Looking for a nice banjo to play Classic Style?

[thereallyniceman]

Site member, Mike Redman sent me this link to an Ebay UK auction for a nice looking Clifford Essex “Clipper” banjo.

CLICK LINK:   EBAY AUCTION

The tailpiece is not original, but the rest of the instrument looks nice and original.

[19pft2iijur2x]

I am a beginner in classic banjo.  I always thought you play classic banjo music with open back banjos. 

[thereallyniceman]

The Clifford Essex  "Clipper" banjo was originally supplied as an open backed banjo. Someone has added a resonator at a later date.

The resonator is simply removed by undoing a nut on the back and then the  clamp is taken off the perch pole.

You can see an original tailpiece here. I don't like the one that is fitted to the Ebay Clipper, but they are very easy to swap by undoing one nut and bolt!

[19pft2iijur2x]

Thanks reallyniceman for the explanation.  So I guess if I am looking for a classic banjo, I should not consider bonjos with resonator like CE Paragon? 

[Mike Moss]

Classic style does not exclude resonator banjos, and indeed many great classic style players have played (and currently play) on reso banjos; however, the consensus does seem to have drifted towards open backs. I like open backs because they are lighter and the brackets grip my trousers and prevent the instrument from slipping off my leg. The Paragon is a great banjo, and if you can get one for a good price you definitely should, though they usually are pricey because they are also sought after by Irish trad. players.

Usually, removing the resonator from a banjo can be very easy, especially on banjos that were retrofitted with a resonator as they are usually only attached by a single screw that connects to the perch pole. Removing the resonators on some banjos would also imply having to remove the flange, a slightly more complicated operation but by no means a difficult one. Most banjos can be converted from resonator to openback very easily, and the structure of the instrument per se is often the same.

[19pft2iijur2x]

Thank you Mike for the explanation. I have to say this banjo structure is very confusing for me. There are open back vs resonater, tone ring vs no tone ring, 5 strings vs 4 strings, gut strings vs steel strings... and then classic vs old time vs bluegrass vs....

[Mike Moss]

No problem, don't let these apparent difficulties confuse you. Most banjo players nowadays are "splitters" rather than "lumpers" and we enjoy creating superfluous categories out of thin air.

To help clarify the matter, it is helpful to go back to the banjo's roots. The banjo has always evolved by addition, with an initially very simple design being provided with an ever-increasing amount of accessories and improvements, some of which are useful and some of which were just meant to make money.

Simplifying the history a lot, the first recognisably "modern" banjos were probably what is currently known as "tackhead" banjos, that is, banjos consisting of a smooth (fretless) arm with five strings, joined to a rim (hoop), upon which a vellum was tacked to the rim. These banjos had no means of adjusting head tension other than warming the vellum close to a fire, a somewhat risky operation that could dry it up and make it burst.

The banjo was eventually fitted with a bezel (tension hoop) and brackets around the rim to allow the player to tension the head as he saw fit. Over the years, the amount of brackets increased to allow more even tensioning, and the most common number of brackets has settled to 24 on most modern banjos.

Likewise, the size of the rim gradually decreased from the very large rims on minstrel banjos to the modern standard size, 11" in diameter, which is by far the most common, though smaller and larger rims are available.

In the mid-late 1800s, makers also began to experiment with tone-enhancing devices upon which the vellum would vibrate. Until then, on most banjos, the vellum rested directly upon the wooden or clad (spunover) edge of the rim, which, according to tone ring builders, dampened the vibrations. Not all makers have followed this trend, and indeed there are banjos with and without tone rings available on the market today. Tone rings are often thought to be the sign of a good banjo, but that is not always the case.

Although there had already been experiments with closed-back banjos in the 1800s (including the famous, but now rare, zither-banjo), in the early 20th century, makers began to produce resonators, wooden dishes attached to the back of the instrument, that were intended to project the sound forward. This became particularly common in plectrum and tenor (4-string) banjos, which needed plenty of volume and cut to play along with the big dance bands of the day, and 5-string banjo designs followed suit. The Gibson Mastertone design, made famous by Earl Scruggs, who played an RB-Granada, has probably become synonymous with what a "bluegrass banjo" is.

