The Banjo Bridge 101: Everything You Need to Know for Optimal Playability
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- čas přidán 1. 07. 2024
- Everything you need to know about banjo bridges | banjo bridge setup. The banjo bridge does exactly as its name suggests, it forms a bridge for the strings to pass over the banjo head and transmits sound from your strings into the banjo head. Bridges are available in different heights and they are measured in imperial measurement. The most popular three heights being 1/2”, 5/8” and 11/16”The most popular bridges are made from AAA grade maple with an ebony top. Some bridges have inserts made from bone or plastic to help give a brighter tone.
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The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashioned by Black Americans in the United States. The banjo is frequently associated with folk and country music, and has also been used in some rock, pop and Hip-Hop, also created by the Black American community. Several rock bands, such as the Eagles, Led Zeppelin, and The Allman Brothers, have used the five-string banjo in some of their songs. Historically, the banjo occupied a central place in Black American traditional music and the folk culture of rural whites before entering the mainstream via the minstrel shows of the 19th century. Along with the fiddle, the banjo is a mainstay of American styles of music, such as Bluegrass and old-time music. It is also very frequently used in traditional ("trad") jazz. Banjo is also a common instrument for Caribbean genres like Biguine , Calypso and Mento.
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Hi Banjo Addict, I enjoy watching your videos. When I do a set up, I use a drum dial and set each
j-hook to 90. Then I add the tailpiece and strings and tune up. From there I listen to the tone and make slight head tension adjustments for optimal tone. I found it to be different for different banjos and heads. Even if you're replacement head is extactly the type and brand as the old one the tension will be slightly different. Anyways, keep up the "good work". Best wishes. 🪕🔥💨
Thank you! I have a video coming out in 2 weeks on the drum dial. You are right, it’s invaluable to know your head tension. I have my resonator banjo set to 92 and my open back banjo around 90. Thank you for watching.
I've just torned down and rebuild my cousin's 16 year old Epiphone MB-200, it was in the closet for 10 years or so and he was very lucky no mould or mildew and hardly any corrosion on the metal fittings... Head was cactus though and needed replacing, the bridge (5/8") bowed like a Deering Smile bridge on the feet but also on the top, replaced with a new standard and works fine... I've tried all different kinds of bridges in the past, one piece hard wood, soft wood, compensated/stepped, angled and smile but I've found I've always gone back to the old standard, maple with capped top of ebony or rosewood... I've also tune the head to G#, tuning a half a tone higher can stop resonant frequency overtones and give more pure tones... 🪕🎶🎶🎶
That is fantastic! And thank you for the info. I have never thought of tuning the head higher to take out buzz and create a better tone. I will have to play around with that here soon! Again thank you!
Your welcome 🎶🎶🎶🪕@@BanjoAddict
I used to use the straight bridges, then I switched to a compensated bridge to try it out, the reason I tried one is because when going down the neck my banjo would sound like it was going out of tune, I have a Gold Tone BG-250F 5 string and after using and going back and forth between straight bridges and the compensated bridges for a time I do not understand why anyone would use the straight bridges after hearing the difference in the tone all the way down the neck. Awesome vids by the way chief 😊
With the current 1/2 bridge sanded down quite a bit 1/3 of it actually on my Baldwin Ode banjo.The intonation is dead on I guess im lucky.....Maybe I will try a compensated bridge someday if the sound difference is that noticable thanks ..Glenn
Great video as always. Any advice of bridge in order to play with nylgut strings?
Do a Google search for Joel Hooks. Once you find his website you will see he makes copies of old style bridges that used gut strings years ago ..
Very informative, great video ☺️
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you
Thank you.
I have an old Baldwin Ode Banjo I bought it in the 1970S.Would you know what height the factory bridge and proper banjo skin head rim height should be. I bought a 1/2 tall Grover bridge and its very high on the action without sanding alot of it away. The old bridge is the same bridge sanded down quite a bit on teh feet to get the strings close to the neck so its playable. I recently replaced the Banjo head with a high rim I believe as thats what was on it. Also when you take the resonator off their is some sought of key in the heel of the neck in a hole that looks like its adjustable. Any help on your end would be great maybe this banjo need cord. rods adjustment Im thinking never did it since I got it....regards.. ..Glenn. Followup 6/19/2024 I found out the key in the heel is for neck truss rod adjustment and the gears are cast and soft you have to be careful adjusting the neck as they can break and also my Banjo needs a cordinator rodneck adjustment to properly lower the action too and a flat style bridge as Its never been adjusted in almost 50 years,LOLL! ........................ Glenn
Super useful content I've learned a lot, I recently got a 5-string banjo and I find it slightly hard to pick because the bridge has the strings pretty close together, do you know where I could and if I could possibly find any bridges that have wider string placement?
Yes, look up Crowe spacing on bridges. It’s a wider gap between strings
Hi, thanks for the info. Really like your vids Would be great to see the unedited versions as well :0) The scary thing is, we both have the same laugh....hah hah hah !!
The unedited versions has a lot of “uhhhs” and “ummms” lol
Great video and very timely for me. I have two banjos, a resonator and an open back. The string spread was different between the two so I ordered a new bridge to match the spread from one to the other. Though both bridges were 5/8", one was about 3 thousandths of an inch higher than the other. Though I am a beginner, it really messed me up using finger picks switching between the two. I ordered a second bridge and now both are identical and playing is much easier. I was amazed at how that small a difference was making me miss the strings occasionally with my picks when I switched banjos. Thanks for what you do!
Oh cool! Yes it’s amazing the difference a small change will make on the bridge
Hi I'm new to the banjo but not to the guitar I fact 48 years for guitar but new to the banjo. I want to buy a new bridge what is the best 1/2inch or 5/8 thanks for any information you can give me. Best wishes from Liverpool uk
I have always been partial to the snuffy smith bridges by Mike Smith. I use the "crowe" spacing on all my bridges which is a little wider than normal. but there are a lot of great banjo bridges out there. It mainly depends on what kind of sound you are looking to get out of your banjo.
i replaced the bridge on my five stringer and it sounded softer more muted and the strings where more apart from each other so it ended its days in the trash can there is nothing on the banjo that won't affect the sound one way or the other
very true
My banjo bridge keeps falling down while I play.
your bridge should have a ever so slight lean back towards your tail piece. check and make sure it is not on your banjo backwards
@@BanjoAddict It is set up leaning toward the tailpiece.
@@BanjoAddict it just happened again. Doesn't take a whole lot of playing for it to happen. It falls toward the tailpiece if that helps.
couple of things to check, first make sure the tail piece isn't set too high causing a loss of string angle across the bridge. Second is to inspect the bridge its self and make sure there are no rounded edges on the feet. also make sure that the feet of the bridge are wider than the top of it. It maybe as simple as needing a new bridge.
also make sure that when your strings leave your tail piece and heads toward the bridge that that come from under the front of the tail piece and not the top of it
It's called "intonation".
Thanks for watching