Donny Little is amazing ,I started playing banjo about 1963 and I've heard very few banjo players that have the savvy that he does! Thank you Warren for putting him on your RU-vid channel so I can watch and listen!
your info is worth its weight in gold, a big thankyou!!! i set my friends banjo up, the first i ever did, and the difference was day and night, the next one to get done is gonna be mine, thanks again for your help!!
After setting the bridge: 3:41 Warren finds the note he wants to ring out more. 4:00 "A little bit more came out" 6:37 Donnie hits the note after does his own little bridge adjustment, then starts to adjust the rod 6:58 "See that's gettin better". Tweaks the rod again. 7:08 and 7:24 "Hear that"? 8:38 Always make sure the bridge is seated flush against the head. The tiniest bit off can make a huge difference
What Donnie's technique does is change the compression of sound created in the pot. I don't think it got deeper in tone as much as the tone changed in timbre. It allows the pot, tailpiece, and neck to share more vibrations, giving the resulting sustain and compression of sound. Without that kind of rod tension, the banjo broadens in tone since sound created in the pot is less "colored" by tertiary vibrating forces in the banjo. I've found this technique works better on no-hole arch-tops and no-hole flatheads, probably has something to do with the slightly greater mass in the rim of the latter. Also works with SkilletHead replicas since the bass is already much stronger than a typical 75 style banjo. Good tips guys.
Warren, I had a guy do a setup and he has the bridge turned ever so slightly. He said he had to to get the intonation as close as possible. Are there times when you just have no choice but to bring one side of the bridge more forward or back to get the intonation right? Which is more important? Perfect intonation or the sound? It might be a newbie question but this video has got me thinking. Thanks.
What kind of banjo is that? I used to play the 5 string banjo years ago and I was pretty good but I never had anyone to play with and I lost interest in it and gave it up. Now that I'm 65 yrs old I'm taking it up again. Of course I can't pick but at a snails pace. I bought a Fender FB59 banjo to learn on and its not a bad banjo but I'm sure its not the quality you have. I have the book Earl Scruggs and The 5 String Banjo and it helps me a lot. It seems the hardest roll for me is the backward roll. Gaining speed is really hard. Have you got any suggestions that might help me?
Thanks Warren & Donnie, you two are amazing.....a person would have to be tone deaf not to hear how much more OPEN that banjo sounds at the end of the clip. I never thought of going to the co-rods to tweak the sustain....thanks again.
Once the rods have been tweeted for the optimum sustain how long will this last? Or will it need tweaking regularly ? Having asked, I guess it's like asking how longs a piece of string.
Not past the 12th fret you don't. You have to decide which is more important to you, sharp and the 12th, flat open or split the difference. The video is about setting the bridge.
Different strokes for different folks. as long as you don't hear anything out of tune then I can't say it's wrong. A lot has to do with how you grab a chord. Earl played mostly two finger chords past the 12th fret so I worry about the 1st and 2nd Strings to be tuned the best. The way a banjo is designed, you can't fully get there from here.
When you measure from nut to the fret are you measuring to the middle of the fret one of the edges. same question for measuring from the bridge to the nut? Thanks much. Great video.
At that point, you don't know. Pick a direction and see if it rings out longer. If not, move it the other way. A little bit means just enough to feel it move. You might not even see it.
Great info, Thanks! I have a question, as I adjust my bridge, the open second string now has a "sitar" buzzing sound. How do I get rid of that sound? Thank you in advance!
Which one is better to produce the louder volume: the strings closer or farther to the head surface (or: taller or lower height of the bridge). I love the lowest possible action, so should i set the neck or should i sand down the foot of the bridge to get louder volume?
That is not what where volume comes from. A bride is set the EQ. You use it to bring the most out in the range that the banjo needs to be. Action can't be described in a quick explanation.
