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Old 10-28-2018, 07:32 PM
Rudy4 Rudy4 is online now
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Quote:
Originally Posted by H165 View Post
I do believe I've read every post here. I hope so.

I've been working on banjos for 50 years. So my obviously-sideways reply to this thread is that I like coordinator-rod banjos.

Perch-pole (or "stick", "dowel", whatever) banjos are a pain to maintain and service. I bet I reset 50 of the dang things when working in the shop. And on a few others (including my all-time favorites - the old Whyte Laydies), I heat-warped the stick back into some sort of decent action.

I prefer the tube-and plate Gibsons and the older shoe-and-hook Gibsons (with the leftover resonators and flanges thrown in an ancient Paisano orange crate under the overhanging side of the bench). My absolute favorite is a converted early Gibson Pyramid model 2 sans reso and flange, but alot can be done with TB-1s, RB-170s, and Orioles as well.

Lots of players opine that the sound of a perch-pole banjo is distinctly different from a coordinator-rod banjo. I believe a dead-on match of tone can be achieved by my choice of strings, head, tone ring, bridge, tailpiece, neck construction, wood selection, and head tension.

For long-necks, I'll take an RB-175, though the old Vega Seeger gets the majority stamp of approval.
Different strokes for different folks.

I've only been working with open backs for 20 years and concentrate my efforts to improving on the design of both dowel stick and coordinator rod banjos. I don't like either of the two.
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