New Banjo Day

My stupid deal of the day Gretsch G9420 Broadkaster Supreme Phirevood banjo arrived today. I took it out of the box, installed the bridge, tuned it up, rubbed some lighter fluid on it and was riffing away in no time. Since the tuning is so similar to the sound of a strangled goat (closed G), it's easy to translate simple Taylor Swift songs. I'm going to try arranging some kindling and looking some matches.

My only qualms are that it weighs in at a massive 12.5 lbs (double the weight of my latest Kauer!) but that density should keep the fire burning long into the night. Fortunately I have a fire pit that I'll go out to hopefully later tonight.

It would be really nice to take some proper photos, but with the youngin in the house it's tough to watch 'em an build a nice fire at the same time.

133012d3262cd20f6e3d1eb2aef80053.jpg

Fixed. :helper:
 
Pragestock bound? DANCING-banana HNBD!



Mynd you, banjø bites Kan be pretti nasti.
 
My dad has big old Remo he doesn’t play that probably weighs twenty pounds! Now that I think about it, that probably has something to do with him getting sick of playing banjo when I was baby.

Anyway, HNBD!

Remo is the mnf of the plastic head, not the banjo. A common mistake.
You dad probably has a very nice banjo, worth investigating.
 
On the weight issue, the way to solve it requires some banjo Lutherie skills but it can be done.
It requires one of two things
A) the most expensive option, replace the tone ring with a wooden one. The Deering John Hartford uses grenaldo wood. Any hard wood would work tho, maple, rosewood, etc. this would of course require professional fitting and somebody would have to make it.
B) just remove the existing tone ring and have the top of the maple rim cut and reshaped into the proper shape to accept the drum head, in effect making it a no tone ring banjo. Most likely any experienced drum builder could do this.

Banjos like guitars have their own large body of theory and "snake oil" regarding tone. From wood to bridges to the minutae of alloys in the tone ring. But I've come to realize that tone is largely in 1) the player, and 2) the set up.
I have a good friend that is a professional level bluegrass banjoist. He's 57 and has been playing all his life basically.
He's owed many fine banjos over the years. Mostly top end Gibsons from new to prewar, but also Deerings, Omes, and others. But like most of us he now has back troubles. He sold all his expensive banjos and bought a pac rim of some kind for a few hundred dollars, not even as nice or fancy as your Gretsch. He then did surgery per option "B" above and wound up with a 6-7 lb instrument. Guess what? He sounds practically the same playing it as he did playing the pre-war Gibson.
But he's a great player, and he knows how to set up his instrument for optimum performance. It really opened my eyes to what really matters re tone.
 
Back
Top