Beyond The Skin Debate

[Tim Twiss]

The other important elements of a good banjo sound ( giving the skin/gut/synthetic thing a break ) are:

The angle the strings cross over the bridge with.

Bridge setup and construction.

 

A good builder will set the instrument up to have proper pressure on the bridge. I don't know the physics, or any specific formula, but the angle Jim Hartel built into mine is really good. It has proper pressure to transmit a solid sound. I marked the feet with a pencil, and it never moves. A skin head needs good pressure, and enough extra to allow for the soggy days. Installing the neck at the proper angle is important.

I make my own bridges. I openly admit that I copied Jeff Menzies and his bridges. He has 3 feet on the bridge. He says that he modeled this from architechtural design. I think this adds stability and a good transmission of vibration. I've had 2 footers, and actually noticed a "rattle" from the the bridge on the head. The third point of contact eliminates that. Actually, I'm not certain what proper "period" bridge construction is, but his design is a winner.

I make them out of three different materials. Sugar Pine, Cedar, and Redwood. I was surprised to notice that the softest material produced the loudest sound. I always use pine now. Proper slot size is also important. You can't have a string popping out of the slot. Also, it can't be cut too deep as to muffle the sound or create a buzz.

These things are equally, or more important, than anything in a well set up banjo.

    

[Rob MacKillop]

You should set up a bridge-making business, Tim.

[Dan Gibson]

Tim,

 

What do use to cut the bridge slots?

[Tim Twiss]

I have a set of Stewart MacDonald  files.

[razyn]

I once did a workshop for the BDAA (Balalaika and Domra Association of America) titled "Little things mean a lot," that was about this stuff (bridge, nut, frets and strings).  They have some of the same issues, because the bridges on those instruments are movable.  They don't have skin heads (and that may be why you found that soft wood works better for a banjo bridge), and you don't have frets... but, little things still mean a lot.  A heck of a lot of players -- and virtually all Russian luthiers -- behave as if they don't know that.