Fingerstyle Articles: Good Oil: Starting Banjo

How much do banjos cost and what do you get for your dosh? We’re all driven by budget, right? When I first started banjo I wasn’t rich enough to afford 2 banjos so I played both Mountain and Bluegrass styles on a bluegrass banjo. You do the best you can with what you’ve got at the time, right? Beginners are understandably reluctant to buy a top shelf banjo when they’re not sure they’re going to succeed. Entry-level banjos made in China have the bare essentials of materials and construction needed to produce something playable for $700 and under. Because they don’t have a tone ring these banjos are badly balanced – the neck is heavier than the pot and wants to fall down. New pickers start with the disadvantage of having to hold up the neck with their chord hand and so develop bad habits of ‘cuddling’ the neck. If you’re having that problem add some weight to the pot – see the article on this website “Ballast to Banjo”. Beginners discover that their ear for tone quickly develops. Students tell me after a few months that there’s something gone wrong with their budget banjo – it just doesn’t sound right! Budget banjos can never sound any better than they did the first day - they have no potential to improve over time like a good banjo does.		Entry level banjo with no flange. Bracket hooks are alloy and simply hook over the tension hoop. (ie no recesses in the crown of the tension hoop.)
Entry level banjo with single co-ordinator rod. Note the large screw in the heelstock needed to help secure neck to pot. Somewhat better constructed entry level banjo. Parts are still alloy but this one has a flange and a metal 5th string peg. (see pic above right)	Guitar-type tuners are the norm on banjos under $700. They stick out at the sides, rather than the back as in more expensive banjos. These gears are the simple cog and worm-drive type. The only help I can give you on the issue of tone is change the bridge for a good one and regardless of what instructions you get from dvds, find the ‘sweet spot’ on your banjo. There’s a place somewhere between the bridge and the fingerboard where it sounds best. I could be accused of encouraging a bad habit but you do the best you can with what you’ve got. When you get more experienced you’ll be moving between these 2 positions while you play so you’ll get good at shifting along the pot anyway. Hard cases can be an extra $120. Soft vinyl bags (gigbags) are less than half that cost but false economy. They tend to catch the tuning pegs knocking the banjo out of tune and don’t protect against extremes of heat and cold – to say nothing of knocks and drops! Quality banjo tuners have gears and interlocking sleeves for smooth operation and long life.	5th string tuning pegs on most budget banjos are straight through, meaning no gears. This one has a strong metal knob. Plastic knobs are renowned for splitting. If this happens, have a geared peg installed. A typical tailpiece on most budget banjos. Turning the endscrew raises or lowers the 'nose' of the tailpiece. This action changes the angle of the strings coming off the tailpiece. Nipping the 'nose' down towards the skin makes for a harder, harsher sound. Bringing the 'nose' up to parrallel makes for a more ringing, open sound.
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*Next installment: Styles of banjo music/technique which may influence your choice of instrument*

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