To buy something wisely, you must have knowledge of what you are buying. Three important DESIGN aspects of a banjo are:
1.) The Rim
2.) The Neck
3.) The Hardware
The rim of the banjo is the heart and soul of the banjo’s sound. The rim must be made of a vibrant, resonant material to create a “musical” tone. The best violins in the world have sides and carved backs made of maple. You cannot make a violin with sides or back of lead, stone, soft aluminum or mushy plastic and create a beautiful musical tone. Banjos are exactly the same.
The vibrating banjo strings transfer their sound to the bridge, which vibrates the banjo head and this starts the maple rim vibrating. The rim keeps the sound vibrating, because of the rim’s mass, which is greater than the head or the bridge. The vibrating qualities inherent in “tone” wood (like maple, mahogany, rosewood, ebony, etc) or “tone metal” (like bronze, brass or some steel) create a more pure, focused tone. Mushy wood, particle board (material made from compressing saw dust and glue together) and soft aluminum create a distorted, diffused, and indistinct sound.
The reason Deering makes every Goodtime banjo rim with three layers of “violin maple” is to capture the same musical brilliance heard in the world’s best violins.
The reason import banjos make rims of soft aluminum or soft, porous wood is cheapness of manufacturing. You cannot make a beautiful resonant bell out of soft aluminum. You can’t make a rich, musical, marimba out of particle board. So, you also can’t make a good sounding banjo out of either material. So why are banjos made overseas made out of both? Cheapness of manufacturing.
Deering is the only banjo maker in the world, building a three-ply rim using violin maple, in a low priced banjo. (Actually, at this writing, Deering is the only banjo maker using real, super quality, violin maple for any banjo…but that’s another story)
The shape of a banjo neck is ergonomically crucial. Whether a neck is thin or thick is certainly important, but the contour or shape is what separates a poor banjo from a great banjo.
Most Deering banjos have a neck shape that is a “D” profile. The “D” refers to the cross-sectional shape of the banjo which is the shape of a capital letter “D”. But that’s not the end of it. The “D” shape only works, when the right attention to detail in the graceful, subtle shaping of the neck is correctly applied by the craftsman who makes the neck. At Deering, this shaping process is the result of over 35 years of defining, refining, skill and mastery.
We use the same, slender, comfortable neck profile on our Goodtime banjo that you will find on a Sierra or GDL. The difference in size of the Deering and Goodtime banjo necks might differ from each other by a few thousandths of an inch, but the profile is the same ergonomically correct shape, designed to create a comfortable and easy reach for the fretting fingers to any string and any fret. Poorly shaped necks, whether slender or thicker, make the player “reach” or “strain to reach” the frets during playing. It’s not just a matter of slender neck versus thicker neck, it’s a matter of correctly shaped neck versus poorly shaped neck.
Cheap, import banjos cannot attain this level of comfort. The skill and musically technical awareness of the workers in the huge factories in China, Indonesia or Taiwan cannot be high enough to attain the superb feel of any Goodtime banjo. Their workforce is usually made up of un-skilled labor that also makes tables, chairs, guitars, cabinets and banjos, in huge factory environments where quality standards are set by a “how much it looks like” a more expensive banjo when hanging in a music store. They make instruments to resemble more expensive instruments when they are hanging on a wall in a music store or in a newsprint catalog photo where detail is conveniently blurred. They are built to sell to customers who don’t have experience with instruments and buy more with their eyes than with their ears and hands.
Every Goodtime banjo neck begins being shaped by a computer controlled milling machine to thousandths of an inch precision, but then, the skilled hands of Deering craftsmen add a second level of precision finesse by hand sanding the final finish and shape to the already precision machined neck. The same skilled hands, that routinely sand and sculpt $6,000 banjo necks, bring the same insight, skill, experience and “magic” to sculpt every Goodtime banjo neck that leaves the Deering factory.
The fine grained, properly seasoned maple neck of the Goodtime banjo, is very hard and stable. This hard wood contributes to the brightness, clarity and longevity of a Goodtime banjo. The fret slots are cut into the neck using computer controlled precision and the frets themselves are deftly pressed into each slot, one at a time by the skilled hands of Deering craftsmen.
The most impossible problem a new banjo student faces, is a banjo with poorly placed frets. When the frets are not precisely placed and installed, the banjo will never play in tune. Most of the cheap banjos from the early turn of the 20th century and the current offshore banjos, have inaccurately placed frets and can never play in tune. Why? Precision takes time, skill and dedication. Many older banjos were made with more primitive tools and sold cheaply in their day. Import banjos today are made to “look like more expensive banjos” but the actual hands on quality can never equal the work of dedicated banjo craftsmen from any period.
Precision fret work and graceful, ergonomically correct neck shape is vital for learning to play the banjo and just as important for a lifetime of continued playing.
On a good banjo, there is a musically scientific reason for every part and every detail of the banjo. The tailpiece of the Goodtime banjo is made of a metal alloy that is “quiet”. “Quiet” means, the metal does not vibrate with a tone of its own. Some banjo companies brag about having a brass or bronze tailpiece. The fact is, if the tailpiece is made of a resonant metal like brass or bronze, it vibrates with a definite pitch and a sound of its own, which adds an un-controllable sound that cannot blend with the vibrating rim. Violins eliminate this “un-wanted sound” possibility by tying their tailpieces on the violin with gut cord, which is like holding the tailpiece on the instrument with a rubber band…the vibration absorbing elasticity of the cord absorbs vibrations so the violin body can vibrate, without the interference that a vibrating tailpiece would cause.
Deering has accomplished this same, time tested, acoustic technique by using a metal in the tailpiece that does not have any tone of its own. We use the same kind of “quiet” metal in the armrest and the coordinator rod inside the banjo’s pot (body). The metal we use is very strong, but musically silent, so all you hear is the beautiful tone produced by the violin maple rim and the bright tone enhancement from the maple neck.
“Quiet” metal, does not conflict with the tone producing parts of the banjo.
On the mechanical side, the cheap import banjos are plagued by breaking j-bolts (also called brackets), breaking tailpieces, non-functioning coordinator rods and truss rods and brittle tension hoops that crack. Parts for these banjos are virtually un-attainable as the distributors of these instruments usually replace the whole banjo if a part breaks. After the customer owns the banjo for a short time, the importers just tell the customer “you’re on your own.” (I know this happens from working for over thirty years in the music business and seeing this first hand.)
Uniquely designed by Greg Deering, the tough, durable steel J-hook used on the Goodtime banjo, is round all the way up to the top where the hook is formed. The hook then flattens out and gets wider to increase the surface area of its grip on the tension hoop. The gripping surface of this design is about triple the gripping surface of the j-hooks on the import banjos. This prevents twisting of the hook and therefore holds the bracket straight when tightening the head.
If you are a knowledgeable car mechanic, and you look at a used car, the odds are better that you might spot problem areas in the car compared to someone who doesn’t have any experience in automotive mechanics. The same is true of banjos. If you are experienced with banjos, then you will “see” things on a banjo that an inexperienced person will not notice.
I taught a class years ago called, “How to Shop for a Banjo”. One of the attendees who wrote many notes and asked many questions, came back to me three weeks later with a banjo she bought in a pawn shop. Though we covered everything in class, she brought in an offshore banjo, with four frets missing, the resonator missing, the fingerboard cracked, the rim was made of toneless, dead aluminum, the neck shape was neither large nor small and so poorly shaped as to not be comfortable for anyone to play, and it had no bridge. She asked me how she did. I gently informed her of the problems, reminded her when I spoke of these things in class, but that “$50.00 price tag” seduced her into a useless remnant, not a playing instrument.
Her in-experience overpowered the instructions she had received.
Since that time, I have generally recommended, for most beginners to stick to new banjos. If you know a knowledgeable banjo dealer, whom you trust, or you have a knowledgeable friend whom you trust, then your odds will improve if you choose to look for a used banjo.
When we are learning to play the banjo, it is virtually impossible for us to know what issues are caused by our technique and what is caused by the banjo. We just don’t have enough experience. If we are fortunate enough to have a good teacher, she or he can try our banjo and tell us whether a sound problem or playing difficulty is a fault of our skill and technique or a problem inherent in the banjo or a combination of both.
Some will read this and feel I am merely making a sales pitch for Deering and the Goodtime banjos. But, it must be understood that like all great instrument makers, Deering does every seemingly small detail for very real and provable, musical reasons. We could make a banjo just as cheap and just as poor quality as the junky imports…. But why should we? We want our banjos to encourage people to learn, love and stay with their banjos.
I wish every new banjo enthusiast would buy a Goodtime banjo, because I know that they would have the best chance to succeed if they did. So please… think carefully before parting with your hard earned money. Try not to be swayed by lots of plastic inlays and useless brick-a-brack. Try to listen with your excellent tone meters…. Your ears.
Your fingers will thank you… and so will your music friends.
]]>Before taking a road trip, it is a good idea to have a destination in mind, determine the best route to get there, what the gas will cost, what food stops you need to make (my favorite part), what sights you might want to see along the way and how much money it will cost for all of that. Buying your first “professional” or “step up” banjo will make more sense if you “map out” your wants and needs.
Determining “Your Sound”
As there are many styles of banjo music, there are even more kinds of banjo sound which is determined partly by the banjo and partly by the player. We will talk in general terms today about banjo sounds, and address the specific styles of banjos in specific styles of music in a future article.
Ask yourself some basic questions:
]]>Before taking a road trip, it is a good idea to have a destination in mind, determine the best route to get there, what the gas will cost, what food stops you need to make (my favorite part), what sights you might want to see along the way and how much money it will cost for all of that. Buying your first “professional” or “step up” banjo will make more sense if you “map out” your wants and needs.
Determining “Your Sound”
As there are many styles of banjo music, there are even more kinds of banjo sound which is determined partly by the banjo and partly by the player. We will talk in general terms today about banjo sounds, and address the specific styles of banjos in specific styles of music in a future article.
Ask yourself some basic questions:
Remember that in any art form, the artist determines the final form of the art. What you love, what motivates you, what excites you, is what will bring you the greatest happiness and fulfillment. Listen to your artistic nature… not the person who thinks they “know better than you.” What banjo someone else uses is not usually relevant to you as an artist. Mapping out what you want will eliminate oversights and regrets in buying your new banjo.
The Core of the Machine
There have been many myths about the tone ring being THE most important part of a banjo. But banjos, like a recipe or a formula, are a compilation of ingredients, design and craftsmanship.
