Tailpiece

[Pam Tointon]

Hi, I am in the process of converting my Deering Goodtime to play classic banjo. I have a new Remo head ,a Morley bridge but am unsure which gauge of Chris Sands nylon strings it would be best to start with? and which tailpiece to fit that wont cut the strings? Any suggestions?

 

Regards Pam

[Mike Moss]

They aren't cheap, but I have found that Fielding tailpieces are the best modern tailpieces for nylons nowadays, and they're easy to fit on any modern banjo including the Goodtime. Avoid the modern no-knots, they cut through strings and some of them are impossible to tie knots to due to the cams being too close together. The Fielding lasts forever, looks authentic, applies a bit of downward tension to the strings and has perfectly smooth knobs to tie the strings onto.

I think you can get Fielding tailpieces from Eagle Music or Brown Dog Banjos in the UK.

Oh yeah, and heavies! :-D Chris Sands heavies are the best strings I have ever used on any instrument, bar none. They last forever and they sound great.

[Pam Tointon]

Thank you for your reply Mike.

I have scourced the Fielding and Chris Sands strings at Brown Dog. The Fielding looks very classy.

I have been gathering the confidence for the last year for this change over but am feeling more condifident now with Ian's video instruction on set up and months of practise tying  Bowline knots!  lol 

Thanks and regards Pam

[Trapdoor2]

Elderly has one of the best "new" classic tailpieces in stock here: http://elderly.com/accessories/items/P115DLX.htm

I have several and they're excellent.

Another great TP is a wooden one from Joel Hooks. This style was preferred by Weaver and was very common during the period. http://thejoelhooks.com/Site/Tailpieces.html

[Jody Stecher]

Fielding tailpieces are excellent. They also change the banjo tone for the better and they are beautiful as well, especially the brass ones. They can be gotten directly from Will Fielding. http://www.fieldingbanjos.com/tailpieces.html

I have used nylon, nylgut, and gut strings with every imaginable kind of new and old tailpiece and none of them has cut through the strings. One must adjust the type of knot, loop, or ball one makes at the end of the string to suit the type of tailpiece. Just use your imagination.

Mike Moss said:

They aren't cheap, but I have found that Fielding tailpieces are the best modern tailpieces for nylons nowadays, and they're easy to fit on any modern banjo including the Goodtime. Avoid the modern no-knots, they cut through strings and some of them are impossible to tie knots to due to the cams being too close together. The Fielding lasts forever, looks authentic, applies a bit of downward tension to the strings and has perfectly smooth knobs to tie the strings onto.

I think you can get Fielding tailpieces from Eagle Music or Brown Dog Banjos in the UK.

Oh yeah, and heavies! :-D Chris Sands heavies are the best strings I have ever used on any instrument, bar none. They last forever and they sound great.

[thereallyniceman]

I an pleased to hear that  you are moving over to Classic Style.  What a good choice,Pam!  I agree with the above comments, and about heavy gauge nylon strings too.  

If you need any help at all, please just ask. If I can't help there are plenty of experts on here who will be pleased to give advice.

Ian

[Steve Harrison]

I have always made and fitted Weaver type floating tailpieces to all my banjos. I secure them to the banjo using a piece of pre-stretched strimmer chord. I have found them the best way of securing nylon strings and I think it produces a better sound as the strings have no direct contact with the body of the banjo and all the sound is transmitted to the head only through the bridge. If you look in the photo gallery at some of my banjos you'll see examples of them. 

[Pam Tointon]

Thank you guys for all your input its appreciated!

 

Regards Pam

[Sergio Leonardi]

Hi all

I have a Weaver banjo which has no tailpiece.

Could you send me a plan of it, so that I can reproduce it?

Obviously I don't need a detailed CAD plan, an hand-drawn one with some measurements could be very appreciated.

Thank you in advance

      Sergio