while there are just players of b's and b's not away at willie clancy week about which I know very little, can I ask a technical question of the banjoists? I notice the angle of the strings behind the bridge is variable on my banjo. What should this be set at? (and btw what IS willie clancy week?) Oh and my favourite tracks are either Dick Gaughan's "Westlin Winds" or Paul Brady's "Arthur McBride" but I guess that is just coz I have been listening to them today.
I think that the best angle for your strings behind the bridge is that they are all alike. So the outer two strings are at the same angle, and the inner two strings are at the same angle. This doesn't only look better, but it improves the tuning on your banjo (at least, that's what I've been told).
The angle of the strings from the bridge to the tailpiece is important to the sound you want. To some extent that angly depends on the type of tailpiece you have. If you have one of the Oettinger tailpieces that have individually adjustable fingers, you can tune each string (for sound, not the note) with the little adjusters on the back of the tailpiece. There should be four of them. The Oettinger was designed to place the same downward force on the bridge from all four strings so the finger on the G string is closest to the head and the E string finger the highest.
If you don't have an Oettinger, then you should strive for a 12-15 degree angle from bridge to tailpiece for the best sound. At least that is the theory. Each tailpiece is different and what you have is important in how you use it. Setup should also include head tension, type and height of bridge, type of head, and strings and action.
What kind of banjo do you have (19 v 17 fret), what kind of head, what strings do you use, what kind of bridge (two or three feet, name brand if any, height), and what kind of tailpiece?
Mike Keyes, I am borrowing a Clareen banjo from a friend. I have played a bit of guitar but never really got very far. I don't know what kind of tailpiece this is but it seems like what you describe insofar as there are individual controls. I have them all touching the head which is made of 'plastic' ( pardon my ignorance ). I take it that this is wrong. Bridge has 3 feet. Thanks for your reply which may help others as well as me.
The Clareen has an Oettinger type of tailpiece, the one made in Germany. the fingers should not touch the head but should be about 3-4 mm off the head. What you can do is to press down on the finger while loosening it a little and then re-tune. Keep changing the finger to head distance until the string has the sound you want.
The head is plastic and if you can visibly push it down, it is probably not tight enough. The tension hoop (the thing that holds the head on and is attached to the hooks) should be on evenly. You check this by measuring the distance between the bottom of the tension hoop and the top of the feet that hold the hooks on. This distance whould be nearly the same all the way around the rim. If not, there will be varying pressure on the tension hoop and it will distort eventually. If it is even, then you can tighten the head but tightening the hooks a 1/6 or 1/4th turn going clockwise from the starting with the hook next to the neck and then going all the way around. The proper tools help (a Neary drum-torque and a Drum-Dial) but your best instrument is your ear. After you have tightened the head a little, re-tune and listen to the sound. It should change and become a little brighter. Ideally you should repaet this until the sound is choked off and then go to the setting before the choke-off.
Sometimes a setting below this level is ideal, each banjo is different and you should set the head for the sound you like. You can't break a plastic head, you will distort the tone ring and tension hoop first, unless the head is defective in which case you need a new head. Do Not Crank it down hard right off the bat, the banjo head needs to be tightened incrementally and then rechecked as it tends to stretch. Also, if you crank it down hard, you will lose some of the tone you want.
Most banjos need setup and I am beginning to find that all banjos in Ireland, GB, and Europe need setup. They will sound good from the maker, but the head will loosen (as new heads will) and the tailpiece, bridge, etc. may not be just right. Setup is an art that is just being explored over there, I venture to say.
the Clareen is a fine banjo, I really like the ones I have played and they are beuatiful instruments. Yours should sound very good when setup properly.
just bodhrans and banjos
just bodhrans and banjos
while there are just players of b's and b's not away at willie clancy week about which I know very little, can I ask a technical question of the banjoists? I notice the angle of the strings behind the bridge is variable on my banjo. What should this be set at? (and btw what IS willie clancy week?) Oh and my favourite tracks are either Dick Gaughan's "Westlin Winds" or Paul Brady's "Arthur McBride" but I guess that is just coz I have been listening to them today.