A fast car is not just a powerful engine, but a powerful engine is usually needed to go fast. You also need the right tires, suspension, steering, etc to maximize speed, control and responsiveness…depending on the race. You also must have the steering wheel within proper reach and height for the driver and the seat must be set at the right distance for optimum reach of the gas and brake pedals. Without these “ingredients” and design work, (the ‘recipe’) the most powerful engine alone will not win the race.
Yet, some car enthusiasts are stuck and can only talk about engines and horsepower.
It’s the same with banjos. The tone ring is mounted to the top of the wood rim so the head is stretched over the tone ring. The Deering Sierra is classic example. The rim is made of three separate strips of the finest violin grade maple, bent into three different diameters and glued together. The violin maple is crucial to a beautiful banjo tone because it vibrates freely and with the perfectly balanced combination of brightness, mid range frequencies and bass response for the best, full banjo tone. Rims of furniture maple, (rock maple) are too stiff and enhance mostly high frequencies making a banjo sound thin, lacking fullness or warmth. Rims made of softer woods like luann sound indistinct and “mushy”, lacking clarity and definition.
The rim is then fitted on the top edge with a ring of bell metal (See the Deering -06- tone ring) or sometimes a very ringing, musical wood (see John Hartford model with it’s Grenadilla tone ring). The tone ring must be made of a vibrant, responsive, “musical” material to impart these same qualities to the sound of the banjo. Metals like brass or bronze vibrate with varying degrees of brightness, warmth and responsiveness. Brass tone rings “tend” to have a bit more bright sound and bronze “tends” to be a little darker of tone, BUT… the design of the tone ring can radically change these tendencies. For example, the tubaphone tone ring (see Vega #2) is made of three precisely fitted pieces of brass (some older tubaphones had an iron or mild steel rod in them but Deering has always used a solid brass rod), but because of the design of this tone ring, the Vega banjos have a warm, deep sound with a sweet and gentle brightness. But, the Deering -06- bronze tone ring has a rich and powerful brightness but not piercing or thin. So this is a case where the design of these very different tone rings reversed the natural tonal characteristics of the metal being used. (Acoustic guitar players have known for years that brass wound strings tend to sound a little bit brighter than bronze wound strings.)
Craftsmanship is Critical
The fit of the tone ring to the rim is crucial to banjo tone. Banjos with tone rings that are fitted SUPER tight to the wood rim tend to sound thin and stifled, usually because the metal tone ring constricts the vibrations of the wood rim. Banjos with tone rings that are fitted sloppily or too loose, tend to be dull, or a little thunky… they can’t resonate with the rim as a cohesive unit. When a metal tone ring is correctly fitted to a wood rim, the vibration of the metal tone ring is freely transferred to the wood rim and because it is not “constricted by” or “stifled” by a too tight tone ring, the combination of the two vibrating members works together creating a sound that is greater than the sum of the two parts.
The wood tone ring works in a similar fashion. The Grenadillo wood that is used in our banjo tone rings is the same wood that is used in making marimba keys, bassoons, clarinets, etc. It is chosen because it vibrates with a beautiful musical quality. In a banjo, it highlights more of the low and midrange frequencies so it doesn’t have the brightness of the metal tone ring because no wood is as hard and dense as metal. However, the richness of this species of Mexican rosewood has a fullness and sweetness that is all its own and doesn’t sound like any other banjo. (It makes a banjo that is about three pounds lighter than one with a bronze tone ring: see John Hartford banjo.)
Everybody Else, Keep Quiet
The flange, tailpiece, armrest, coordinator rods and all other metal parts of a banjo need to be quiet. They must not make any noise or sound that interferes with the vibration of the rim and the tone ring. The Deering one piece cast flange is made of a zinc alloy, that doesn’t make any sound. The bracket shoes in the Vega, Boston and Goodtime banjos are also made of a zinc alloy that does not vibrate. These parts have traditionally been made of some variant of a soft, non-musical alloy to make them quiet. The Deering and Goodtime tailpieces are made of a steel alloy that is tough enough to withstand the tension of banjo strings, but mild enough to not add any sound to the banjo and interfere with the tone producing parts of a banjo. Violin makers have always isolated the ebony tailpieces from the body of violin by tying them on with gut cord. The cord acts like a stiff rubber band that prevents the tailpiece from vibrating by absorbing tailpiece vibration and so focuses the string vibration into the bridge and top and sides of the violin…just like our banjos. Because the tailpiece is silent, the strings vibrate the through the bridge, the head into the tone ring and rim of a Deering banjo.
Banjos like the Sierra, the Deluxe, Maple Blossom, Calico or GDL use the same bell bronze tone ring, once piece zinc alloy flange, quiet (true-tone) tailpiece, armrest and coordinator rods.
What is the Tone Significance of the Neck?
The neck has a direct effect on tone. The harder the wood is in the banjo’s neck, the stiffer the neck becomes and the brighter the banjo’s sound. The softer and less stiff the wood is in the banjo neck, the warmer and mellower is the sound of the banjo. Why? Imagine if we tied one end of a steel cable to a concrete wall and the other end to a two inch diameter piece of pine, six feet long, set in concrete in the ground. When we pulled on the cable, the pine post would bend significantly more than the concrete wall. Now, if we set a two inch diameter steel pipe, six feet long into the concrete in the ground, tied the steel from wall to post, the post would bend significantly less than the pine post.
Imagine the tailpiece is the concrete wall because it doesn’t move much when the strings are fastened to it. The banjo neck is the post in the ground. The steel cable is the banjo string. When we pluck the string, we are pulling the string and releasing it. The softer wood like, mahogany, will bend more from the pluck of the string, and vibrate more from the energy of the string. The mahogany will absorb more of the string’s vibration. A maple neck, which is harder and stiffer than mahogany, just like the steel post, will not deflect as much as the mahogany when the finger plucks the string. This drives more of the vibrating energy into the bridge and the stiffness of the maple enhances more high frequencies in the string’s vibrations making it brighter.
So, mahogany necked banjos tend to be “sweet” and warm sounding. Maple necked banjos tend to by “brighter”. Maple also tends to be a little more dynamic in that they can be touched very lightly with more volume and played a little harder and louder because the wood does not absorb as much vibration as the mahogany.
Walnut necks, are not as stiff as maple, but not as soft as mahogany so walnut offers a true “in between” sound that is brighter than mahogany and a little warmer than maple.
The Beauty is in the Details
These details may seem insignificant, but players like Jens Kruger or Tony Trishka or Bela Fleck who listen to banjos many hours every day, begin to hear and identify sounds in their instrument that they can often identify and verbalize these qualities to luthiers like Greg Deering allowing for improvement. Jens Kruger and Greg Deering have worked together for years in pin-pointing these “mistakes” as Jens calls them and eliminating them… one by one.
The professional race car driver can “feel” a six pound reduction in tire pressure in one tire of their car but I could drive for a week with such a tire imbalance and not be the least bit aware of it. The race car driver might not “hear” the poorly fitted tone ring in a banjo, but like the tire pressure, to the up and coming intermediate banjoist the smallest detail makes the huge difference and with more and more experience on the banjo, the details become more prominent; good and bad.
You may ask, “But if I can’t hear it, why does it matter to me?”
At first, when you are getting started, some of these sound details may not matter to you or you may not be consciously aware of them…but when your knowledge catches up with your senses and awareness, (we all hear these things in the sound spectrum of the banjo but we can’t always identify them.) then you’ll be stuck with a banjo that has a clanging tailpiece, a loud ringing coordinator rod, irritating and interfering brass or bronze flange and thin stifled tone of a furniture maple rim. Why pay your hard earned money for traditional thinking like, “that’s the way we’ve always done it”? Stradivarius did not make “traditional” violins in his day. His attention to “seemingly insignificant” details set his violins apart from all his competitors, to this day! He made beautiful violins with his focus on the tiniest, tiniest detail. Great luthiers have always agonized over tiny details in the quest for beautiful sound.
How should I utilize Deering’s building mastery in choosing my banjo?
Here are a few guidelines:
Generally, a deeper resonator on a banjo (see the Golden Era, Golden Wreath and Golden Classic, Terry Baucom,) will create a more hollow, darker tone.
The shallower resonator, (Sierra, Deluxe, Black Diamond, Maple Blossom, Calico and most of the Deering banjo line) has a little more “immediate” response with powerful bass and a little more brightness than the deep resonator.
The bell bronze cast tone ring (commonly used in bluegrass banjos) has a powerful sound which remains solid and “punchy” over the entire range of notes on the fingerboard. (i.e.: Sierra, Deluxe, Black Diamond, Maple Blossom, Calico, GDL, Terry Baucom, Golden Era, Golden Wreath, Golden Classic)
The lighter weight brass tone rings like the Vega tubaphone has a slightly softer sound character than the heavy bell bronze tone ring. They are preferred by those who like a warm, gentle sound, with pronounced mid range and just a little high end sparkle….but not too much. The tone is “lighter” and doesn’t have quite the “punch” of the heavier tone ring. But many clawhammer and Dixieland players love the full sweetness of the tubaphone above all other banjos.
The new Deering Eagle bell brass “2010” tone ring has a beautiful mid range with sweet, brightness and supportive warmth from the bass response. This patent-pending tone ring works great under a light touch, heavy attack and every where in between. Though it weighs about the same as the Deering ’06 tone ring, it looks nothing like it and has a beautiful musicality attributed to many of the famous pre-war banjos.
Deering’s John Hartford grenadilla tone ring, has a warm, strong mid-range sound with a bit less of the high end “ping” heard in bronze and brass tone ring banjos. It responds quite well to a strong attack. This banjo also “ages” or matures much like a guitar or violin. While it is true that all banjos mature with age, the grenadilla tone ring banjo does it faster. The more it is played, the more the tone gets richer, the touch gets more and more responsive and most Hartford owners who love their banjos new, rave about them after a year or two. (Nice if want a lighter weight banjo to ease back problems, shoulder problems etc. without sacrificing sound quality.)
The Kruger tone ring used in the Tenbrooks banjos has an almost perfect balance of brightness, warmth, sweetness, power, fullness, clarity and responsiveness that it truly is in a class by itself. These banjos have a “classical purity” of tone. When the orchestra begins tuning one instrument at a time, by the time all the instruments are all playing together, the orchestra now sounds like one big sound….not 100 individual sounds. Yet when one of the instruments in the orchestra takes a solo, it can clearly (specific term chosen…clearly) be heard above the rest of the orchestra. The Kruger tone ring banjos may be one of the only banjos made in the world that can blend with an orchestra and yet be heard clearly during a solo.
