I recently switched my standard 5-string over to nylon strings, and I LOVE it - I'll never go back! Of course now I'm running into some issues and have finally decided I need to bring it to y'all for some advice and counsel.

First of all, I've been breaking strings at an unaccustomed rate (a quality-of-life issue for me, as I'm notoriously lazy about string-changing!). One thing was, I realized that the standard bluegrass-style banjo scale of 26 1/4" (66+ cm) is significantly longer than classical guitar scale. So question #1 is: is there a standard CB scale length? 

The other remedy i tried was a new tailpiece - I switched over to a no-knot, but rather than no knots, I have to use three different knots to get strings on there properly, and the 5th string is padded with a foam earplug. And now - I guess due to lower tension behind the bridge - I keep pulling the 1st string out of the bridge slot. I solved this problem by putting a small piece of duct tape-wrapped dowel between the first and second strings behind the bridge, probably giving up some resonance in the bargain. And you can imagine how the back end of my banjo is a bit of a mess at this point.

One of you has very kindly offered to make me a wood Waverly-style tailpiece and bridge, which may solve various issues (including the aesthetics!) though I may have to have an endpin/button thingy installed, I haven't explored that yet.

So I can at least make the gig on this thing, but maybe I need a new neck entirely, or maaaayyyybeeee I have an excuse to go out and get a whole new banjo! :o) 

thanks all!

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Holy smokes!!! I've not seen a head break so violently before. Hopefully no one was injured.

I'm just glad i wasn't holding it Joel! :o) I didn't even hear it go off. I'm truly bumfuzzled here. As you can tell i haven't spent a lifetime messing around with banjos - do heads just kind of "fail" for no discernible reason? Even though seemed as if the overall string tension was noticeably lessened, I must admit this head had at least 25 years on it, (I sort of inherited it from my brother in the 90's) which could be a "discernible reason" now that i mention it... Maybe I should be more embarrassed than bumfuzzled? 

No, plastic heads don't just fail (this one was plastic, right?).  That's bizarre... did you have it too tight?  Did a sharp edge cut it or something?  I've never seen anything like this.

Has your weather been unusually cold and dry out lately? The photo of the dramatic rupture suggests the head was really snugly tensioned, so even a modest humidity drop could take it to breaking point.

During last year's polar vortex-charged deep freeze, I had two banjo heads rupture from the drop in air moisture content.

Yeah John, plastic. I've never had any reason to adjust the tension, and I made sure the tailpiece and strings were clearing the top, though that indeed looks to be where the break is. It certainly does look like it kind of went kaPOW! Strangely enough, around the same time this seems to have happened my wife had my car out running some errands and someone clipped the rearview mirror and shattered it. Kind of a symmetry there - I figure I should avoid handling the good china tonight! :o)

No Shawn, we've been having a regular spring here in Philly, and that thing survived 15 Minnesota winters!

Shawn McSweeny said:

Has your weather been unusually cold and dry out lately? The photo of the dramatic rupture suggests the head was really snugly tensioned, so even a modest humidity drop could take it to breaking point.

During last year's polar vortex-charged deep freeze, I had two banjo heads rupture from the drop in air moisture content.

up to now it's been indestructible!



Jocko MacNelly said:

No Shawn, we've been having a regular spring here in Philly, and that thing survived 15 Minnesota winters!

Shawn McSweeny said:

Has your weather been unusually cold and dry out lately? The photo of the dramatic rupture suggests the head was really snugly tensioned, so even a modest humidity drop could take it to breaking point.

During last year's polar vortex-charged deep freeze, I had two banjo heads rupture from the drop in air moisture content.

Well, plastic isn't sensitive to humidity like a skin head is (Shawn, that is what you are describing, is it not?).  I have no idea what could have happened, but I'm glad for the sake of your health that you weren't holding it when the head blew!

Plastic ruptures are pretty rare, so I naturally thought it was a skin head. 

Thanks John!

John Cohen said:

Well, plastic isn't sensitive to humidity like a skin head is (Shawn, that is what you are describing, is it not?).  I have no idea what could have happened, but I'm glad for the sake of your health that you weren't holding it when the head blew!

I've got a Gibson tenor from the 20's which apparently still has the original skin head. I was told you don't mess with those at all, yes?

Shawn McSweeny said:

Plastic ruptures are pretty rare, so I naturally thought it was a skin head. 

You tighten and loosen them as needed, as long as it is still a good head (not tough and leatherized).  On a humid day I have to tighten my skin heads to keep them playing up to standards, but I make sure to remember to loosen them back up when I'm done so that they don't break when the weather changes.  They can be a pain but nothing sounds as good as an actual calfskin.  

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