Comment by Trapdoor2 on October 25, 2013 at 16:23

Sandpaper and formaldehyde. I guess an embalmed 4th was the hot ticket in the 30's!

Comment by Joel Hooks on October 26, 2013 at 12:49

I'd love to read the rest of these articles.  I've not read much from FVE's pen and he has a charming way of writing.

His vision of banjo setup and tone would be good to add to the battery.  I love his banjos--they produce a wall of sound!

Comment by marc dalmasso on October 26, 2013 at 19:05

Yes ; very interesting , Thx , Richard ; i 've tried  éric VE  ' Banjo ; but the neck is narrow evreywhere , too much for me ; same thing on my Vegaphone ; éric said it 's because of the FVE  ' Bj technique , he used to play on the chords ' positions even in the 20 /22 fret ' area ; ... ,?

Comment by Eric STEFANELLI on October 26, 2013 at 19:34

I don't find my Van Eps banjo neck narrow, i find it  a little bit narrow, but it is in the normality , may be  narrow than  C.E. banjos, dear sirs, go to your rules , Marc have big hands , and wide necks are better for him.

Comment by thereallyniceman on October 29, 2013 at 11:20

Ah the good old days.

 I remember the days when Formaldehyde wasn't  carcinogenic or deadly poison. Folks weren't wimps back then! In the 1970s I had a house stuffed with modern particle board furniture just ooozing CH2O fumes.  I even had my house cavity walls injected with urea formaldehyde foam and we could breath in that lovely, yet slightly pungent, vapour for months. In fact the house smelt like a nice clean and fresh embalming room.

I have noticed that my hair has fallen out since then, but I put that down to what Mike Moss once described as BRA   (banjo related alopecia)...

  ... all the best players suffer from it..  What do you think Jody?

Thanks for posting this gem Richard. These old BMG mags are a wealth of delights. I will have a scour through mine and post some articles that I think may educate or amuse ;-)

Comment by Jody Stecher on October 29, 2013 at 12:11

A hairstyle good enough for Alfred Cammeyer, Bill Ball, and Fred Van Eps is good enough for me.

Comment by Shawn McSweeny on October 29, 2013 at 13:18

Fred's pointers to detect false strings are still applicable to Nylguts, which, with use,  can develop thin sections or crimped spots at the frets more readily than nylon.  But I still prefer Nylguts' tone and their textured surface which offers more "plucking grip" than nylons. 

Good replacement strings are more readily available than in Van Eps' day, dispensing the need to refine one's sanding skills.

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