Hi Folks,
I just picked Tradition tenor banjo and I’m having fun a lot of fun with it. But I’m looking at the adjustable tail peice and wondering why it’s adjustable. Whats the difference between having the tail peice press down on the strings at different angles?
Thanks in advance!
I can’t quite picture what you mean, any chance of a pic or a link to a website with a picture?
I’m also not sure what you’re talking about, but as a general principle, the steeper the break angle over the bridge, the more downward pressure exerted by the strings, and therefore the louder the instrument.
There are various bridge designs which enhance this.
turtleneck is probably talking about a screw at the heel, along the side of the hoop, that adjusts the entire tailpiece up and down. And yes, that would be to adjust the tension on of the strings to match the height of the bridge. Some banjos don’t have the neck at the right angle to the hoop…hence the low bridge or the clacking of fingers and fingerpicks on the head. There might be a pic here http://www.mugwumps.com/tailpieces.html or one like it.
Here’s a picture of an adjustable tail peice. Notice the pivot point where the horizontal part meets the vertical part. The screw in the middle tilts the assembly back and forth.
How do I know if this is set at the correct angle? Is there a correct angle?
I think that as low as possible without buzzing is the correct angle.
If you have a plastic or fiber head on the banjo, you can probably afford more pressure on the strings-bridge. But if you have a natural skin, watch the feet of the bridge denting the head…you won’t want as much pressure. If the bridge is high, and the neck at the proper angle, you won’t need all the pressure it gan give. There’s a point where effeciency isn’t improved much, and if your tenor is a good one, you probably will only need medium pressure. Just a blind opinion of course!
Thanks very much for the link and info! Figuring out how to adjust a banjo seems more complicated than tweeking a whistle. Now if only I could find out how much blu-tac I need to cram in the back of the banjo before it gets a sweeter tone. 
Does the tailpiece have to push down on the strings? I have an old anonymous (likely Slingerland based upon mugawumps ID page) open back tenor, and it’s Grover Ptd. simple tail piece is about 1/2 inch above the strings. I can’t see how it would push down on the strings - the angle of the thing seems wrong. Here’s some pictues of one: http://www.mugwumps.com/tailpieces/grover-simple-tp.jpg
I like the tone of my banjo as is, so you’d need to convince me that it would make a tonal difference before I tried adjusting the unit down to push on the strings (if it’s even possible).
Thanks,
Eric
The Bridge on my Weymann 140 can adjust the pressure on the strings also so it can’t be a new thing.
No. I put a fancy tailpiece on my Whyte Laydie 5-string banjo. It was similar to the one in the picture. It totally ruined the sound of the banjo so I took it off and bought a very simple non-adjustable tailpiece like the one that had originally been on it. Many old time 5-string players prefer a no-knot bridge. I don’t think it pushes down on the bridge.
Steve
Thanks Steve. I was guessing it wasn’t necessary.
Eric
for stuff like that search the archives at:
www.banjohangout.org
go to forum
search key words on the relevent forum in your case “banjo setup and repair”
