Don't get any ideas that I know anything because I don't. But I did see one video where they said take a regular number two pencil and put rubber bands around it maybe that would work for some banjos down at that last fret instead of having to hold on to the capo. Which by the way I do not have a capo yet so again I don't know anything but I just thought of it because I heard of it before and thought I would put it in here in case it would help anybody.
I used a plastic pen, pushed it down hard at the last fret, had a capo on the first as Joe shows, and had my .012 card ready to measure at the 12th fret. worked like a charm.
Thank you, Tom. I have an old five string my dad gave me years ago and I am trying to make it playable. I am also learning the banjo after years of playing classical guitar. The skills translate somewhat.
I leaned on a classical too, recently switched to nylon banjo strings and the difference in tone (open back, warm and rustic sound) and familiar feel has made all the difference, I’m not playing with the picks on my fingertips though, just a hybrid of my bad-habit classical fingerpicking / clawhammer patterns.
Thanks for the video, Tom! I've been slowly adding some of your banjo parts to my banjo, :). One question I have is how can I determine if there's a fret problem vs an action problem? Do you measure action relative to the fretboard or the top of the fret? I don't live near an expert luthier, so I'm trying to do the work myself without breaking my banjo. My issue is that I get buzzing on my D string (fourth string) both on the low frets and near the 12th fret. I've tried following your set up videos, bought two different nechville compensated bridges so I have three bridges (including the original) between 5/8ths and 11/16ths. I got the buzzing to go mostly away, but it seems like it came at the cost of a really high action. Almost smack dab at two pennies above the 12th fret. Thoughts? Thanks again!
Tom, thanks so much for this video! I have a question about tone rings. I’m a clawhammer player and am getting a banjo build. What type of tone ring do you recommend for bell like sounds and longer sustain? I’m considering a little wonder vs bell rose or whyte lady tone ring. Also how much does wood contribute to sound? Thanks for any suggestions! Best! Jorden Weiss
Well explained but I missed two pieces of info: to decrease the bow and lower the action, are you turning CLOCKWISE or COUNTERCLOCKWISE? And the 10 thousands of an inch action, is that at the 10th fret? Thank you!
Just bought an rk 35. The action is 1/4" at the bottom fret. How do I get it down to 1/8" . I also got major vibration noise mostly on the middle G string? I noticed the center string on the bridge has a v shape cut on the side. facing the neck. >| . I switched out bridges and the other bridge helped but don't sound near as good as the ss. I don't think that's a truss rod adjustment.
Thanks so much. I can set up my guitars but was a little unsure about setting up my banjo and my tone was suffering in the last year... I have the feeling my buzzing comes from the bridge, not the neck... any tips for this?
Understanding the whole system involves getting sufficient bridge height on each string. If you still have buzz after setting bow, raise bridge height. You also may benefit from a fret dressing. Sloppy bridge slots alone rarely cause severe audible problems. Call me for the perfect custom bridge. 612-275-6602.
I started at 27ish thousands and ended at 12 thousands. Before starting, just my third string had a buzz. Now all of them buzz. Any suggestions on what to try next?
Hi Tom. Great vid. helps take the "mystery" out of adjusting the neck. very useful information. are those instruments hanging on the wall behind you are banjo's also? Thanks for posting :)
I got into playing banjos a little over a year ago now about he start of covid. While I still appreciate this to the moon, this would've been invaluable to me at the time haha. Thanks, Mr. Nechville!
What about for left handed banjos ?? Do they have the same trust rod adjustment to take off the bow like right hand banjos? Or are lefty ones fliped flopped opposite?? Wanna make sure before I do it. Lol I looked everywhere online can never get an answer. Just want to know if it's the same .clockwise tighten . And u counter Is when it gets bowed up ? My banjo is bowwed. Lefthanded shredder over here.. oh and if lefty guitars Rods and righty guitar Rods the same ?? Thanks a bunch !
Definitely the same as right handed. Occasionally you’ll find backwards threaded rods or plenty of them that do nothing. Buy a Nechville for peace of mind.
Oh, hxll! I despise truss rods! Can't stand the damn things! They are a bane to my musical existence. I never know which direction to turn it. Its high time I learn how to adjust one. Thank you for your video.
when buying a 4-5 thousand usd banjo i expect it to be perfect or is it more common on chinese made banjos like morgan i have a 5 stringer Morgan(made in china) cost only 800 usd
You are correct. Check the video at about 8:50 and you will see that a clockwise turn as looking down the wrench will lower the string taking more of the bow out of the neck
