Tom expands on the different tenors we build- both 17 and 19 fret (and custom) and why different scales are better suited towards different styles and tunings (Irish, Dixieland, etc.).
I have been playing a Nechville Tenor Banjo in Irish tuning for about 7 to 8 years now. I have never ever heard a better sounding Banjo in my live. Tom made it about 7 years ago for me. 19 frets, about 58 cm scale length, GDAE tuning, 5/8th bridge, ,38 ,28 ,18w ,12 strings, classic head. A friend of mine adjusted a Oettinger tailpiece to fit. Fantastic sustain (Yes: sustain). I think there were not many Tenors around then. I had met Tom and his Banjos at the famous Tønder Folk Festival in Denmark and fell in love with the beauty immediately. I love my Epiphone from 1926, but the Nechville is my favourite. I knew Gerry O'Connor had one, but I am glad Enda Scahill has chosen one, because he is my absolute hero when it comes to Irish tuning (though I think his ones a Plectrum Banjo in another special tuning, correct me if I am wrong) A Banjo that is in tune over the whole fretboard and stays in tune for most of the session and is easy to tune (Yes: in tune), has a fantastic sound (forget your jokes). No, I am not promoting the Banjo, I am not payed, I just want to give Tom all the credit he deserves. The best compliment, a Banjo can get is, tha my wife, who plays the irish Flute and the Harp, said the Banjo were beautiful and sounded nice. This compliment is second to none.
Thanks, I've never considered Nechville as an option for Irish tuned Tenor banjos. I think one of the members of "We Banjo 3" has a special scale length Nechville banjo made for him. Didn't know you can order them.
I always thought the Irish banjo was a shorter neck, 17 frets shorter distance between frets. This makes it easier to play at speed for jigs and reels. I do not know many Irish players who used a longer neck. When they do they usually use a capo?
It might be, but it is a bugger trying to play Irish music, there is such a distance in the frets on the lower end, it is hard to get your fingers around. I think most Irish players use a 17 fret instrument. There are some fine banjo makers in Ireland who produce a sweet bell like sound. 💚💚🤍🤍🧡🧡
That banjo sounds beautiful, Tom. Bluegrass banjos, and a lot of tenors, are quite heavy - around 11 lbs. Is this necessary to get a good sound - do tone rings really need to be so hefty?
I need an information, please: i've played for many years an Eko 4 strings banjo 58,2 centimeters scale lenght, i would like to know which is the longest scale lenght available on a 4 strings, and to be tuned A D G C ,like a regular tenor, i know that with a longer scale, i would obtain a deeper sound, that's what i'm looking for. Thank you so much. Regards, Patrick from Italy
Okay, so then why is it, that every, and i don't even mean most, but EVERY last Irish tuned tenor banjo i have ever seen has been 17 fret short scale!? What your saying makes perfect sense, but the convention i have always observed over the decades is that Irish musicians prefer using a short neck tenor in the low tuning.
Hi, I have met very few players wit 17-frets, especially not in ireland. Tom Cussen from Clareen Banjos once told me, when I asked him for advice on that, that only one out of ten would be a 17-fret he sells. In GDAE they are hard to tune, to play and they tend not to stay in tune (now it is time for the jokes). Usually people who suffered physical handicap change to a 17 fret in Irish tuning. Tom Cussen told me as well, there is simply more Banjo and more sound with a 19 fret. I do agree. I started playing on a short scale Vega Little Wonder copy, which lead very soon to a dead end for my techniques and playing. I changed to an original Vega Little Wonder Long scale, immediately recognized improvement and could not resist the Nechville, which I still think is second to none I ever heard, though this is a matter of taste of course.
Hi Tome. I would like to ask if you could help me with my Banjo with some info on it and it looks like you are the expert in this aspect. It is a Epiphone Recording Artist with lights built in and made for Charlie Jeib (?).
What neck length would you recommend for old time? It would be played with someone playing clawhammer (rather than bluegrass picking)? My ideal would be GDAE tuning because I am a fiddle player, so that means I already know how to pick the notes. I don’t mind a somewhat dulled sound since clawhammer is a softer sound compared to bluegrass style
