Any way of getting more volume out of a cheap banjo?
Any way of getting more volume out of a cheap banjo?
I have a cheap banjo. The tone is ok. It's in perfect tune and stays that way even in the worst situations ( like heat, humidity, hours of playing etc). Is there anything I can do to get more volume from it? Better bridge, different head?
Re: Any way of getting more volume out of a cheap banjo?
i was just about to post that llig
shanty,
a few suggestions, all of which will change the tone of your banjo.
try different plectrums; fatter, thicher, sharper, blunter
you could try a different bridge, but it wont make loads of difference
if its openback, you could try fitting a resonator.
you could try thicker strings, but it will affect playability, and you need to be careful not to put too much tension on the neck
you could try brighter strings / phosphor bronze etc. this will make it more trebley (is that a word?), and so will seem louder.
you could try a new tailpiece;
you could try really tightening the head, but i can tell you how much is too much. if you overdo it you can break the head, or other things
you could replace the head.
i have done this on one of my banjos which was too loud- i replaced a standard weatherking with a thick head.
it is now much quieter, with more bass and less treble. so in your situation a thinner head would give you more volume but also more treble and less bass.
finally, to make a banjo quieter, you can jam a teatowel into the back; perhaps the reverse is true;if you stick a teatowel to the front it will make it louder.
Re: Any way of getting more volume out of a cheap banjo?
Have you considered tuning the head that's on there? I imagine that, like a snare drum, there's some art to getting the tuning right, and they lose their tuning over time. A badly tuned head would probably not respond very well to the strings, hence dull and lifeless sound.
Re: Any way of getting more volume out of a cheap banjo?
Never mind what you think, everyone else around you is going "Thank God that's a quiet banjo he's got there.".
Leave it as it is. Everyone else will be grateful.
Re: Any way of getting more volume out of a cheap banjo?
Don't take it too personally. It's just that some of us have suffered from deafening tenor banjos that you can't hear anything else, even your own instrument, over. We might use the same argument for piano accordions, for instance.
There is a good argument for using a tenor in a public performance arena, but there are also those of us who find the tone raucous anyway, no matter what the volume. It's all a matter of opinion and taste.
Funnily enough, I have no such problem with 'Er Indoors playing my open-backed 5-string. Of course she doesn't use a plectrum, or play half as vigourously as most tenor-banjo players.
Re: Any way of getting more volume out of a cheap banjo?
No offense taken. At least I didn't mention the other 'B' word....However, I've tightened the head tension and in doing so have raised the action. Can I file or sand the bridge without F-ing it up?
I can't tell if it's louder but it does sound better.
Re: Any way of getting more volume out of a cheap banjo?
Shanty - banjo bridges are not pricey - buy a couple of spares and file them down to your heart's content, keeping the one you've got to measure against. Try a clamshell tail-piece - they have a knurled screw that increases or lessens the pressure of the tailpiece on the strings thus affecting the action a bit and the sound too - you can adjust it to get things just right.
Re: Any way of getting more volume out of a cheap banjo?
Hello,
Can you please tell me what make and model your banjo is. If it's a very cheap one, it probably doesn't have a tone ring, unless of course it has a metal rim.
If it's a wooden rim then the head will be sitting directly onto the wood and this will nearly always make it quiter than a conventional "tone ring" banjo.
There are simple and fairly cheap tone rings on the market for 11'' banjo rims which can make a significant difference to volume and tone. Andy Perkins sells them and will be able to advise which one is best for the banjo you have.
Re: Any way of getting more volume out of a cheap banjo?
ragaman-you are absolutely right!
findajo- the banjo is a 'Kona' tenor made in China I think
RichardB-that's a common sence aproach, thanks -I'm off today to buy some bridges!
Thank you all, I appreciate the advice.
Re: Any way of getting more volume out of a cheap banjo?
You can also try a tone brightener that fits between the bridge. and tailpiece. Place it about 3/4 inch behind the bridge. This will make quite a big difference.
Re: Any way of getting more volume out of a cheap banjo?
Hello,
Tone brighteners/enhancers were used by many of the trad jazz banjo players in the 50's & 60's. They helped get a sharper tone and volume from cheap banjo's, which most of them were playing at the time.
Any way of getting more volume out of a cheap banjo?
Any way of getting more volume out of a cheap banjo?
I have a cheap banjo. The tone is ok. It's in perfect tune and stays that way even in the worst situations ( like heat, humidity, hours of playing etc). Is there anything I can do to get more volume from it? Better bridge, different head?
# Posted on August 22nd 2009 by shanty
Re: Any way of getting more volume out of a cheap banjo?
ha ha ha, Is there any way of getting less volume out of a good banjo?
# Posted on August 22nd 2009 by ...
Re: Any way of getting more volume out of a cheap banjo?
i was just about to post that llig
shanty,
a few suggestions, all of which will change the tone of your banjo.
try different plectrums; fatter, thicher, sharper, blunter
you could try a different bridge, but it wont make loads of difference
if its openback, you could try fitting a resonator.
you could try thicker strings, but it will affect playability, and you need to be careful not to put too much tension on the neck
you could try brighter strings / phosphor bronze etc. this will make it more trebley (is that a word?), and so will seem louder.
you could try a new tailpiece;
you could try really tightening the head, but i can tell you how much is too much. if you overdo it you can break the head, or other things
you could replace the head.
i have done this on one of my banjos which was too loud- i replaced a standard weatherking with a thick head.
it is now much quieter, with more bass and less treble. so in your situation a thinner head would give you more volume but also more treble and less bass.
finally, to make a banjo quieter, you can jam a teatowel into the back; perhaps the reverse is true;if you stick a teatowel to the front it will make it louder.
have fun experimenting
# Posted on August 22nd 2009 by rumpole
Re: Any way of getting more volume out of a cheap banjo?
