New Build questions - Minstrel Banjo2024-03-28T21:45:08Zhttps://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/forum/topics/new-build-questions?commentId=2477478%3AComment%3A121619&feed=yes&xn_auth=noDon't get too hung up on a pr…tag:minstrelbanjo.ning.com,2014-12-23:2477478:Comment:1216192014-12-23T05:54:33.511ZDan Gibsonhttps://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/profile/DanGibson
<p>Don't get too hung up on a precise scale length. It is fretless, after all. Put the bridge where it sounds best to you. I play my Bell Boucher at about 28" to 28.5" (sometimes 29" depending on the weather). Sometimes I'll slide the bridge forward far enough to raise the pitch a half tone or more to make some of the low notes more reachable when I'm singing. Regardless, have fun with it.</p>
<p>Don't get too hung up on a precise scale length. It is fretless, after all. Put the bridge where it sounds best to you. I play my Bell Boucher at about 28" to 28.5" (sometimes 29" depending on the weather). Sometimes I'll slide the bridge forward far enough to raise the pitch a half tone or more to make some of the low notes more reachable when I'm singing. Regardless, have fun with it.</p> David,
I built my first neck…tag:minstrelbanjo.ning.com,2014-12-22:2477478:Comment:1215102014-12-22T16:12:24.322ZJohn Mascialehttps://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/profile/JohnMasciale
<p>David,</p>
<p>I built my first neck from scratch as well. I found 1.5" to be too wide, I cut it down to 1 3/8. You do not want the bridge to be dead center, the playing action will be mushy and the sound dull. I could go in to the structural dynamics of the situation but off center is better. I like a wider spacing, but that is a matter of preference. Bridge height is somewhat an issue of the instrument. On one banjo it was originally quite high, but when I rebuilt the neck and…</p>
<p>David,</p>
<p>I built my first neck from scratch as well. I found 1.5" to be too wide, I cut it down to 1 3/8. You do not want the bridge to be dead center, the playing action will be mushy and the sound dull. I could go in to the structural dynamics of the situation but off center is better. I like a wider spacing, but that is a matter of preference. Bridge height is somewhat an issue of the instrument. On one banjo it was originally quite high, but when I rebuilt the neck and repositioned it, all of a sudden I needed to go with a lower bridge height.</p>