Quote:
Originally Posted by str8blkcoffee
I got a Vega Senator with the brass tone ring. It sounds great, nice and plunky but rings with plenty of volume. It is heavyish. Far heavier than my old Cripple Creek but it isn't uncomfortable.
The only negative I have, and it is very small, is the 5th string nut is a nail vs. a pip which lowers the 5th a touch. I have thought about adding a pip or just swapping to a raised 5th bridge but it just isn't a major deal.
I thought I wanted a scoop initially but decided that wasn't a big deal either as plenty of folks play over the fretboard and scoops weren't really a thing except within minstrel. It wasn't until Mike Ramsey began offering scooped banjos commercially did people seem to really see a need.
Right now I haven't done any modifications although I may try a fyberskin head, Nygut strings, and experiment with bridges to help bring up the bottom. I have a Moon 1/2" heavy on my Baldwin that I really like so I may try a Moon but in 11/16th size on the Vega to give a bit more height for the thumb on the 5th. For now it sounds pretty good.
I added the Moon Heavy bridge to the Baldwin because it has an archtop and a clear head. It helped with the intonation which what it was designed to do. The heavy bridge calms it down some as did heavier strings but I never thought to replace the head with a frosted one though. It stands out  but I like that. |
Thanks for some background on your banjos! The Vega Senator is a nice banjo and I've been considering getting one. I've had my eye on a scooped version that may still be at Elderly Instruments but I've found that I play over the banjo head with my thumb often just outside the rim and over the fretboard. This is a comfortable playing position for me on most banjos with or without a scoop.
I, too, find Deering's usage of a railroad spike as a draw-down to the fifth fret for its usage as a nut a bit puzzling as it lowers the 5th-string a bit too much and makes hitting it hard and cleanly more of a challenge than a higher, pip-nutted 5th-string like other makers use.
I've changed a couple of my banjos over to Gary Sosebee bridges when wanting to add a bit of height to a maker-installed bridge. I don't find much difference in tone but the extra height makes it easier to play with more precision.