Advice about bridge for classic banjo.

[Classic Banjo]

Hello everybody,

I am new to classic banjo playing and I need some advice.

I have a steel strung Epiphone MB 100

open back banjo with ebony topped maple bridge. 

I think bridge is 5/8" (about 1.5 cm.)

I recently ordered Aquilla medium gauge classic banjo strings strings from eBay.

Now,I think I should get the maple bridge.

Do you think that 1/2" is the right height?

Unfortunately,I cannot order any Clifford Essex stuff because I'm from Zagreb,Croatia.

I found two interesting offers on eBay,so please tell me what you think.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BANJO-BRIDGE-5-string-2-feet-maple-1-2-/260...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/THREE-NO-TIP-BANJO-BRIDGES-FOR-5-STRING-VER...

Thank You.

 

[Trapdoor2]

Luka,

Your banjo was designed to use a 5/8" bridge, so I would recommend getting another of the same height to start with. The German "NO-TIP" bridges look pretty good. I prefer a very lightweight and thin bridge. The other ebay bridge looks too thick and heavy (and it is too short).

Here is my favorite bridge for classic style. http://www.elderly.com/accessories/names/morris-slotted-5/8%22-banj...

With nylgut strings, you may need a taller bridge rather than a shorter one. Elderly Instruments also offers a 3/4" tall bridge of the same design.

[Jody Stecher]

Luka, why not try the bridge you already have? It may work fine with the nylgut strings.  If a banjo sounds too dull with soft strings (non-metal) then a 2 footed thin bridge made of maple or other hard wood may be a good corrective. But that is not always the case. Sometimes the standard ebony topped bridge will sound good for classic banjo. At least use your old bridge to determine string height. My first guess is that on your epiphone banjo a  1/2 " bridge will be too low. 

[Mike Moss]

Hi Luka,

+1 to the advice above. A 1/2 bridge will probably cause severe buzzing to the point of being unplayable if your banjo is set up for a 5/8 bridge, and there's no rule about using a certain bridge height for playing Classic style. I've used the combination of an ebony-capped bridge and medium nylguts, and my feeling was that the nylguts were too soft to drive the bridge, but your mileage may vary. The three-footed German-made bridges look very nice, as Marc said.

[thereallyniceman]

Hi Luka,

I agree with the above. The bridge height is not the concern here, but the thing to consider is the "action" (distance between the top of the 12th fret and the string). The action with nylon strings for classic style should be 5-6mm to prevent buzzing of the strings on the frets. Fitting a lower bridge may reduce this to the state that Mike describes.  Try the bridge that you have and if the banjo sounds dull and the sound of the strings up the fingerboard sounds muted, try fitting a thinner maple bridge.

One other thing to consider. I don't know about MB100 banjo, but is it fitted with a modern "punched" Presto tailpiece? If so these can cause trouble as the edges of the holes and the end hooks are quite sharp and cut through nylon strings in no time (they are fine for steel strings though).  You may need to fit a different and nylon friendly tailpiece.

Check this article :

PRESTO TAILPIECE

Scroll down and there are photographs.

[Mike Moss]

Yes, definitely. It looks like a real nylon string slicer. I had one of those on my first banjo. You should consider getting a different tailpiece, but avoid the modern no-knot tailpieces -- they're poorly made and they often have burrs and sharp edges that will easily cut nylguts. I've had good results with a Fielding tailpiece, but they are a bit pricey.

[Alan Sims]

I have the same tail piece as yours and a no knot one in the cupboard ,and that is why they are there. Its all trial and error. I prefer the harp type .

[Trapdoor2]

My current favorite tailpiece for nylon/nylgut strings comes from Joel Hooks (see his website below). This is a wooden tailpiece (ebony) that is a bit more fancy that the old Weaver type...but perfect for what you want to do.

Joel Hooks website

[Steve Harrison]

I can recommend this type of  tailpiece, being from an engineering background, I make my own based on the original Weaver design and have them fitted to all of my 8 banjos. They work well on all of them and it is much easier to tie on the strings.

[thereallyniceman]

Why not speak directly to Joel?  He is a member on this site and a great guy. 

His email address is shown on his website

His website showing the tailpiece is here:  Joel Hooks website

[Joel Hooks]

I'll ship anywhere, it is really no big deal. It will just cost you $7US for shipping these days (last year it was $3). I've not gotten a email Luka, try sending again or through this site.

[Pertti Vuori]

Hi Luka,

My banjo is a Recording King Open back. When I changed from metal strings to Aquila the first problem was the tailpiece. The best solution may be to buy a tailpiece from Joel Hooks or some other "nylgut friendly" tailpiece . But you can make one: just a piece of thick wire and a piece of wood - or even plastic. Try to find pictures of old tailpieces  - they are quite simple. I think I have read that somebody in the USA makes good No-Knot tailpieces.

Problem Number 2: Strings

Nylgut strings are thicker than metal strings, so they may slip from the grooves of the nut and the bridge. Every time a string slipped I filed the groove a little wider and deeper. If you know a luthier or somebody who knows about these things, consult that person.