Does your banjo have a resonator? If not, adding one will increase the volume.
However, adding a resonator may also slightly harshen the tone.
Another method is to make up a hardwood soundpost (ebony is best) and install this at the back up the banjo directly under the bridge.
# Posted on August 22nd 2009 by Mix O'Lydian
Re: Any way of getting more volume out of a cheap banjo?
Have you considered tuning the head that's on there? I imagine that, like a snare drum, there's some art to getting the tuning right, and they lose their tuning over time. A badly tuned head would probably not respond very well to the strings, hence dull and lifeless sound.
# Posted on August 22nd 2009 by Jon Kiparsky
Re: Any way of getting more volume out of a cheap banjo?
Never mind what you think, everyone else around you is going "Thank God that's a quiet banjo he's got there.".
Leave it as it is. Everyone else will be grateful.
# Posted on August 22nd 2009 by Guernsey Pete
Re: Any way of getting more volume out of a cheap banjo?
I knew I'd be stepping in sh*t a bit by posting this
Thanks for the suggestions!
# Posted on August 22nd 2009 by shanty
Re: Any way of getting more volume out of a cheap banjo?
Don't take it too personally. It's just that some of us have suffered from deafening tenor banjos that you can't hear anything else, even your own instrument, over. We might use the same argument for piano accordions, for instance.
There is a good argument for using a tenor in a public performance arena, but there are also those of us who find the tone raucous anyway, no matter what the volume. It's all a matter of opinion and taste.
Funnily enough, I have no such problem with 'Er Indoors playing my open-backed 5-string. Of course she doesn't use a plectrum, or play half as vigourously as most tenor-banjo players.
# Posted on August 22nd 2009 by Guernsey Pete
Re: Any way of getting more volume out of a cheap banjo?
No offense taken. At least I didn't mention the other 'B' word....However, I've tightened the head tension and in doing so have raised the action. Can I file or sand the bridge without F-ing it up?
I can't tell if it's louder but it does sound better.
# Posted on August 22nd 2009 by shanty
Re: Any way of getting more volume out of a cheap banjo?
Put a clear head on it... the only way that really works.
# Posted on August 23rd 2009 by camwebby
Re: Any way of getting more volume out of a cheap banjo?
"I can't tell if it's louder but it does sound better."
Surely *better* is better than *louder*.
# Posted on August 23rd 2009 by CreadurMawnOrganig
Re: Any way of getting more volume out of a cheap banjo?
Shanty - banjo bridges are not pricey - buy a couple of spares and file them down to your heart's content, keeping the one you've got to measure against. Try a clamshell tail-piece - they have a knurled screw that increases or lessens the pressure of the tailpiece on the strings thus affecting the action a bit and the sound too - you can adjust it to get things just right.
# Posted on August 23rd 2009 by RichardB
Re: Any way of getting more volume out of a cheap banjo?
Hello,
Can you please tell me what make and model your banjo is. If it's a very cheap one, it probably doesn't have a tone ring, unless of course it has a metal rim.
If it's a wooden rim then the head will be sitting directly onto the wood and this will nearly always make it quiter than a conventional "tone ring" banjo.
There are simple and fairly cheap tone rings on the market for 11'' banjo rims which can make a significant difference to volume and tone. Andy Perkins sells them and will be able to advise which one is best for the banjo you have.
Kevin
# Posted on August 23rd 2009 by findajo
Re: Any way of getting more volume out of a cheap banjo?
Certain fundamentals for getting more sound from guitars may be applied to banjos as well.
For example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmemBa1HAzU
Good luck.
# Posted on August 23rd 2009 by Piece
Re: Any way of getting more volume out of a cheap banjo?
ragaman-you are absolutely right!
findajo- the banjo is a 'Kona' tenor made in China I think
RichardB-that's a common sence aproach, thanks -I'm off today to buy some bridges!
Thank you all, I appreciate the advice.
# Posted on August 23rd 2009 by shanty
Re: Any way of getting more volume out of a cheap banjo?
You can also try a tone brightener that fits between the bridge. and tailpiece. Place it about 3/4 inch behind the bridge. This will make quite a big difference.
Kevin
# Posted on August 24th 2009 by findajo
Re: Any way of getting more volume out of a cheap banjo?
Tone brightener? There's really such a thing?
# Posted on August 24th 2009 by Bob himself
Re: Any way of getting more volume out of a cheap banjo?
I personally really dislike the effect of "tone brighteners", I think I prefer a shadier sound.
- chris
# Posted on August 25th 2009 by ramblingpitchfork
Re: Any way of getting more volume out of a cheap banjo?
I googled 'tone brightener for banjo' and got nothing. Never herd of it- can anyone shed some light?
# Posted on August 25th 2009 by shanty
Re: Any way of getting more volume out of a cheap banjo?
Hello,
Tone brighteners/enhancers were used by many of the trad jazz banjo players in the 50's & 60's. They helped get a sharper tone and volume from cheap banjo's, which most of them were playing at the time.
Here's on I found at Eagle Music
http://www.eaglemusicshop.com/details1.asp/ProductID/5115/sid/284/booth-banjo-mute.htm
# Posted on August 25th 2009 by findajo