The word “sustain” is used to describe the length of time that a banjo string vibrates when plucked once. Some banjoists like a banjo that sustains for a long time so they can shorten the sustain of the notes with their technique. Banjo design is necessary to increase sustain. But technique can be employed to shorten sustain. That being said, some players really like a short, quick sustain so their fast playing doesn’t run the notes together.
Softer woods like mahogany tend to not sustain as long as maple. Rosewood necks sustain the longest. (Not rosewood fingerboards, but when the entire neck is made of rosewood either with ebony or rosewood finger board.)
Thicker bridges tend to sustain longer and sound warmer than thin bridges. Some players sand their bridges very thin for a short sustain and sharper sound.
Banjos that are heavier tend to sustain a longer than light weight banjos. A smooth bowling ball will roll down the wood bowling ally further than a smooth ping pong ball because of the inertia of the heavier ball. The heavier banjo will sustain longer per pluck than a lighter weight banjo, generally speaking. BUT, this and all of these descriptions are only part of the recipe that makes up the sound of your banjo.
Putting It Together
You can make a good choice of a new Deering banjo by making a list of your wants and requirements and then compare your description with what you’ve read here. If you have access to a good Deering dealer (see dealer locator) take your list to the dealer to find your banjo. If you don’t have a dealer close, you can order your banjo with greater confidence by picking some of the elements listed above and matching them to the models that have these ingredients. It may sound kind of mechanical, but these tendencies are relatively predictable and will not steer you wrong.
Matching up the “sound in your head”, as John Hartford described it, with the reality of the banjos that are available, can be accomplished with good accuracy if you stay honest with yourself when “mapping” out your list of requirements, be cautious in accepting traditional ideas like “that’s the way a banjo is supposed to be” and remember that you DO know what you like… and no one else does.
There are some things that haven’t been addressed here. So, if you have any questions please write us at info@deeringbanjos.com.
]]>THE VIBRATING MEMBRANE:
The thin, drum-like head of the banjo creates the “popping”, “snappy” sound of a banjo. This “membrane” that is activated by the bridge and strings, responds quickly because of its thin, sensitive, easily responding nature. A guitar sound board can be around an eighth of an inch thick, with spruce braces almost an inch tall and a bridge about one by six inches and almost three eighths of an inch thick.
A plastic banjo head is around twelve thousandths of an inch thick, stretched over an open eleven inch, braceless expanse with a bridge that is about one eighth inch thick at the bottom, five eighths of an inch tall and only two and a half inches long. Yes, there is more to the banjo than just the tight drum head and light, slender bridge, but this illustrates some of the mechanical differences between a guitar and a banjo. Because the guitar top is so much thicker and braced to carry to the load of heavy guitar strings and banjos have a thin “membrane” that makes its “soundboard” or sounding member, the guitar is naturally softer and mellower than the snappy sparkle of a banjo.
The banjo’s “thin membrane” head, like an ear drum, is one secret to the expressive nature of a banjo. The lightest touch of a finger on a string makes a beautiful, delicate, musical sound. A strong attack on the strings makes a very powerful, driving tone that can be heard over long distances. This kind of “dynamic response” is one of the most gratifying aspects of playing a banjo. To be able to play very quietly and to play with great power is what every musician dreams about as the “perfect instrument.”
But what about the effect of all the “stuff” on a banjo like the tone ring, the tailpiece, the various flange designs, the effect of the neck wood and the adjustments like head tension, kind of head, etc.?
THE RIM:
The rim of the banjo is the part that the head is stretched over. The world’s best banjos all have rims made with three plies or three layers of maple. (Deering banjos use only the absolute finest violin maple; for Goodtimes, Deerings, Eagles, Vega, and Tenbrooks lines.) The rim is THE heart of the banjo.
THE TONE RING:
When a resonant ring of some kind of “bell metal” (the metals used to make bells) is mounted to the top of the rim so the head is stretched over the metal ring, that ring is called a tone ring.
A properly made, correctly “fitted” tone ring expands the banjo’s tone character. The correct fit of the tone ring means the rim and the tone ring vibrate as one, without either part stifling or restricting the other. The bell metal tone ring (and some wood tone rings like our John Hartford banjo) increases the brightness AND the bass response in a banjo’s tone. The sound becomes “bigger” or “richer and fuller”. When the banjo is properly constructed with a good tone ring, the tone actually becomes clearer; with more precise “edges” to the sound.
Clear sounds project further. Sounds with distortion or any lack of clarity do not project very far. Some players say they want banjos that are “loud”. What they really want is a banjo that is “clear”.
However, the tone ring is an enhancement to the wood rim. A wood rim without a tone ring has a pronounced “mid-range” sound; not super bright, not super deep. This sound is considered desirable for many styles of music. Clawhammer players like this warm, mid-range sound, reminiscent of old recordings of early banjoists.
Fingerpicking banjoists tend to like banjos with fairly heavy, bell metal tone rings. This enhanced bass and treble response helps make the banjo feel more responsive when just using fingers to strike the strings. Clawhammer style uses more wrist and arm so the technique has more physical energy (from the bigger muscle groups used) so a softer sounding banjo can still be played with broad dynamics.
Tone ring or no tone ring is not better or best, just different.
TONAL WOOD:
The wood used in the neck of the banjo, definitely affects the “color” of the banjo’s sound. Mahogany is the softest of the hardwoods and makes the sound warmer, softer and sweeter.
Maple is a harder, denser wood which makes the banjo sound brighter and a little less bass. The harder neck also increases the “dynamic response” meaning that the banjo can be played very quietly or very loudly…a little more breadth of expression than the softer mahogany.
Walnut is in between the mahogany and maple… brighter than mahogany but warmer or sweeter than maple.
The harder and stiffer the neck, the brighter the banjo. The softer the neck, the warmer and softer the sound. The softer neck absorbs some of the vibration of the string. The harder neck absorbs less and transmits the vibration more to the bridge, head, rim, etc.
ADJUSTABLE TAILPIECE:
An adjustable tailpiece on a banjo will make the banjo sound “sharper” or “snappier” when it is adjusted to apply more string pressure on the bridge. When the adjustable tailpiece is adjusted to decrease the string pressure on the bridge, the banjo sounds mellower, or less snappy. Again, just like tone ring or no tone ring, or choice of neck wood, adjustments are not better or best. They are just techniques for fine tuning the banjo to personal taste.
HEAD TENSION:
While we’ve written about the sounds of various banjo heads in other articles on our website, ( www.deeringbanjos.com ) each kind of head still responds to several basic fundamentals. The head that is extremely tight makes the banjo sound “snappier” or more crisp. The head that is softer sounds a little “plunkier” or mellow with less sustain. There is a happy medium for most players where the banjo has some crispness, good sustain, with enough warmth to be pleasing and this is usually accomplished when the head is tuned to just around a G#. This is another example of fine tuning the banjo to the player and not “the best” setting for everyone.
SUSTAIN:
Generally, banjos that weigh more, sustain their notes longer. Even though the zinc flange of a resonator banjo is “toneless” or “silent” it still adds weight to a banjo and more weight usually mean the strings will vibrate longer. This is a classic example that a heavier object in motion stays in motion longer than a lighter object when given the same energy. If you push a ping pong ball with twenty pounds of force, it will stop rolling sooner than a bowling ball pushed with twenty pounds of force. So, a lighter banjo will tend to sustain a bit less than a heavy banjo. Not better or best, just different.
THE RESONATOR:
The resonator is a forward sound projector. The sound can’t penetrate the resonator and is focused forward to the front of the player. However, the resonator also encloses the rim of the banjo, so now the sound of the banjo has been changed by the sound being “enclosed” in a chamber, as opposed to an open back banjo which has no real enclosure other than your tummy.
Creating this “sound chamber” now has changed the character of the banjo sound. A deep resonator has a slightly darker, more “hollow” sound. A comparatively shallow resonator has less “hollowness” and the banjo’s response is quicker or “more immediate”. Deering makes three different resonator depths to create different banjo tones. Each depth creates a “resonant frequency” of that particular volume of space inside that banjo. Putting a deeper resonator on a banjo that had a shallower resonator has a profound effect on the sound.
THE “SILENT” PARTS OF THE BANJO:
However, most other parts on the banjo need to be “silent”. The tailpieces of some of the most famous historic banjos were made of “pot metal” to keep them from vibrating and interfering with the rim tone. The armrest should be strong but made of a mild metal that doesn’t musically vibrate and compete with the rim tone. The flange should be made of soft, un-musical metal so it doesn’t compete with the rim tone. The resonator does vary in tonal effect by its depth and to a smaller extent by what wood is used on the outer veneers. (Resonators are laminated for strength and stability so the outer veneer has a smaller effect on the tone. Solid wood resonators can be problematic and we won’t discuss them here.)
OVERVIEW:
The rim and tone ring are the heart of the banjo tone. The neck is a “color added” contributor. The resonator depth or the lack of a resonator entirely, changes the character of a banjo sound. The bridge is a sound conductor that should be carved to the thickness and made of the material that transmits sound the way the player wants it. The head when stretched to various tensions transmits the vibrations according to its tightness.
While this is not a scientific presentation, it is intended to show a basic idea of how the banjo works. The rim vibrates; the neck compliments rim; the resonator (if used) enhances the rim and just about everything else needs to be as quiet as possible.
Banjos with aluminum rims, soft wood rims covered in veneers, zinc tone rings, die cast brass tone rings, incorrectly fitted tone rings; all defy the basic understanding of how a banjo works and should be avoided.
Deering advertises all of the features in our banjos so our customers know what they are buying and why we make banjos the way we do. We respect traditions. But acoustics must be obeyed whether traditional or not. When shopping for a banjo, ask the dealer or contact the manufacturer and ask them why they build banjos the way they do. If they can’t tell you, or they brush off your questions, look somewhere else. Better yet, contact us. We can tell you why we build our banjos the way we do, and our reasons are based in a strong understanding of acoustics and banjo design.
Be sure the banjo you buy was built with “sound reasoning” and not just “because that’s just the way it’s always been done.”
]]>Many folks think that there are just 5-string and 4-string banjos. Well, that is “sort of right” but within those choices there are also a number of scale lengths to choose from.
While you should never be limited by your instrument in choice of music, there are certain scales that work better for various kinds of music and it is this we will be discussing today.
]]>Many folks think that there are just 5-string and 4-string banjos. Well, that is “sort of right” but within those choices there are also a number of scale lengths to choose from.
While you should never be limited by your instrument in choice of music, there are certain scales that work better for various kinds of music and it is this we will be discussing today.
