banjo tail piece

turtleneck · Post by **turtleneck** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 6:38 am

Hi Folks,

I just picked Tradition tenor banjo and I'm having fun a lot of fun with it. But I'm looking at the adjustable tail peice and wondering why it's adjustable. Whats the difference between having the tail peice press down on the strings at different angles?

Thanks in advance!

Martin Milner · Post by **Martin Milner** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 10:19 am

I can't quite picture what you mean, any chance of a pic or a link to a website with a picture?

s1m0n · Post by **s1m0n** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 10:48 am

I'm also not sure what you're talking about, but as a general principle, the steeper the break angle over the bridge, the more downward pressure exerted by the strings, and therefore the louder the instrument.

There are various bridge designs which enhance this.

Lorenzo · Post by **Lorenzo** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 1:05 pm

turtleneck is probably talking about a screw at the heel, along the side of the hoop, that adjusts the entire tailpiece up and down. And yes, that would be to adjust the tension on of the strings to match the height of the bridge. Some banjos don't have the neck at the right angle to the hoop...hence the low bridge or the clacking of fingers and fingerpicks on the head. There might be a pic here http://www.mugwumps.com/tailpieces.html or one like it.

turtleneck · Post by **turtleneck** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 3:18 pm

Here's a picture of an adjustable tail peice. Notice the pivot point where the horizontal part meets the vertical part. The screw in the middle tilts the assembly back and forth.

How do I know if this is set at the correct angle? Is there a correct angle?

s1m0n · Post by **s1m0n** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 3:36 pm

I think that as low as possible without buzzing is the correct angle.

Lorenzo · Post by **Lorenzo** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 4:07 pm

turtleneck wrote:How do I know if this is set at the correct angle? Is there a correct angle?

If you have a plastic or fiber head on the banjo, you can probably afford more pressure on the strings-bridge. But if you have a natural skin, watch the feet of the bridge denting the head...you won't want as much pressure. If the bridge is high, and the neck at the proper angle, you won't need all the pressure it gan give. There's a point where effeciency isn't improved much, and if your tenor is a good one, you probably will only need medium pressure. Just a blind opinion of course!

turtleneck · Post by **turtleneck** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 7:27 pm

Thanks very much for the link and info! Figuring out how to adjust a banjo seems more complicated than tweeking a whistle. Now if only I could find out how much blu-tac I need to cram in the back of the banjo before it gets a sweeter tone. ;)

Jayhawk · Post by **Jayhawk** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 12:36 pm

Does the tailpiece have to push down on the strings? I have an old anonymous (likely Slingerland based upon mugawumps ID page) open back tenor, and it's Grover Ptd. simple tail piece is about 1/2 inch above the strings. I can't see how it would push down on the strings - the angle of the thing seems wrong. Here's some pictues of one: http://www.mugwumps.com/tailpieces/grover-simple-tp.jpg

I like the tone of my banjo as is, so you'd need to convince me that it would make a tonal difference before I tried adjusting the unit down to push on the strings (if it's even possible).

Thanks,

Eric

Unseen122 · Post by **Unseen122** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 6:25 pm

The Bridge on my Weymann 140 can adjust the pressure on the strings also so it can't be a new thing.

SteveK · Post by **SteveK** » Thu Dec 22, 2005 1:33 pm

Jayhawk wrote:Does the tailpiece have to push down on the strings?

No. I put a fancy tailpiece on my Whyte Laydie 5-string banjo. It was similar to the one in the picture. It totally ruined the sound of the banjo so I took it off and bought a very simple non-adjustable tailpiece like the one that had originally been on it. Many old time 5-string players prefer a no-knot bridge. I don't think it pushes down on the bridge.

Steve

Jayhawk · Post by **Jayhawk** » Thu Dec 22, 2005 2:29 pm

Thanks Steve. I was guessing it wasn't necessary.

Eric

piperdoc · Post by **piperdoc** » Thu Dec 22, 2005 3:02 pm

for stuff like that search the archives at:
www.banjohangout.org
go to forum
search key words on the relevent forum in your case "banjo setup and repair"

piperdoc · Post by **piperdoc** » Thu Dec 22, 2005 3:06 pm

this, for example:

http://www.banjohangout.org/forum/topic ... adjustment