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Post by bellyshere on Dec 26, 2023 17:06:23 GMT
Well I need some inspiration so I thought a new instrument would be the ticket. Love a bit of banjo and thought the 6 string guitar ones looked a good idea. Any players here and anyone particular play a six string guitar one.
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brianr2
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Post by brianr2 on Dec 26, 2023 17:56:26 GMT
I have recently taken up the 5 string banjo. It’s worth visiting Eagle Music at Huddersfield; not easy to find without a SatNav but very helpful and knowledgable staff.
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Post by bellyshere on Dec 26, 2023 18:04:23 GMT
I have recently taken up the 5 string banjo. It’s worth visiting Eagle Music at Huddersfield; not easy to find without a SatNav but very helpful and knowledgable staff. Yeah I have them on my radar. Definitely worth a visit.
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brianr2
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Post by brianr2 on Dec 26, 2023 18:39:54 GMT
I have recently taken up the 5 string banjo. It’s worth visiting Eagle Music at Huddersfield; not easy to find without a SatNav but very helpful and knowledgable staff. Yeah I have them on my radar. Definitely worth a visit. Good luck. I must say I am really enjoying my banjo. It is similar enough to the guitar to give you a head start in playing but different enough to make it great fun.
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ocarolan
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Post by ocarolan on Dec 26, 2023 18:40:36 GMT
The 6 string guitar-banjos will give you a banjo-like tone and sound OKish for strummy things and reasonable for single line tunes, but for Irish type tunes a tenor banjo will be easier to play and have the proper banjo attack and plunk. For most other stuff a 5-string banjo would be the thing - open back? resonator? fretless?
If you're sure what you want it for then the decision is easier, but a try out of various types will help you see what you could be up against! Have fun.
keith
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Post by bellyshere on Dec 26, 2023 18:56:28 GMT
The 6 string guitar-banjos will give you a banjo-like tone and sound OKish for strummy things and reasonable for single line tunes, but for Irish type tunes a tenor banjo will be easier to play and have the proper banjo attack and plunk. For most other stuff a 5-string banjo would be the thing - open back? resonator? fretless? If you're sure what you want it for then the decision is easier, but a try out of various types will help you see what you could be up against! Have fun. keith Thanks. I’m not sure what I want yet. Just thought the 6 string ones would make it easier.
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Martin
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Post by Martin on Dec 26, 2023 19:10:52 GMT
I’ve played a Deering Goodtime six string banjo and with the best will in the world it sounded awful.
It really depends on what you want to achieve…a big part of the banjo sound is the use of the drone string on a 5-string. And then you have style….all styles have their own sounds and again what you choose to prioritise will depend largely on the style of music you want to play, e.g. clawhammer/frailing, Scruggs style, 3-finger, uppicking, thumb lead etc And of course, the tenor 4 string as Keith mentioned is really the only choice for Irish melody. Or a plectrum banjo.
I’d recommend a good 5string, you can play most thing on that.
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Post by bellyshere on Dec 26, 2023 19:21:00 GMT
I’ve played a Deering Goodtime six string banjo and with the best will in the world it sounded awful. It really depends on what you want to achieve…a big part of the banjo sound is the use of the drone string on a 5-string. And then you have style….all styles have their own sounds and again what you choose to prioritise will depend largely on the style of music you want to play, e.g. clawhammer/frailing, Scruggs style, 3-finger, uppicking, thumb lead etc And of course, the tenor 4 string as Keith mentioned is really the only choice for Irish melody. Or a plectrum banjo. I’d recommend a good 5string, you can play most thing on that. Thanks. I’ll have a look at some.
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Post by bellyshere on Dec 26, 2023 19:47:41 GMT
Looking further I definitely think you guys are right. 5 string looks the way to go.
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Post by bellyshere on Dec 26, 2023 19:56:13 GMT
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brianr2
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Post by brianr2 on Dec 26, 2023 20:10:16 GMT
Martin: incidentally - and with apologies for hijacking this thread - have you ever fitted nylon strings to one of your banjos? If so, which. did you have any trouble with nut/bridge slots and how did you get on with them? Thanks. Brian
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Post by juliant on Dec 26, 2023 20:22:39 GMT
Watch out, though... I seem to have ended up with three banjos (and they all sound awful when I play them).
As for nylon strings, I do have them on one of mine - a fretless from the 1890s. Not only does the fretless bit make playing interesting, but friction tuners mean I'm always trying to keep the darned thing in tune. That could be why it doesn't get played that much. Nylon strings do give an interesting tone, though, and I can imagine that you might need a bit of fettling to put them on an instrument designed for steel strings. What you don't want to do, though, is put steel strings on an old banjo that was made for nylon strings because they usually didn't have any truss rod or other reinforcement and it can end up bowing the neck.
My main one (Clifford Essex Clipper) has a couple of Keith pegs, courtesy of a previous owner. I've never really done anything with them because I don't tend to change tunings (and don't really understand how to work them, either). Since they're about $250/pair, I'm tempted to sell them and put the cash toward something more useful!
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Post by Martin on Dec 26, 2023 20:37:30 GMT
Martin : incidentally - and with apologies for hijacking this thread - have you ever fitted nylon strings to one of your banjos? If so, which. did you have any trouble with nut/bridge slots and how did you get on with them? Thanks. Brian I have, Brian but in both cases the strings had already been changed to nylon when I got the banjo. Nut slots would be your biggest concern (replacement bridges are cheap), but a tiny bit of widening/fettling with a needle file would be the extent of any modification (if needed at all), definitely within the skill set of a resourceful chap such as you
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brianr2
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Post by brianr2 on Dec 27, 2023 13:32:22 GMT
Martin : incidentally - and with apologies for hijacking this thread - have you ever fitted nylon strings to one of your banjos? If so, which. did you have any trouble with nut/bridge slots and how did you get on with them? Thanks. Brian I have, Brian but in both cases the strings had already been changed to nylon when I got the banjo. Nut slots would be your biggest concern (replacement bridges are cheap), but a tiny bit of widening/fettling with a needle file would be the extent of any modification (if needed at all), definitely within the skill set of a resourceful chap such as you Thanks Martin, this is very helpful. Nut slots have always been my main concern (oh, er, missus)! But you must have another “Brian” in mind, as I never knowingly acquired any skills sets or resourcefulness. In all seriousness, I am a DIY menace and wouldn’t trust myself with any file, unless it was of papers or computer records. I might try some nylon strings to see if they fit but leave well alone if they don’t.
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Post by dreadnought28 on Dec 28, 2023 15:35:01 GMT
I have at least a dozen banjos. I’m only two junctions further down from where you would turn off to go to Eagle Music. You’re welcome here to get an idea of what you might want before you go to Eagle. They’re mainly Deering dealers, in fact they’re the biggest dealer in the world. They’re nice people and I’ve bought and sold through them several times. They have two of my banjos on consignment at the moment. Anyway you’re very welcome here.
I had a Deering Boston 6 sting banjo back around 2000. Like you I thought it would be easier but I didn’t like it . Sold it to John Pearse. We both lived in the USA at the time.
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