As time passes, banjos require regular service to maintain optimal sound quality. Strings wear down over time, heads stretch out, and bridges become loose – this is when professional banjo luthiers should come into the picture to help.
Work on acoustic fretted instruments including banjos, guitars, mandolins and violin family instruments; provide refretting service as well as build custom Vega necks.
Strings
Strings on musical instruments provide the connection between player and music, leading to our common reference of them as “the voice” of an instrument. As they carry and amplify musical notes through vibration, care must be taken in maintaining them to keep them sounding their best.
Strings are long, flexible structures made of fibers twisted together into one strand. Used primarily to tie or bind objects together securely as well as create sounds in musical instruments or to play games like tiddlywinks, these strings can come in all kinds of materials including nylon, silk and steel-wound.
Breakage in strings may result from vibration, and should be seen as normal; stretching and compressing allow the string to sound musically correct; however, one lacking this elasticity would sound dull and out-of-tune.
Corruption of string core metal can also contribute to its failure, often known by its nickname of rusting. This occurs when molecules of oxygen bind with metal atoms in their chain such as iron. When exposed to moisture and heat, corrosion can develop even on newly purchased strings that have never been played upon.
Fatigue is another primary factor behind string failure, caused by repeatedly flexing and relaxing a string, or by excessive tension from playing hard or bending it. Over time, prolonged exposure to these forms of stress causes cracks to form within its core that eventually lead to its demise.
Strings should be regularly changed as age and wear cause them to break, or just become dirty and tangled. When one breaks it is best to have an immediate backup set ready in case one breaks – this will prevent tuning instability, such as tighter tension at the tuner side than fretboard, or more serious side pinching in the nut groove.
Setup
As soon as a new banjo arrives it often requires adjustments before being played for the first time. Over time strings stretch, heads sag, and bridges move. Maintaining great playing condition on your banjo will make learning and playing it more enjoyable!
People tend to perform these adjustments themselves. There is plenty of information online that can help guide this process, or professional banjo repairmen such as luthiers can offer guidance. If you decide to do it alone you can find resources and videos online with step by step instructions on how to do it yourself; although opinions differ as to which elements should or shouldn’t be adjusted according to personal preference.
Setting the action of the banjo requires first adjusting its action by tightening or loosening its coordinator rods located inside of the peghead. Tightening these will increase action while loosening them will decrease it.
As it’s essential that the head remains still while working on it, this step should be completed without it attached to ensure no movements take place while working. Once the coordinator rods have been set properly you can reattach it and set the bridge placement. Once set it is helpful to mark its position so when switching strings you will know where it needs to line up with.
Altering the action with shims is another effective method for customizing its feel and sound. These can be placed near the heel for reduced action or behind for increased action; starting small and gradually increasing is best practice when trying out various variations until you find one that meets your personal requirements.
Some players choose to also adjust the truss rod of their banjo. This can be accomplished by turning the nut at the end of the peghead; tightening it will raise action levels, while loosening will lower them; experts should only attempt this procedure themselves.
Refret
Refret is when existing frets on a banjo are removed and replaced with new ones, typically to address string catching or fret height issues, change tone of banjo or upgrade to jumbo frets which make bending strings easier for most players. A refret may be expensive so only professional luthiers should attempt such work as it requires unique skills to complete properly.
Refretting a banjo involves sanding down its fingerboard and then removing all old frets, using lemon oil to reduce any possible squeaks, before installing new frets that have been carefully installed by a luthier and checked for fret height adjustments by checking their fret height gauge and levelling out their installation position as necessary. Finally, polishing will be applied to remove any scratches in its finish before levelling is completed on its fingerboard surface.
Refretting is a time-consuming and meticulous process that requires precision and care. Faulty refretting can damage an instrument irreparably; moreover, repairs might cost more than doing a good job initially.
Some luthiers employ an “old way” of refretting that involves cutting fret slots larger than original and epoxying fret wire into them. While this method was commonly employed in the past, it is now seen as unwise due to its potential to damage an instrument’s neck and create gaps between fingerboard and fret tang, weakening stiffness of stiff necks while possibly leading to tuning issues.
Refretting can be beneficial if you own an antique guitar or other valuable instrument, provided the luthier has experience working on such instruments and pays close attention to detail – otherwise the value of your instrument could be drastically decreased.
As a rule of thumb, it is recommended that your instrument be refretted at least every decade or two years. If you play hard or use heavy gauge strings more frequently, fret wear could increase and require more frequent refrettings. A quality luthier should charge an affordable and fair rate for quality refrets which can be completed quickly.