# Posted on July 8th 2004 by r&c
Re: just bodhrans and banjos
I think that the best angle for your strings behind the bridge is that they are all alike. So the outer two strings are at the same angle, and the inner two strings are at the same angle. This doesn't only look better, but it improves the tuning on your banjo (at least, that's what I've been told).
# Posted on July 8th 2004 by Dark Raven
Re: just bodhrans and banjos
Baggins,
The angle of the strings from the bridge to the tailpiece is important to the sound you want. To some extent that angly depends on the type of tailpiece you have. If you have one of the Oettinger tailpieces that have individually adjustable fingers, you can tune each string (for sound, not the note) with the little adjusters on the back of the tailpiece. There should be four of them. The Oettinger was designed to place the same downward force on the bridge from all four strings so the finger on the G string is closest to the head and the E string finger the highest.
If you don't have an Oettinger, then you should strive for a 12-15 degree angle from bridge to tailpiece for the best sound. At least that is the theory. Each tailpiece is different and what you have is important in how you use it. Setup should also include head tension, type and height of bridge, type of head, and strings and action.
What kind of banjo do you have (19 v 17 fret), what kind of head, what strings do you use, what kind of bridge (two or three feet, name brand if any, height), and what kind of tailpiece?
Mike Keyes
# Posted on July 8th 2004 by mikeyes
Re: just bodhrans and banjos
Mike Keyes, I am borrowing a Clareen banjo from a friend. I have played a bit of guitar but never really got very far. I don't know what kind of tailpiece this is but it seems like what you describe insofar as there are individual controls. I have them all touching the head which is made of 'plastic' ( pardon my ignorance ). I take it that this is wrong. Bridge has 3 feet. Thanks for your reply which may help others as well as me.
# Posted on July 8th 2004 by r&c
Re: just bodhrans and banjos
The Clareen has an Oettinger type of tailpiece, the one made in Germany. the fingers should not touch the head but should be about 3-4 mm off the head. What you can do is to press down on the finger while loosening it a little and then re-tune. Keep changing the finger to head distance until the string has the sound you want.
The head is plastic and if you can visibly push it down, it is probably not tight enough. The tension hoop (the thing that holds the head on and is attached to the hooks) should be on evenly. You check this by measuring the distance between the bottom of the tension hoop and the top of the feet that hold the hooks on. This distance whould be nearly the same all the way around the rim. If not, there will be varying pressure on the tension hoop and it will distort eventually. If it is even, then you can tighten the head but tightening the hooks a 1/6 or 1/4th turn going clockwise from the starting with the hook next to the neck and then going all the way around. The proper tools help (a Neary drum-torque and a Drum-Dial) but your best instrument is your ear. After you have tightened the head a little, re-tune and listen to the sound. It should change and become a little brighter. Ideally you should repaet this until the sound is choked off and then go to the setting before the choke-off.
Sometimes a setting below this level is ideal, each banjo is different and you should set the head for the sound you like. You can't break a plastic head, you will distort the tone ring and tension hoop first, unless the head is defective in which case you need a new head. Do Not Crank it down hard right off the bat, the banjo head needs to be tightened incrementally and then rechecked as it tends to stretch. Also, if you crank it down hard, you will lose some of the tone you want.
Most banjos need setup and I am beginning to find that all banjos in Ireland, GB, and Europe need setup. They will sound good from the maker, but the head will loosen (as new heads will) and the tailpiece, bridge, etc. may not be just right. Setup is an art that is just being explored over there, I venture to say.
the Clareen is a fine banjo, I really like the ones I have played and they are beuatiful instruments. Yours should sound very good when setup properly.
Mike Keyes
# Posted on July 9th 2004 by mikeyes