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Old 05-09-2017, 08:09 PM
Jim Sliff Jim Sliff is offline
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Probably somewhere on the sand near L.A.
Posts: 20
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I've played bluegrass (guitar, resonator and periodic mando & banjo) for 40 years and play banjo regularly outside of bands.

Once my Deering Crossfire and '24 Mastertone conversion were set up correctly adjustments have only been necessary twice per year - and not always that often - once when/if temperature and humidity significantly dropped in the winter, and again in spring when/if weather became much warmer and humidity rose. Doing only these adjustments is very typical for nearly every experienced player. It's an oft-discussed subject on banjo forums.

Some players adjust them more often, but it's nearly always when the instrument is subjected to extreme temperature changes - which is always a bad idea for any instrument. And adjustments are usually made if bridges or heads are changed.

The only experienced players that I can recall who have had to make regular adjustments are those who have never had their banjo properly set up and/or try to do it themselves by referring to a book or website. Banjo is an extremely difficult instrument to stabilize unless you're an experienced tech with banjo-specific training and/or years of experience.

It's as if a guitar setup involved having the braces carved and the sides adjusted at 22 points, both to put specific, even pressures on the top; the neck reset and relief adjusted, the bridge -tailpiece -saddle unit carved to size for both playing ease and tone/projection etc - and players who have not had a professional setup usually end up doing the equivalent of these operations several times a year - or getting frustrated and putting the instrument away..

At gigs where the weather is extremely hot I've head no problem if the banjo is gradually brought up to temp, but quick changes will throw off any instrument.

If a banjo is normally played at home and the humidity is maintained at 40-55% a well set up instrument should only need a couple of minor adjustments a year, if that.

I suggest taking it in to a banjo for a complete setup (NOT a general guitar tech who does banjos sometimes and definitely not a Big Box store like Guitar Center. Try to find an acoustic instrument shop that deals in high-end banjos, or try to track down an active local bluegrass player and ask for a referral. If the tech is good it should solve the problems, and almost all will also advise you on when and how to make minor adjustments if needed - and quickly. It's well worth the money and effort!
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