We make so many 5-string banjos here at Deering. I counted 70 standard models - but they are not all alike. We have different tonal woods, different tone rings, different banjo heads, different pickups installed, and different scale lengths.
We will focus today on scale and type of music, but always with the thought that you are the arbiter of the kind of music you like to play best on your banjo.
The standard 22-fret, 5-string banjo with a scale length of 26 ¼” is one of the most versatile banjos you could ever play. Be it openback or resonator, this banjo can be used for bluegrass, country, gospel, jazz, folk, rock,classical. Pretty much any kind of music you want to play. Usually tuned to open G (G,D,G,B,D) tuning, with the use of a capo and some sort of 5th string capo device, you can pretty much choose your tuning on this banjo to fit your song.
There are any number of good teaching materials out for 5-string banjo. There are books, DVDs, charts, free YouTube videos, and it is usually easier to find a 5-string banjo teacher…though finding a banjo teacher in the first place can sometimes be challenging!
We make a lovely, shorter scale parlor 5-string banjo in our Goodtime line of banjos. With only 19-frets but still tuned to open G, this little banjo is just “short enough” to accommodate smaller framed individuals as well as children. Since they weigh only 4-5 pounds, weight is never an issue on an openback or resonator back Parlor Goodtime banjo. The scale is 23” and though it is tuned to open G, you could tune it to A if you like.
The “big daddy” of the 5-string banjo would probably be the long neck banjo. With a scale length of 32 7/64” and 25 frets, it is tuned to E (E,B,E,G#,B). This banjo was the idea of folk era icon Pete Seeger and many know the songs of the Kingston Trio who further popularized the banjo during the height of the folk music. To me the beauty of this banjo is that you can use the same chord forms that you use on the 22-fret, 5-string banjo only you have the lovely “low” sound that comes with E tuning.
What’s the additional beauty of these 5-string banjos? They can be played in various styles of play - bluegrass, strumming, clawhammer. It just seems like a limitless banjo for everyone to try.
This banjo is used for some of the liveliest musical choices…the kind of music that gets toes tapping and hands clapping. You usually think of a 4-string with Irish music or Traditional Jazz (Dixieland), but these banjos are really quite versatile. Standard tenor tuning is the same as viola or mandola and the Irish tenor tuning is the same as the mandolin or violin - only an octave lower so try these banjos on some classical or bluegrass tunes. Throw some Bill Monroe licks on these banjos and you'll see what I mean!
The 17-fret tenor banjo is most commonly thought of as the “Irish tenor” and is usually tuned G,D,A,E (4th-1st) with a scale length of 21”. We make this scale in both our Goodtime and upper line Deering banjos.
The 19-fret tenor banjo is usually set to C,G,D,A (4th to 1st). This one can be used for Traditional Jazz (Dixieland) and Irish music. The 19-fret tenor is popular with the well known Dropkick Murphys Band.
The 22-fret four string banjo is called a Plectrum banjo and is tune C,G,B,D (which 5-string players may recognize as drop C tuning). Here is an interesting historical note. Did you know that a flat pick was originally called a “plectrum”? Yes, that is where the plectrum banjo got its name because it is traditionally played with a flat pick. This is used for traditional jazz music and you all may have seen the players at Disneyland with their straw hats and plectrum banjo picking away for the street crowds.
This one can also be tuned to D,G,B,E (also know as Chicago tuning) so you guitar players out there should really get one of these banjos!
Banjo is experiencing a new Renaissance. More and more folks are coming to banjo for the first time or are returning to it after many years. Some of the interest is coming from the guitar playing musician who wants to expand his musical repertoire. Many of them would like to take their existing skill set and transfer it to the banjo. Enter the 6-string! While this is not a new instrument created by Deering Banjos and has been part of the banjo world for decades, we do make the best 6-string on the market today. Our 6-string banjos have been used by many main stream artists and bands you are familiar with such as Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, Joe Satriani, Taj Mahal, John Fogerty, and many more.
Why so popular? Because it’s just plain fun to play and to quote them “it sounds so cool.”
The musical versatility of this banjo is legend. Many guitar sessions players own them so that they can add that “banjo sound” to a new recording. You can play jazz on it as did the famous Johnny St. Cyr of Louis Armstrong’s band. You can play country like any number of main stream artists today. Harvey Reid, Deering’s first endorsing artist on this instrument, has used it in any number of musical genres.
12-string banjo? Yes, the unique 12 string banjo is played just like a 12-string guitar.
The effect is delicate, lacey, and different from anything you have ever hard. Again, if you listen to Harvey Reid’s “The Artistry of the 6-string Banjo” CD, you will know exactly what we are talking about.
These brief descriptions give only general guidelines. We urge you to contact us or check out our FAQ section on Banjo Buying Tips for more specific questions. Talking about banjos is what we really love to do!
]]>When the Goodtime banjo was first introduced, it was the only banjo in the price range that had a hard wood rim. The rim was a multi-ply rim of maple and birch, and created a sweet, rich, and bright sounding banjo. It quickly became the recommended choice of banjo teachers to their students.
Deering could have rested on the laurels of this success, kept the banjo exactly as it was and it would have continued to be the best and most popular banjo available at the price point. But, when Deering discovered the fabulous tone of the
]]>Deering could have rested on the laurels of this success, kept the banjo exactly as it was and it would have continued to be the best and most popular banjo available at the price point. But, when Deering discovered the fabulous tone of the “violin grade maple” used in all Deering made upperline banjos, Greg Deering broke every tradition in the world of music by building every Goodtime banjo with the same three ply, “violin grade maple” rim. He did this without raising the price. The same three ply, violin grade maple rim concept that is used in banjos costing more than $32,000 is used in the affordable Goodtime banjos. Traditionally, less expensive banjos from other companies have always been made with less expensive materials. The Goodtime banjo broke that mold.
The Sierra banjo, when first introduced, was called “the Standard”. It had a rosewood fingerboard, dot inlays on the fingerboard, and a silk screen for the peghead adornment. At one point, after customer requests, Greg Deering decided to just make the Standard with an ebony fingerboard - without raising the price. Then, when Greg discovered a way to cut inlays by utilizing a new technology, he instantly upgraded the Sierra again by adding some beautiful, maple inlays wrapped around the mother of pearl dots on the Sierra fingerboard. Again he did this without raising the price.
This upgrade was so well received that Greg used the same technology and some new synthetic material to upgrade the Sierra even more. The new Sierra had beautiful new inlays on the fingerboard but also on the peghead, and the popular mother of pearl dots and maple inlays were then reassigned to the Boston banjo which was an upgrade to that model as well - without raising the price for either the Sierra or the Boston.
Soon, the Deluxe was upgraded with a beautiful new set of inlays. Then, after that, the Deluxe was changed to walnut neck and resonator - without raising the price.
When the first Deering banjos were built, the tone ring was a beautiful sand cast bell bronze tone ring. Though it was known around the world and is still played and cherished, Greg discovered a new alloy and a new tone ring shape. This gave the banjo an even clearer, sweeter, and rounder tone. So, in 2006, the new -06- tone ring was introduced ushering a new era in strong fundamental banjo tone with the most complimentary harmonics in banjo history - without raising the price.
The new -06- tone ring was an instant success and was immediately built into every Deering banjo… - without raising the prices of the models.
But Barry, banjo prices have gone up.
Like every business the cost of metal, wood, glue, electricity, shipping, fuel, and labor costs have been the driving force in price increases….but at Deering, the price increases were not in the improvements.
Greg Deering’s focus from the beginning of Deering banjos was to offer the world the most beautiful banjo possible and never miss an opportunity to improve every aspect of every banjo regardless of the price point.
This never ending “philosophy of improvement” has created banjos with the strongest and clearest “fundamental note” made today. The fundamental tone or fundamental note is the note being played. For example, if you pluck the D string, the fundamental tone or note is a D. However, if the related harmonics of that note are not “complimentary” then the note can sound at best “indistinct” or “blurred” or “distorted…fuzzy”. But if the note is precisely defined, where the “fundamental note” is clearly presented, and the complimentary harmonics of that note do not “clash” with the fundamental, then the banjo is said to have a “clear fundamental.”
Deering makes the only banjos available today that have enough “fundamental tone clarity” to be played in a classical music environment. This fundamental tone clarity is the result of the tone wood in the rim, the fit of the tone ring to the rim, the shape and alloy of the tone ring. The shape, fit and materials themselves are the components that contribute to the pure sound production of a banjo. Classical tone purity means the instruments can blend well, or stand out as solo instruments.
Most orchestras have rejected banjos in the past because the fundamental notes of most banjos have sounded “tinny” or “thin” or “un-pleasantly piercing.” This is commonly caused by a thin fundamental note, with overtones that are too loud, or not “in tune” with the fundamental note.
Deering’s “philosophy of improvement” has allowed players like Jens Kruger to play the banjo with orchestras around the world.
Deering has invested heavily in improved tooling, jigs and manufacturing techniques to continually improve every banjo and this has been “the Deering Way” since the company’s inception in 1975. It is this “philosophy of improvement” that has positioned Deering as “the Most Popular American Made Banjo In the World”.
This is a position in the banjo market that has been entrusted to us by our customers, and one that we never, ever take for granted.
]]>About six months ago, we shipped a new, Tenbrooks Legacy banjo to a store and I recently received a call from the customer who ordered it, where he proceeded to tell me how he loved his banjo. What stood out in the conversation was when he said, “I can play faster on this banjo than any of my other banjos.”
While I have heard this comment over the many years since the introduction of the Tenbrooks banjos, I haven’t ever written about why this happens with so many players.
Speed is generally enhanced by two factors: responsiveness to the picking fingers and the lightest touch possible when fretting.
]]>While I have heard this comment over the many years since the introduction of the Tenbrooks banjos, I haven’t ever written about why this happens with so many players.
Speed is generally enhanced by two factors: responsiveness to the picking fingers and the lightest touch possible when fretting.
The Tenbrooks Pot Assembly
The violin maple used for the rim of the Tenbrooks banjos is one of the most perfectly balanced and responsive tone woods in the world. This is why it has been one of the most popular woods used to make violins.
The tone ring is meticulously fitted to the rim to transmit the vibrations clearly and without stifling any of the harmonics that make a banjo sound full and musical.
The one piece flange on a traditional banjo fits the rim like a large diameter wedding ring fits on a finger. This naturally constricts the rim’s freedom to vibrate to a small extent.
The Tenbrooks banjos works differently. It utilizes a unique fit of the resonator flange to the rim. This reduces the contact with the rim and therefore allows the wood rim to vibrate more freely. This is one of the significant differences between the Tenbrooks banjos and all other banjos.
