fingerpicks at my local shop. I clipped off the curved, pointed end, filed them to the rough shape of my nail and put them on upside down. They contour perfectly over my missing nail and the downward pressure of my picking hand seems to be enough to hold them in place. It also looks like I've got a tortoise shell nail job.
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Mar 22, 2013 15:41
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That's pretty drat awesome. I'll have to give that a shot since I lost my thimbles.
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Mar 23, 2013 06:41
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I just got into bluegrass and god drat, it's so awesome. I listen to a bunch of DIY punk / ska that involves banjos and now here I am! I don't even know where to start so I've been listening to all I can get my hands on. I would love to learn the banjo, but my hands are really small and I nearly can't play a regular-necked guitar. 
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Apr 3, 2013 18:19
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Lieutenant Dan posted:I just got into bluegrass and god drat, it's so awesome. I listen to a bunch of DIY punk / ska that involves banjos and now here I am! I don't even know where to start so I've been listening to all I can get my hands on. I would love to learn the banjo, but my hands are really small and I nearly can't play a regular-necked guitar. The banjo neck is generally thinner than a guitar neck, you'll be fine. I can put a recommended listening list in the OP if there's interest. People can chime in and I'll add it.
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Apr 4, 2013 00:26
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Here's a pretty good list: http://youtu.be/8cbMQNl_OgE
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Apr 4, 2013 01:07
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I just bought a cheapie beginner banjo after wanting one for almost 5 years. If I stick with it for two years I'll reward myself with a better model. I have never played a string instrument before, and have spent the last three days just practicing cord changes while strumming (no fancy picking yet). As I don't have calluses yet, the very tips of my left hand fingers are literally numbed, like they are asleep, even though I don't see blisters. Can I keep practicing like an addict, or should I give my fingers a day off?
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Apr 5, 2013 19:08
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I restrung my banjo the other week and the metal piece at the bottom that adds tension to the strings is a little higher up than before. When I tune everything is fine but I'm worried that this might be changing the sound a little. Here's a picture to explain what I mean http://imgur.com/oHxdBht. I feel like I'm making good progress on strumming but my chord changes are rough right now. Is there advice for what chords to practice in what order with what rolls to best teach your fingers, or is it just a do and learn sort of thing?
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Apr 5, 2013 21:27
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