Over adjusting can cause the neck to warp. Thanks in advance! Thanks for the advice! The truss rod changes the relief on the banjo’s neck, not the neck angle itself. I have a couple of Essex banjos, a "New Paragon" Artist model from the ’30s and a Regal from around the same time. If a banjo’s action is too high, meaning that the strings are too far away from the frets, it will require a lot more force to press the strings down onto the frets properly. " Action can vary, depending upon how hard the player strikes his strings, but the height at the 12th fret is usually no lower than 1/8" and no higher than 1/4", with the average falling at 3/16". Many professional players prefer their action at ¼” clearance. I guess it’s a case of getting used to the action as I’m not quite sure how to shim the neck safely myself and it might create some fret buzz if I do. Action has a high impact on playability, so it’s important to get it right. That was wrong. There are all kinds of resources available nowadays: Once you gain more experience and have gone through the setup process, you will understand better and be more comfortable making the adjustments yourself. Hi Reverend thanks for your reply, I’m glad to hear that 2.3mm doesn’t sound too far off, it’s reassuring. Of course, this isn’t a setup only for the banjo but any stringed instrument. However, some local “experts” told me my banjo “buzzed” because they played very hard. Too high and your intonation fret to fret is effected as well. So: on tenor banjo I prefer a pretty low action, but I also prefer a light sound—not the all-too … The resonator’s job is to amplify the banjo’s sound and is popular with bluegrass players. On the other hand, if the action’s too low, pushing the strings against one fret will cause them to vibrate against the lower frets when played, creating an annoying buzzing sound. Cheers! Again, this can vary depending on preference as well as banjo type and model, but it should give you an idea of whether you’re in the ballpark. The bridge has a lot to do with an instrument’s tone and volume, and you may decide to replace yours in order to get another sound quality. If the banjo is a lot easier to play with the capo on, your nut is probably too high, or the nevk angle to the body may need adjusting. Using a straightedge or pressing the 3rd string at the 1st and 22nd frets, check to see if the banjo … Electric guitar action is a lot lower than the average banjo action. There are a few reasons that someone might prefer and different action height that someone else. If you are a beginner, take it to a professional and have them do the adjustments for you rather than taking the chance of damaging something. As for banjos, when I was playing in college, I played extremely softly and could adjust my action easily to 1/8 inch or a touch lower without buzzing. Hi Andy,
You’re much less likely to cause damage by making small tweaks than by trying to make a huge change in one go. As mentioned earlier, if you adjust the bridge by sanding the feet, you may sand too much off resulting in too low of action. However, the general consensus is that there needs to be a balance between playability and sound. There’s nothing wrong with calling a professional to take over or getting the advice of someone more experienced. For me, the action should be as low as possible without allowing buzz if I push it a bit. Intonation at certain frets was a bit dodgy at first but a new set of strings seems to have cleared that up. Posted by Jeff on August 27, 2012 at 2:42pm in Uncategorized; View Discussions; After spending an awesome time with Bell & Son's and Mark at the Midland Folk Festival. I’ve recently picked up a vintage banjo (pre-truss rod) a Clifford Essex Imperial from the 20’s. This is all relative to the player and will come over time as you learn your style and get a feel for the action you prefer. Unfortunately, reaching an agreement between so many contributors is nearly impossible. That is strange that you didn’t need the shim any longer but it must be great that the banjo doesn’t need it anymore. If you pick hard, this action height might work best for you to provide enough space for string vibrations. Before getting into the details of how the proper action is achieved, let’s look at why someone might prefer a different amount of action than someone else. 2.3 mm is just a hair low for a Stelling set up (3.175mm at the 12th fret), but that’s subject to personal taste. If they are too high, the notches in the nut need to be cut deeper. The truss rod is a metal rod that goes through the neck of most banjos as well as other stringed instruments. One of the nice things about banjos is that to change something, you pull out a wrench and a screwdriver… Shimming the neck isn’t too big of a deal. The action should be low enough to make playing easy, but not so low that the strings buzz against the frets when played. So my question is; is 2.3mm at the 12th fret too high in your opinion? Unless you are taking your banjo in and out of extreme climates and different humidity levels, the truss rod shouldn’t need to be adjusted often. When you strike the strings hard, the strings will vibrate more so they will need a higher action so that they do not touch any part of the banjo while vibrating. Hi Chuck thanks for your reply. Ah yes humidity too, I’ll bear that in mind. It’s currently around 2.3mm at the 12th fret (going down to about 1.5mm at the 5th fret) I’ve got a 1/2" bridge installed so I can’t really adjust the action without shimming the neck. I’ll be putting a new head on soon and cleaning it all up inside (it was really dusty when I bought it) so I’ll try out a very fine shim at the same time just to take down the action a hair. Nechville makes the Enterprise Bridge in all sizes between 9/16 and 7/8”. The more bowed the neck is, the further from the strings the frets will be. If your action is too low, replacing the bridge with a higher one will raise it. Because adjusting the neck angle on a banjo with a dowel stick can be more involved, it’s usually recommended that an expert handle any adjustments needed. You should always perform minor adjustments when adjusting the truss rod. The standard height on a banjo’s bridge is 5/8″ (15.875mm), although other heights are available. So, action can be increased by increasing the bow because the frets will be bowing away from the strings. A head with less tension is going to allow the bridge to sink in a bit, resulting in lower action. (BTW, action is measured from the fret top to the string, *not* from the fingerboard to the string.) I would say that if you’re comfortable with how it’s playing, there’s no real need to make more adjustments. If you aren’t a member of The Session yet, you can sign up now. (I put on some heavier strings a few days ago and the action hasn’t gone up as far as I can tell)
The one that was in my Paragon is a strip of sheet metal, maybe 1/2 mm thick. 2.3mm doesn’t sound too far out of whack to me. This rod is there for added stability and doesn’t get adjusted. But some players warn against adjusting the rods too much, as doing so can result in a misshapen pot. It could also cause it to break if you are not careful. Depending on your playing style and the kind of music you favor, you may opt to change your strings for a different gauge or material. Below are the factors that most directly affect a banjo’s action and how to adjust them. I have done shims that are very thin. If they are much more than .015 the notches in the nut should be filed deeper. If the action gets too low, even if every note rings, playing harder can create some fret buzz when the string’s vibration range gets bigger. The nuts usually shouldn’t be turned more than a half turn at any one time. However, these preferences might change as you develop experience with the banjo. Before adjusting or replacing the bridge, always remember to loosen the strings to relieve tension, rather than trying to force it to move. This is often the case in cheaper banjos or banjos that are designed without them. Inserting them near the back will increase the action. If this is the case with your banjo, it’s a good idea to let a professional handle it. The banjo’s action is the distance between the strings and frets. So I usually adjust the action to just a bit higher than "perfect", so it has a bit of room for error. This needs to be done with the correct type of files, and the notches should be cut at an angle, sloping down There are several reasons a string may break, but when everything is done correctly, this is an issue that should not be... Hi, I'm Dan and I have been playing acoustic instruments for over 35 years and it's one of my favorite hobbies.
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