The rim that is the most free to vibrate is the rim that responds the easiest.
The Neck and the Frets
The shape of the neck is important for comfort of playing. The neck that fits the player allows the fretting fingers to reach across the strings comfortably. Comfort generally makes repeated motions easier and faster. However, the height of the frets can dramatically affect the speed of play on a banjo.
When a fret is very tall, the player only has to push the string to the upper back edge of the fret - and no further.
Many old banjos from the turn of the century had nice neck shapes but they mostly used skinny, shallow frets, which meant the fingers pushed harder to hold the strings down because the fingerboard surface literally got in the way.
The Tenbrooks banjos have tall frets that require the lightest touch possible to make a clear note. So, mechanically, the player doesn’t have to push the strings as far or hold them as hard.
This ability to “hop” from fret to fret, without having to “stop” and “push down hard” on the strings, enables greater speed with the fretting hand. I can juggle three basketballs much faster and easier than three bowling balls because there is less “effort” or “muscle action” needed to move the lighter weight objects.
It’s the same with lifting your fingers up off the strings and moving them to the next string and fret; if there is less muscle action needed, you can move faster.
The Inter-Limb Connection
Because human beings have two arms and two hands, and those appendages are part of the same person, what happens to one hand affects the other.
So, when the Tenbrooks banjo player’s picking hand doesn’t have to work as hard to pick a note, the fretting hand responds by being more relaxed. When the Tenbrooks banjo player’s fretting hand doesn’t have to grip so hard to hold the strings down, the picking hand also responds by being more relaxed.
The combination of two relaxed arms and hands means both hands are moving with less “effort”. (In this example, the use of the word “effort” is a description of moving the hands and arms with more muscle action than is needed. It’s like tightening the muscles in your legs like you are lifting something and then trying to run fast with that same clenching, pushing muscle action…the un-wanted muscle action hinders your legs from moving quickly.)
Muscle action is not the same as muscle tension. Well trained “muscle action” feels effortless. Muscle tension is more like “unwanted” or “inappropriately timed” muscle action. (Like trying to run with your leg muscles tightly clenched.) Physical therapists understand this phenomenon and must be aware of the effect when helping patients with hand issues.
The Tenbrooks Banjos are FAST
While speed and dexterity are more a matter of training and skill, there is no doubt that “better” banjos can be played faster because they are more responsive and easier to fret.
The Tenbrooks banjo that our customer was so happy with is probably the epitome of a “fast banjo”.
With a rim that is likely the most dynamically responsive in the world today and a comfortable neck with tall frets that require the absolute minimum touch to make a clear note when moving really fast, it is no mystery why virtually every Tenbrooks banjo owner comments, “I can play this banjo faster than any other banjo!”
]]>A common question that we get regarding our banjo ukuleles is “since tenor uke and the concert uke are tuned the same, what is the difference?” The Goodtime concert banjo ukulele has a scale length of 14 ¾ inches. The three ply Maple rim is 11 inches in diameter. The Goodtime tenor banjo ukulele has a scale length of 17 inches and has a larger diameter three ply Maple rim of 12 inches.
Both the concert uke and the tenor uke have 17 frets. Both use Aquila super nylgut strings. Both are tuned G, C, E, A. (Listed from 4th to 1st string)
]]>Both the concert uke and the tenor uke have 17 frets. Both use Aquila super nylgut strings. Both are tuned G, C, E, A. (Listed from 4th to 1st string)
Many concert ukuleles have bodies that are 11 inches long. So using the 11 inch diameter three ply Maple rim is a very natural adaptation for the concert ukulele banjo. Tenor ukuleles not only have longer scale length than a concert ukulele but the body of the tenor is usually larger than the body of the concert ukulele. Generally speaking, an 11 inch diameter head vibrates at a higher frequency than a wider 12 inch diameter head. So the 11 inch diameter ukulele banjo sounds brighter than the 12 inch tenor banjo ukulele.
The 12 inch diameter head vibrates at a lower frequency than the 11 inch and so the 12 inch diameter tenor banjo ukulele has a little more warmth to the sound.
The concert scale length, being shorter, makes the strings feel a little stiffer or tighter, both for the fretting hand as well as for the strumming hand. The tenor scale length, because the strings are stretched over a longer distance but tuned to the same notes feel softer both under the fretting fingers and the strumming fingers.
The tighter string tension of the concert scale also contributes to some of the “popping sharpness” that is so characteristically banjo in the concert banjo ukulele. The slightly softer string tension of the tenor banjo uke contributes to more of the “gentle sweetness” that is reminiscent of a wood bodied ukulele.
For some players the shorter scale of the concert banjo uke is very comfortable because the frets are closer together than on the longer tenor scale. And conversely, the more widely spaced longer tenor scale is more comfortable for some players who like or need more room to finger chords.
Aside from ergonomic preferences, the concert ukulele banjo and the tenor ukulele banjo are two uniquely different instruments.
To say that one is “better” than the other is similar to saying a viola is better than a violin or a banjo is better than a guitar. The unique character of each instrument has its own wonderful benefits.
For the ukulele player who loves the banjo sound and would like to capture as much of that as possible using ukulele tuning and the familiar ukulele chords, concert banjo ukulele would work quite well.
For the ukulele player who also loves the banjo sound but possibly wants an instrument that retains some of the warmth and fullness of a wood bodied ukulele, the tenor banjo ukulele is the perfect choice. Therefore, these two banjo ukuleles should be considered not as one or the other but as two different instruments both of which have wonderful benefits unique to themselves.
Okay, I can hear it now “yeah Barry, you’re just trying to sell us two instruments instead of one!”
While that thought did cross my mind… I think it’s wisest to apply the right tool for the job. It’s not uncommon for ukulele players, banjo players and definitely guitar players to have several instruments that they use for very specific purposes.
For example: if I was playing in a ukulele group and I wanted a banjo ukulele that would give me a little more “traditional kind of banjo sound” I might choose the concert ukulele banjo.
If I was performing solo and needed as much support to my voice as possible, I might choose the tenor banjo ukulele. But ideally, if I owned both, I would have the ideal banjo ukulele for any application.
This is true of all instruments and not just banjo ukuleles. If you are limited by budget to only one, then try them both and determine which one would fit the majority of your needs.
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Tenor banjos are generally used for traditional jazz or Irish music and are traditionally played with a flat pick. In traditional jazz the majority of the time you strum the banjo and in Irish music you are generally playing single note melodies.
What makes tenor banjos particularly appealing is that they are traditionally tuned in the musical interval of fifths. This is the same as the string family in an orchestra - violins, violas, and cellos (except the bass).
There are two common ways to tune them - both using fifths.
Standard Tenor Tuning - C, G, D, A - same as viola and cello (cello is an octave lower). Get strings for standard tenor tuning here!
Irish Tenor Tuning - G, D, A, E - same as mandolin and violin! Get strings for Irish tenor tuning here!
A third way to tune the tenor banjo that is popular among guitar players is to tune it in what is called Chicago tuning. This tuning is the same as the first four strings of a guitar - D, G, B, E.
One of the great things about the tenor banjo when tuned in fifths is the wider chord voicings (the notes of the chord are spread out father in pitch) this creates. this allows each individual note of the chord to be heard and produces a clearer, fatter tone than when the notes of a chord are closer together. Another great thing the tuning of 5ths creates is symmetry across all strings when playing a scale, lick, or arpeggio. Find out more about the benefits of this symmetrical tuning here!
I play traditional jazz and I love the percussive nature of the instrument. When playing without a drummer, you really become the drummer of the band. After all, a banjo is just a drum with strings on it!
I also like to use the standard tenor tuning because the first string tuned to a high A note really allows the top note of your chord voicings to cut through and makes it great for chord solos.
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It is important to understand that the very specific materials that comprise various tone rings can have a profound effect on the character of the sound of a banjo and changing any ingredient will change the sound to some degree. In other words, spaghetti sauce tastes different when you spill too much salt or oregano into the pot. Changing alloy, weight or dimension of a banjo tone-ring changes the taste or character of the sound.
We will try to describe the various tone rings that Deering makes and make comparisons between them to help determine what “kind” of sound each produces. Some Deering banjos have rims that are not made with a tone ring and we will discuss them here so that all tone rings and rims will be discussed.
The Deering Twenty-Hole Bronze -06- Tone Ring
The Deering Twenty Hole -06- Tone Ring is often called a “flathead” or “flat top” tone ring. First built into Deering banjos in 2006, this tone ring was not only an instant success but it was also the result of a history-making, new, and innovative approach in tone ring manufacturing. The new alloy creates a tone ring with rich, complex harmonics that give the banjo a more musical character and expression, incredibly powerful, always superbly beautiful with a clear, bright ringing sound and good sustain.
The Deering -06- Tone Ring embodies all of the most desired tonal characteristics sought after by today’s top pickers. Flathead tone rings are by far the most popular design for five-string resonator banjos used by fingerpicking bluegrass banjoists. Deering’s -06- tone ring has sparkling, ringing high tones and powerful rich bass response with a sweet, but solidly powerful mid-range, that creates a full, brilliant and solid banjo tone. The response of this tone ring is so powerful and even, like the greatest violins and pianos in the classical music world, that the new Deering -06- player commonly feels that each and every fretted note has an equal intensity that translates to an ease of playability, prized and found, only in the most meticulously designed and crafted musical instruments that have been imitated but not duplicated throughout history.
The Deering -06- tone ring has a huge, powerful dynamic range. It can be played exquisitely soft for sweet, gentle passages. Or, it can be driven as hard as the human hand can drive it, while still retaining the full, sparkling tone demanded by the most exacting professional…but never sounding harsh. Unlike competitive tone rings and tone ring systems that are merely sharp or piercing (but not really powerful), the -06- tone ring increases volume with the beautiful sweet sound that is sought after by virtually all demanding players; professional and hobbyist.
Dubbed “The Roaring Twenty” by players who demand great volume and power for their hard-driving performances, this versatile tone ring easily fulfills the needs of any musical situation with power, grace, and precision.
The Patented Twenty-Ten Tone Ring
Made of brass in the Deering factory, this patented new Deering original gives the banjo a very rich, beautiful midrange with good bass and treble response. This is a very versatile tone ring and works great for both 3-finger, clawhammer and singer/songwriting playing styles.
The “Twenty-Ten”© tone ring was 3 years in development by Greg Deering, Jens Kruger and Philip Zanon and has blazed new and exciting territory in tone ring technology to create a rich, powerful and traditional sound in the Eagle II banjo.