Conversely, Old Time players have increasingly rejected resonator banjos and tended towards more "retro" designs, mostly open-backed banjos, which were often altered to suit the particular sound they are after (most would describe it as "dark" and "plunky").

So, where does Classic Banjo fall in here? The good news is that Classic style banjo (or what is currently known as Classic style) has been played by top players on a huge variety of banjos over the years, so there is no such thing as a "true" classic banjo and you can just as easily play it on a Gibson Mastertone as on a Stewart Thoroughbred. It is mostly a question of the sound you are after.

Essentially, what you want is a five-string banjo with a normal (26-27") scale length, 22 frets (3 octaves), and an 11 or 12" hoop (makes your life easier when looking for a synthetic vellum). Open-back vs resonator, tone ring vs. no tone ring is up to personal taste.

Avoid banjos with "scooped fingerboards". This is a somewhat recent trend in the Old-Time world to remove the bottom part of the fretboard to allow playing with the right hand over the neck more easily. Not only is this useless in Classic style, it also shortens the range of the instrument, thus limiting the available repertoire.

Avoid banjos with too short scale lengths. Many makers nowadays make banjos for old-time music that can easily be tuned up to A. The shorter scale length makes the strings floppy and somewhat weak-sounding at standard pitch.

Avoid "Seeger" or long-neck banjos. These banjos are uncommon nowadays, and they have three more frets to give more lower range. This is useless for Classic style.

Finally, if you manage to get your hands on a good vintage five-string banjo that has not been harmed or modified by one of its owners, you're set for life!

[Jody Stecher]

One clarification to Mike's thorough post: zither-banjos are not hard to find. These days zither-banjo *players* are few. 

[19pft2iijur2x]

Thank you so much, Mike and Jody for your valuable inputs.  I have another question.  I saw a few banjos around the 1900 period had metal clad rims.  Then they seemed to have faded out later.  Is there advantage using metal clad rims?  What was the reason they got faded out?

Thanks again.

[Mike Moss]

Basically, clad rims were developed in the mid-late 19th century, though it could be argued that their greatest exponent was S. S. Stewart of Philadelphia, who marketed them as the "silver-rim" banjo and held that this type of construction was superior in tone to the developments of his rivals.

The clad rim, which is also sometimes incorrectly called a spun rim, is essentially a small, thin wooden rim clad in a sheet of german silver or brass that is wrapped around wire on the top and bottom of the rim. Cheaper banjos of the time only had the wire on the bottom, and the top of the rim was exposed. These rims acted in a way similar to later tone ring devices, insofar as the head rested on a metal surface rather than on the wood. Stewart compared this rim construction to a bell that must ring with the vibrations of the banjo.

From what I've seen, they tend to be light, have less mass than wood hoops, quite loud, but they sound a bit tinny to my ear when compared to fully wooden rims. After a time playing Stewart banjos, Farland would later say that their tone was very thin compared to the wood-rim banjos he advocated. Also, many clad rims I've seen were also slightly warped or flared. The inherent weakness in the construction of clad rims might be one of the factors that led to their demise, especially with the advent of steel strings, as makers moved towards stronger hoop constructions. to withstand the tension. In the early 1900s, clad-rim banjos were relegated to the status of cheap, mass-produced instruments.

All in all, it depends on the sound you want. Clad-rim banjos do have a very special and distinctive sound, and the one I own also produces a very loud tone with very little effort, but I find that the sound lacks warmth and depth.

[Jody Stecher]

With the right combination of vellum, bridge, tailpiece, and  strings metal-clad banjos can have a lot of warmth and depth. I don't think that was the intended effect however. It's interesting to note that the Bohee Brothers, the African-Canadian banjo players who made a big impact in the UK in the late 19th century used wooden rims for "classic" up-picking and for "stroke" style down-picking they used metal clad banjos and a metal thimble to strike the string.