The Jens Kruger Bell Bronze Tone Ring
Jens Kruger and the Deering Banjo Company joined forces with the Reutschi Bell Foundry of Switzerland in developing the revolutionary Jens Kruger tone ring design that has elevated the beauty of banjo tone to a brilliant, classical purity unheard of in today’s experience. Created with abroad bass to support the upper register, the Jens Kruger tone ring has unsurpassed tonal clarity, a rich and broad range of harmonics, bright and sparkling sound, and an incredible sustain to meet the needs of the most discerning of all banjo players from professional through dedicated banjo enthusiast.
Discovering that the density of molecular structure and consistent crystallization of the bronze in casting plays a key role in improving banjo tone, the new methods used to cast the Jens Kruger tone ring produce a tone ring that is as dense and consistent in structure as a huge church bell with the tonal qualities usually only attained in huge castings…it rings with a full range of tone that blends well with other instruments.
The Jens Kruger tone ring allows for great versatility of playing style, from delicate softness to hard-driving, without being overpowered! The even tone from string to string and more consistent tone regardless of right-hand placement make this banjo a player’s dream come true
The Deering Vega Tubaphone Tone Ring
The Vega Banjo Company around 1906 introduced the tubaphone tone-ring. It is a handmade tone-ring that, unlike a cast tone-ring, is made of three parts: the shell, hoop and the square tube. These three parts must be shaped, carefully hand fitted and soldered together, then polished and plated. These tone-rings have been used in both open back and resonator banjos but the current popular application is in open back banjos for old time and folk music and resonator models for Dixieland and Irish.
The sound of the tubaphone is a warm, round sound with a sweet, golden metallic ping in the tone. It doesn’t have the sharpness of a heavy cast tone-ring and for that reason, it is popular with folksingers and old-time clawhammer players who like a fuller sound. It is also extremely popular with plectrum banjoists in the Dixieland style. The notes on the higher frets are warm and clear. Some early bluegrass recordings were recorded on Vega banjos with tubaphone tone rings. Vega actually made an Earl Scruggs model at one time. For the player who wants a sweeter, gentler sounding banjo, that is crisp and full, with a little less“bite” than a cast bronze tone-ring, this is a classic and a beautiful choice.
The Deering John Hartford Grenadillo Tone Ring.
This tone ring is a uniquely Deering approach and sound. Grenadillo is used for marimba keys, bassoons and even some clarinets for its musical vibrancy and tone. In a banjo tone ring, it has a beautifully warm, round, full and rich sound. Its overtones are complex and full and yet it is capable of tremendous volume. As the player increases his or her volume, the banjo gets louder and louder but never gets harsh. While some famous brass tone ring banjos get more piercing as they get louder, the Hartford Tone ring just gets louder with all of its sweetness and rich tone. The late John Hartford commonly tuned his banjos down to E instead of G. The deeper, rounder sound of the granadillo tone-ring is ideal for lower tunings. A properly adjusted granadillo tone ring banjo can be crisp and responsive while producing a rich tone in all tunings and string gauges. If you add a fiberskyn head to this tone ring, the warmth and dark tone is emphasized and the brightness and crispness is reduced. This makes a perfect combination for old time styles and the traditional clawhammer or frailing approach.
One side benefit of this tone ring is its lightweight. It takes about 3 pounds off a bluegrass style resonator banjo. This can be very helpful for individuals who want the power and punch of a bluegrass banjo but are sensitive to weight due to physical size or back injury, etc.
The Boston banjo has a rim that is made of 3/16” steel. Unlike the soft aluminum rims that are common on imported and domestically assembled banjos, the 3/16” steel rim is extremely strong and hard. This rim is very bright and extremely clear. It is capable of beautiful, bright and crisp sound that records easily and is one of the most powerful parking lot picking banjos made. Studio musicians like the Boston rim because of its clear, subtly dry, precise tone. (This is the main reason it records so well) For the banjo player who needs a banjo that is extremely rugged, the Boston will endure more hardship than most due to the strength of the rim and the strong, simple joint of the neck to the rim.
The Arch Top Tone Ring
The arch top tone ring or tone chamber has a pronounced treble brightness. This design makes the vibrating surface of the head smaller in diameter because the tone ring slopes down to the outside of the rim, thus raising or creating a kind of arch with the highest point of the outside perimeter of the vibrating head being along the inside diameter of the rim, instead of the outside diameter, like a flattop tone-ring. The smaller vibrating surface vibrates at a higher frequency and therefore, produces a “voice” that is brighter or higher. Some bluegrass players and tenor banjoists prefer this brighter voice. If you want the brightest, sharpest, most“cutting” banjo sound, the archtop will provide it. The arch top doesn’t have the bass response of the flat top.
New Patent Pending Goodtime Special Tone Ring
2010 heralds the release of the new patent-pending Goodtime Special tone ring. Designed by Deering, the new Goodtime Special tone ring produces a louder, sweeter bell tone, a considerable step up in tone from the original tone ring that was featured on our previous Goodtime Special banjos. Made of steel and crafted in a new configuration, this new tone ring will give you good volume, clarity of tone, and the sparkling sound found in banjos at three times the price.
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The neck of the banjo is the “stick” of a lollipop and the pot assembly is the “round, candy portion.” This is not meant to explain FUNCTION, just help with orientation. And like a lollipop, fun with a banjo will last all the way down to the last “lick.” This week’s article is meant to help orient and identify, not explain the function, of the parts of the banjo to make past and future articles more easily understood.
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When I give tours here at the factory, I ask our visitors to think of the banjo as a “giant lollipop” because many of them are not banjo players…but we have all eaten our fair share of lollipops.
The neck of the banjo is the “stick” of a lollipop and the pot assembly is the “round, candy portion.” This is not meant to explain FUNCTION, just help with orientation. And like a lollipop, fun with a banjo will last all the way down to the last “lick.” This week’s article is meant to help orient and identify, not explain the function, of the parts of the banjo to make past and future articles more easily understood.
THE NECK:
The thought of “starting at the top” is always tempting! So let us give in to that today and start our banjo anatomy lesson with the banjo neck. The banjo neck begins with a “neck blank” made of the main tonal wood of which the banjo is constructed. Here at Deering it can be made of maple, mahogany, or walnut. In an upper line Deering banjo, it is a one piece neck blank of whichever tonal wood is specific to that model. In the Goodtime line, it is composed of 3 pieces of maple; the peghead, the heel, and the main body of the neck. Necks can have binding on the sides of them, binding on the peghead, and all sorts of decorative “purfling” along the sides of the neck as well. We will not be covering these kinds of customized embellishments here. We will be breaking it down to, as usual, “the basics”!
(NOTE: Neck blanks of upper line instruments are one piece of tonal wood. The neck blank of a Goodtime banjo is 3 pieces of maple glued together to form the same configuration.)
We can think of the neck as falling into three 3 sections.
SECTION #1: THE PEGHEAD (Also commonly known as the head stock of the banjo.)
The very top, where the banjo tuners are located, is called the “peghead”….because banjos tuners/tuning machines are sometimes called “tuning pegs” and it’s at the “anatomical” top of the neck…hence “head.” The back of the peghead is one with the neck “blank” and as such consistent with the tonal wood that the banjo is going to be made of. The peghead itself is composed of various parts.
1. The front of the peghead has a PEGHEAD OVERLAY which can be made of ebony, or some other material. In the Goodtime line, there is no peghead overlay. The peghead design is put right into the maple. The peghead overlay can be decorated with a design which is usually meant to blend with the fingerboard design.
2. TRUSS ROD COVER: This is a small piece that is usually made of plastic but can be pearl or some other material and covers the truss rod nut which is used to adjust the truss rod which runs under the fingerboard down the length of the neck. It is held in place by two small screws. Truss rod covers can be different shapes and lengths, depending on the manufacturer so “one size does not fit all.” This is a nice place to personalize your banjo with a special name, date, short phrase, etc. that is not permanent. You can remove your “special” truss rod cover and put a plain one on if you want to sell the banjo.
Check out a truss rod cover here...
3. NUT: At the base of the peghead before you reach the fingerboard is a small piece of plastic, wood or bone. There are slots cut into this section for the strings to sit in before they head on towards the fingerboard in their journey to the tailpiece. This is called “the nut”…and I mentioned it in our last article on The Banjo Bridge. The angle of the nut slot is quite critical and any binding in this slot can oftentimes be taken care of by putting some #2 pencil lead in the slot and moving the string back and forth to lubricate the area.
SECTION #2 THE “BODY” OR PLAYING AREA: This is what you would think of as the largest section of the neck. This is the section where you find the fingerboard and truss rod and at the base of which you find the heel of the banjo.
A. TRUSS ROD: This is a long rod that runs from the base of the peghead (accessed through the removal of the truss rod cover) down the length of the neck to the heel; underneath the fingerboard. This gives the neck stability and also allows the player to adjust the “relief” of the neck. Banjo necks aren’t actually flat, though it may appear so. They actually have a very gentle bow (or Mona Lisa smile as I like to call it). This allows you to play without having buzzing occur when you fret the strings.
in place for proper tuning. There is one at the fifth string tuning peg position to hold the string in place and you can have more of them for alternate tunings as well; usually at 7,9,10 for A, B, and C tuning. On the traditional pre-war style banjos, there is a small, round bone “nut” that cradles the 5th string at the 5th fret position. Though the intonation is more exact when using a spike at this position, traditionalists enjoy the bone nut on their pre-war banjos and we do use this method on our Golden Era series banjos. Some folks like to use a sliding Shubb capo for alternate tunings. This is a rail attached to the side of neck with a little arm/screw that slides on the rail so that it can be held in place.
SECTION 3: HEEL: This is visible from the back side of the neck.
There are two very long screws that are installed in the heel of the neck to attach it to the pot/rim of the banjo. It is important that these are “snug” against the rim so that you get good sound transmittance. These can sometimes inadvertently be loosened when doing an “action adjustment” and it is a good thing to check their tightness if you notice some loss in sound after adjusting the action on your banjo.
HEEL CUT: This is a critical part of the heel. There is a specific angle to the heel cut that is made to accommodate the height of your banjo bridge. It is cut so that you get good connection between the rim and the heel itself when your action is set at the proper height for your bridge. Most banjos use a 5/8” bridge. You can use other heights but if you heel cut is set for 5/8”, you may run into issues setting the distance between the string and the fret (called “action”) for comfortable play. Your heel cut is also made to accommodate your flange if you have a resonator banjo. This can be a flat cut or a cut with grooves in it to accommodate the type of flange construction.
THE POT ASSEMBLY: This is “the lollipop” portion I mentioned above and the parts are more easily visible.
9. ARMREST: This sits over the banjo tension hoop and is meant for playing comfort. It is made of steel and usually plated in nickel or chrome or gold. They can be made of wood as well.
10. TAILPIECE: The function of the tailpiece is to hold the strings in tension. With an adjustable tailpiece you can also change the amount of pressure on the front edge. This change in tension will alter the sound of the banjo. More front pressure will give the banjo a sharper tone. Standard height off the head is about ¼”. At Deering, our tailpiece is made of a special steel alloy that will not “ring” to give unwanted vibration overtones to your banjo. Early tailpieces were made of brass which is a tonal metal…vibrating and making noises where they are not wanted.
11. RESONATOR: This acts as a sounding board, to project the sound of your pot assembly forward. It makes the banjo louder. It is held in place by 4 wall lugs on the interior walls that are attached to the flange by 4 thumb screws. In the Goodtime line, there are 4 Phillips screws that go through the flange to attach the resonator. OPENBACK banjos do not have resonators.
IN CONCLUSION:
Click here to see a schematic drawing of the banjo so you can understand where these parts fit on the banjo itself. By learning what the parts are called and where they fit in the overall scheme of the instrument, you can better utilize the information we have sent out and our maintenance manual to create the sound YOU want to hear from your Deering banjo! Let me know how it goes. It’s always a pleasure to read your responses to our email articles.
]]>The plectrum works well when tuned to the same notes as the first four strings of the guitar. This is handy for guitarists who want to play jazz without learning the C tuning of the standard plectrum banjo.
The standard tuning for the plectrum is (from 4th to 1st string) C,G,B,D. Musically, these notes are relatively close to each other compared to the tenor banjo which is tuned like a viola; the notes being a full musical fifth from each other: (from 4th to 1st ) C,G, D, A. When the strings are tuned in larger intervals, then the chords the player fingers can sometimes be spread out over more of the finger board.
But what do these tuning and fingering qualities mean in choosing a plectrum banjo?
Traditionally, plectrum players like a rich, deep sounding banjo. The archtop tone ring that is so popular with tenor banjoists, is often considered too bright and treble prominent for the plectrum. One of the great plectrum banjos in history was made by Vega with the famous tubaphone tone ring. This “flathead” tone ring has a full, rich sound that enhanced the close tuning lower tensioned strings of the plectrum banjos.
In general, flathead tone rings of many designs have been popular for plectrum banjos. Our Sierra banjo, with mahogany neck, and bell bronze tone ring has been one of our best-selling plectrum banjos. The “flat head” tone rings give the widest surface area of banjo head for the deepest sound. While we have made a few Sierra plectrum banjos with tubaphone tone rings, the cast, bell
bronze flathead tone ring is more popular. This is partly because the cast bell bronze tone ring has tremendous power and volume but with a “solid” character to the sound; especially when fretted on the frets above number 7. The lighter brass tubaphone tone ring in a banjo is sweet, round with a rather light, delicate sound especially when played up the neck. The cast bronze tone ring, which is heavier and denser, sounds more solid above the seventh fret, which is desired by many lead players. Dom Flemmons of the Carolina Chocolate Drops uses a Deering Sierra plectrum banjo.
A mahogany neck and resonator with the bronze tone ring, makes a plectrum with solid power, sweet and warm harmonics and is really fun to play. The tubaphone is beautifully adapted to a maple neck and resonator to “brighten up” the tone and increase the string to string clarity or note distinction.
So, if a player is playing mostly chords with occasional leads the maple banjo with a tubaphone tone is very beautiful and sounds round and full. If a player tends to focus more on playing melodies and individual notes, the mahogany banjo with a bell bronze tone ring, can offer a little more solid brightness on the higher frets to help the melodies “cut through” the other instruments in the band.
For a player who is just getting started and is unsure of which style they are interested in, you can’t go wrong with a mahogany banjo with a bell bronze tone ring in a plectrum banjo. It will give you chord strumming power if you need it, and the soloing power if you need it; and, it is available as a standard model in the Deering Sierra.
For a lower priced plectrum banjo, the Goodtime Special plectrum banjo, with its patent pending steel tone ring, is a great sounding lower priced alternative. The violin maple rim of the Goodtime Special, combined with the heavy steel tone ring, combines for a clear, bright sound, that has a dry, crisp character to the sound.
If back pain, or shoulder, back or hip problems make a heavy instrument too uncomfortable to hold, a Goodtime 2 plectrum, with the head stretched of a violin maple rim, is a sweet, warm sounding plectrum banjo.
If a lighter weight professional banjo is desired, a custom Sierra plectrum with a tube and plate flange and a Hartford tone ring (made of wood) will reduce the weight of the banjo while providing a rich, warm, strong mid range tone that is clear, easy to record and still powerful.
Some banjo makers use necks that are the same width and shape of their five string banjos. This is a mistake as the plectrum neck needs to be a little narrower than a five string. Why? Because plectrum banjos are traditionally played with a flat pick, the closer the strings are together, the less movement is required of the flat pick.
Finger picking requires room between the strings to pluck the strings with individual fingers. But flat picking is faster when the strings are close together. If the single flat pick has to move one and one quarter inches, it will take longer than if the flat pick only has to move one and three sixteenths of an inch. It doesn’t sound like much, but to the flat picker, it is very noticeable.
Deering plectrum necks are adjusted for the flat picking player for the easiest playing and quickest movement of a flat pick.
The name “plectrum” banjo, in fact is based on playing the banjo with a “plectrum” which is what flat picks used to be called. So, to distinguish the “plectrum” banjo from the original banjo, the five string, which was commonly played using fingers of the right hand, it was called a “plectrum” or “flat pick” banjo. (it was never called flat pick banjo, I just mentioned it like a translation of an archaic language.)
The banjo part on the Kingston Trio’s hit song, Tom Dooley, was played by Bob Shane on a plectrum banjo with a flat pick. The plectrum tubaphone, Hartford tone ring Deering Sierra or Goodtime or Goodtime 2 plectrum, makes a great folk music instrument with a warm, sweet sound that blends well with voice, guitar and other instruments popular in folk music.
To sum up, look for a plectrum banjo with a traditional narrow neck and then match the tone to your personal needs and style. If you’re looking at warmer, mellower sound versus, brighter more solid power, it’s probably safest to err on the side of power and brightness. Both can be controlled by the player; but adding them through technique will likely end in a struggle.
Go for the power.
]]>“Tone wood matters in guitars and violins…banjos are mechanical and wood has no effect.”
Statements like these are saying, “the quality of meat in the spaghetti sauce is the most important part: the quality of the tomatoes makes no difference.” So… does that mean green, un-ripe tomatoes, or rotten tomatoes don’t affect the sauce?
I think it’s fair to say they do. The wood used in a banjo has a profound effect on tone and response.
]]>“Tone wood matters in guitars and violins…banjos are mechanical and wood has no effect.”
Statements like these are saying, “the quality of meat in the spaghetti sauce is the most important part: the quality of the tomatoes makes no difference.” So… does that mean green, un-ripe tomatoes, or rotten tomatoes don’t affect the sauce?
I think it’s fair to say they do. The wood used in a banjo has a profound effect on tone and response.
Different wood species vary in density, acid or oil content, hardness, resonance, etc. It is true that each species of wood can vary somewhat, like a particularly hard piece of walnut or a particularly soft piece of maple.
But, as a general rule of thumb, each species can be at least generally characterized by certain qualities.
Mahogany
Mahogany is the softest of the hardwoods. It is characterized by a gentler sound; A warmer sound. I characterize it like a “soft focus photograph”. The sound is warm with a soft edge. Bela Fleck has stated that he likes the sound of mahogany banjos. For the player who is not searching for brightness and quick response, and prefers a slightly softer, “sweeter” sound, mahogany is ideal.
The “response” is how the strings react to your fingers. Mahogany has a slower feel. There is a feeling of “pulling the sound out of the banjo.”
It is an extremely stable and somewhat oily wood. It is usually medium brown with a bit of red and/or orange in its color. It is also becoming harder to find. If you are interested in a mahogany banjo, buy it now before it is impossible to find.
Maple
Maple is an acidic wood. It tends to create a very bright sound and responds very quickly. By quickly I mean, plucking the string feels like something pops or snaps. There is a feeling of “the sound popping or snapping right out of the banjo.” One customer described it as “breaking a glass rod with every pluck.”
Maple has a clear sound with a sharp, clearly defined edge. It is a bit like a razor sharp photograph where every detail is crisp and clean.
Maple is generally a harder wood than mahogany and that hardness is one factor that makes maple banjos seem louder. The softer mahogany neck absorbs some of the strings vibrating energy. The harder maple neck absorbs less of the string energy so the string energy vibrates stronger at the bridge…which makes the banjo sound a bit louder. The harder neck wood enhances higher frequencies and therefore the maple banjo sounds brighter.
Maple is light tan, and while some maple is straight grained and almost looks white, some maple has cross grain stripes of a darker tan color sometimes called “fiddle back” or “tiger striped” because of the use in sides and backs of violins and the similarity to the tiger’s stripes. The “tiger striped” or sometimes called “curly maple” is highly sought after for its dynamic appearance and striking grain patterns.
Maple is very popular among banjoists.
Walnut
Walnut is a chocolate brown color, acidic and stable wood that is usually harder than mahogany but softer than most maples. It’s deep color is prized by many banjoists. It is not as traditionally popular as maple or mahogany, but it is very popular with some players.
Its relative hardness gives it more brightness than mahogany, but more warmth than maple For players who find maple a little too bright and mahogany a bit too warm, walnut is perfect compromise.
Bluegrass banjo giant and Deering Signature banjo artist Terry Baucom specified straight grained walnut for his Deering “Terry Baucom signature model.” The blend of brightness and warmth was a perfect match for Terry, “the Duke of Drive.”
How Do These Woods Affect a Banjo’s Sound?
Resonators
A banjo resonator is laminated for stability and durability. The exterior wood is a veneer that matches the wood used in the neck. The sound change from the exterior layer of wood is subtle, but very real. We have done experiments putting different resonators on the same banjo and noting the differences.
Since the resonator is a “reflector” its effect on the sound can vary due to its density and weight. The depth and internal shape of the resonator creates a “Tone chamber” that creates a sound of its own, but the tone chamber is not part of our discussion today.
Some customers have asked us for a maple resonator for their mahogany banjo to make the sound “pop.” The effect of the resonator, while definite, is pretty subtle. You won’t make a mahogany-necked banjo “pop” merely be installing a maple resonator.
Singing in a concrete bunker is very different than singing in a carpeted office. One has hard dense walls that bounce sound around the room and the other has furniture and carpet that absorbs sound to make things quieter. This is an illustration of how the sound can be affected by the density and hardness of a resonator.
A hard maple veneer on the resonator makes the resonator a little stiffer and heavier. A mahogany veneer makes the resonator a little softer and lighter.
Neck
These changes have a similar effect as the wood in the neck, but the neck, because the strings are fastened directly to it via the tuning machines, have a profound effect on the banjos sound.
If I tied one end of a rope to a concrete wall and the other end to the end of a two by four that has been pressed into the ground, and I push on the rope or “pluck” the rope, the two by four will bend a bit and the wall will not.
Now, if I tied the rope to the wall and then press a steel “I” beam into the ground, the “I” beam will still bend more than the wall, but the rope will not move as easily as when it is tied to the wall and the two by four.
So, if I stretch a banjo string over a neck that is softer, every time I pluck the string, the softer wood will bend or deflect with the pressure of plucking the string.
And, if I stretch that banjo string over a neck that is harder, every time I pluck the string, the harder wood will bend less than the softer wood, and more of the plucking energy will be absorbed by the bridge and the banjo head.
Maple is popular partly because the maple neck seems “louder” because the stiffer neck absorbs less energy of the string vibrating but the energy has to go somewhere and so it goes into the bridge and head.
Mahogany is popular because when it is absorbing some of the string vibrating energy, it softens the energy going to the bridge and head and creates a “sweetness” of tone in a banjo.
If the wood in an instrument has any natural oil in it, this also gives the banjo a little bit of warmth. Acid is much lighter in weight than oil and so woods like maple and walnut, which have more acid content than oil, tend to sound a little “dryer”. One is not better than the other, they are just characteristics that we utilize when helping customers create their “sound” or when we design a banjo model.
What Should I Choose for My Banjo?
The tone wood in the neck and resonator add a “color” to the banjo tone. The effect is like a subtle “shading” of the tone…. A little brighter, a little warmer, a little quicker responding, a little gentler response…
The tone wood does not have the dramatic effect of a different tone ring, or flange design, etc, but it has a very definite enhancing effect.
So, ignoring the choice of tone ring, flange design, tailpiece, etc, here are a few rules of thumb.
So, wood choice isn’t the whole picture, but it is a definite part of what contributes to the banjo’s tone color.
]]>Some players wear down frets faster than others by pressing the strings harder or by sheer volume of practice time. Most of us who might practice a few hours a week and who don’t grip the neck very hard and don’t press the strings down extremely hard can play a banjo for years without wearing the frets significantly.
]]>Some players wear down frets faster than others by pressing the strings harder or by sheer volume of practice time. Most of us who might practice a few hours a week and who don’t grip the neck very hard and don’t press the strings down extremely hard can play a banjo for years without wearing the frets significantly.
I personally have a Goodtime banjo that is fifteen years old and doesn’t need any fret work. But I only play that particular banjo a few hours a month. My “office” Goodtime banjo that sits behind my desk is about eleven years old, gets played a little every week, and shows no significant signs of wear. I tend to have a very light touch and don’t play very loud.
For most players, the nickel silver frets offer plenty of strength and durability. I don’t think most of us need to be concerned that the nickel silver frets are “too soft” or “not durable” enough. This fret alloy has been used by players for generations and has lasted very well for most players.
Why stainless steel?
Not all professionals wear frets down quickly. The vast majority of banjos that we see that are five or ten years old have frets that look fine or just starting to show wear. But for player like Jens Kruger, who play so much that standard nickel silver frets need to be replaced every few months, stainless steel offer a real benefit in time and money savings.
For folks who press the strings down harder or practice as much as professional players do, the harder stainless steel alloy lasts much longer than traditional nickel silver. Some players say that the banjo strings wear out faster when playing on stainless frets, but this is hard to prove empirically.
I have a friend however, who has a very powerful grip, and he not only wears out frets, but his grip strength grinds big grooves in rosewood fingerboards. (He recently changed to ebony fingerboard banjos and is working on lightening his grip to save wear and tear on his banjos.) (He also recently bought a Deering and told me that it plays so comfortably, he doesn’t feel the “need” to grip the strings so tight like he was on his other brands of banjos.)
The stainless frets are a great benefit for players who play a lot or who have a tendency to fret harder.
Which should you choose?
Generally, standard nickel frets work great for the vast majority of players. So for most players, we suggest sticking with it. If you tend to wear out frets on your other instruments or you play professionally on a daily basis, then definitely get your banjo built with stainless steel frets. If you fret with a very light touch, stainless frets could be close to a lifetime investment. You might change your strings a little more often but that seems like a smaller price to pay than a re-fret.
Do they sound different?
There is no real concrete information about this topic. Theoretically, the harder frets should sound a little brighter, but in reality, there are so many factors in building a banjo that are far more influential in banjo tone, the reality is that there is no concrete answer to this question. It’s probably best to decide which frets to use based on wear, and not be too concerned about tone.
How much more does stainless wear out the strings?
This one is also almost impossible to answer. Many professionals change their strings daily or even hourly. Many amateurs change their strings every 6 months. Since we recommend changing your banjo strings about once a month, to keep the banjo sounding its best, I doubt that you would see any dramatic string wear difference in one month of playing on stainless steel frets.
In conclusion:
When thinking about which fret wire to choose, look honestly at how much and how often you play, and if you have a history of wearing out frets on your other banjos. If you need more fret durability, the stainless fret is definitely a wonderful benefit that will help cost effectiveness and reduce time loss from re-fretting in the future.
THE BASICS:
By playing all the banjos in the same style of banjo playing, you will more easily be able to focus on the sound of the different types of banjos; openback, resonator, tone ring & resonator. In a previous set of videos, David played the Goodtime openback in the traditional clawhammer/frailing style. Today’s set of videos will help you hear not only the difference in the types of banjo features but the difference in an alternate style of playing.
If you are a novice, these videos may help lead you to choose your first playing style. As an experienced clawhammer/frailing banjoist, this set of videos may entice you to try a new style of playing!!
The banjo is like a chorus. Each component has a function and impact on the sound of the whole instrument. All the banjos in this set of videos are maple with the violin maple rim.
You will hear the effects of tonal maple, the increased effect of adding a resonator, and the decided difference a tone ring can make to the entire mix.
WHAT TO LISTEN FOR:
READY, SET, GO!
Armed with this latest set of videos, we hope you can move forward in your love of the banjo and choose the one that is just right for you. Want more great videos? Let us know what you need!
Email us at info@deeringbanjos.com with all your great suggestions.
Understanding the effect of a banjo head on your own banjo can oftentimes be confusing. The frosted top head is the most popular banjo head used today and is seen on most commercially manufactured instruments, especially resonator 5-string banjos. The black head is not only different in appearance, but also in sound due to the thicker plastic used to create this shiny top head.
For your comparison, we have used the Deering Sierra and Black Diamond banjos. Both of these are mahogany banjos with our -06- Deering bell bronze tone ring. The same tune is played on both banjos to give you the best “apples vs. apples” comparison possible.
WHAT TO LISTEN FOR:
TOP FROSTED: crisp, bright, with a quick, snappy note response without too much sustain. Because the head has a slightly sand paper hard coating on the top, the bridge does not shift too easily if bumped/adjusted. This helps give the fast finger picking passages clarity with good note distinction and somewhat stifle some of the unwanted sustain.
BLACK SHINY HEAD: Made of a shiny, black mylar plastic, this banjo head tends to emphasize the bass/lower frequency response of the banjo. It is very mellow with long sustain. Because the top is shiny, you will sometimes get more movement of the bridge than you would on a frosted top head. This head would be considered warmer sounding than the frost top head.
OPENBACK GOODTIME BANJO WITH FROSTED TOP VS. RENAISSANCE
The Goodtime banjos are the most popular selling American made banjos in the world.
We know many of you love and own openback Goodtime banjos and we have chosen that model for comparison for that reason. We have chosen to play it with the popular frosted top head and the opaque, honey colored Renaissance head.
WHAT TO LISTEN FOR:
TOP FROSTED: crisp, bright, with a quick, snappy note response without too much sustain. Because the head has a slightly sand paper hard coating on the top, the bridge does not shift too easily if bumped/adjusted. This helps give the fast finger picking passages clarity with good note distinction and somewhat stifle some of the unwanted sustain.
RENAISSANCE HEAD: warmer, a bit rounder in tone than the frosted top head but still has a good bit of brightness and note distinction. Favored by the Clawhammer/frailing style player for its plunkier tone, this head is not as mellow as the fiberskyn head.
VEGA OPENBACK BANJOS WITH FROSTED TOP VS. FIBERSKYN
The Vega banjos have a rich, over one hundred year old history in the world of banjo. At Deering banjos we make many Vega banjos and have chosen to play two of our maple models: the Vega Old Time Wonder and the Vega Little Wonder. These are both maple banjos with ebony fingerboards and 3-ply maple rims without a tone ring. The Old Time Wonder has a special “frailing scoop” which means that the last 5 frets on the bottom of the neck have been removed and the fingerboard gently “scooped” out. Because the frailing/Clawhammer style is a vigorous form of playing, this allows the player to play at the base of the neck without buzzing issues.
For comparison we have chosen the popular frosted top head and the fiberskyn head which is favored by many banjo players who use the frailing/Clawhammer style of play.
WHAT TO LISTEN FOR:
TOP FROSTED: crisp, bright, with a quick, snappy note response without too much sustain. Because the head has a slightly sand paper hard coating on the top, the bridge does not shift too easily if bumped/adjusted. This helps give the fast finger picking passages clarity with good note distinction and somewhat stifle some of the unwanted sustain.
FIBERSKYN: intended to approximate the look as well as the sound of the old calfskin heads. This head has a warm, round tone; oftentimes called a “plunky” or Appalachian mountain sound. Note distinction is not sharp but is deeper toned, with a roundness that works well with any playing style. Because of its appearance, this banjo is also a great choice for those players who are part of the re-enactment groups or those who are looking for a very traditional appearance.
IN CONCLUSION:
We hope these videos will excite you enough to make some educated choices on where to go in choosing a new direction for your banjo’s sound. In the future, we will try to play a clear head, a Kevlar head, and a prism head for you.
There are a few other banjo heads we did not demonstrate. Frosted top heads sound like frosted bottom, tonally. The frosted bottom heads are used on 4-string tenor banjos because that style is played traditionally with a pick. The flat pick on the smooth surface will not make an annoying, scrapping sound while the banjo is being played.
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