Thanks to this fine group

[Paul Bock]

     Just wanted to express my thanks to all the members who responded to my "newbie" string (and other) questions several days ago.  The advice was most helpful and also clued me indirectly as to where else to hunt for info & opinions.

     The 1925 Vega Style N conversion arrived last Saturday and on Monday I received & installed the Chris Sands medium nylon strings.  I also bought a set of Aquila nylgut mediums and will try them at some point, but for now I'll work with the Sands nylons.  I have a Morley bridge on order but the ebony-topped one on the banjo works OK and I do like the sound of "non-metallic".  We'll see how the new bridge affects it.  Quite a different sound for an old Bluegrass picker (since 1956) to adjust to, LOL!

     I did learn that a No-Knot tailpiece really does work "as advertised" if you install the strings correctly (as shown in the Mugwumps illustration) but at some point I'll probably try one of the "No-Knots Deluxe" tailpieces from Elderly (being a retired engineer I'm something of a "gadget freak"). 

     Again, thanks to all and now it's time to get back to practicing this "new style".......     ;-)

Paul Bock

Hamilton, VA

  

 

[Mike Moss]

Great! You'll notice another big change when you get your Morley bridge -- it will kill off the unwanted sustain and add volume and brightness.

I heard the no-knot deluxes are much better than the regular no-knots. I use a Fielding tailpiece which is also very good for nylons.

[Dave Houle]

I put a Morley bridge on my CE Wood Hoop Special, per Ian and Mike's recommendation on an earlier post and as good as I thought it sounded, it was much better after.

It was something I never gave too much thought to but it made a lot of difference. Thanks for the tip!

[Greg Adams]

I'm intrigued by the Morley bridge comments. Can someone provide a link pointing to where I might purchase one?

Thank you,

Greg

[Dave Houle]

Hi Greg,

You can order it from Clifford Essex:

http://www.cliffordessex.net/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=271

Take Care!

Dave

[Trapdoor2]

You'll like the Deluxe "No-Knot", nicely made and works quite well. I have them on several banjos.

Another great bridge is the Stewart copy available from Joel Hooks. Like the Morley, it is two-footed, simple and lightweight. Joel also offers a "Converse" style bridge...mine is made from pine for the Cello Banjo (low tunings, low tension, fat strings). Really sounds great.

http://www.thejoelhooks.com/

[Trevor Boyd]

I've just had a look at the Morley bridge on the Clifford Essex website and it offers  a choice of 2 heights - 1/2" and 5/8".  My current bridge height is 5/8" - I guess that's what I should go for?

Many thanks

Trevor

Dave Houle said:

Hi Greg,

You can order it from Clifford Essex:

http://www.cliffordessex.net/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=271

Take Care!

Dave

[Paul Bock]

Trevor, there are a couple of considerations: 

First and foremost, if you're comfortable with the 5/8" height then just stick with it.  I see no reason to go to a lower bridge unless the current height is uncomfortable to use, but you'd have to try a banjo with a lower bridge to find out.

Second, does you banjo have a neck attachment that permits string height adjustment easily, i.e., by tightening or loosening the rim-rod(s)?  If you have a banjo like mine - a 1925 Vega - that has a wooden rim-stick and isn't easily adjustable (you can use shims but that's not a "clean" fix, IMHO) then you're better off just leaving it alone and using the bridge you have now unless it's REALLY problematic..

One caveat:  *IF* your banjo has a rimstick and *HAS ALREADY* been "shimmed" to use a higher bridge, you ccould consider going to a lower bridge and removing the shims, but again the first consideration is - to me, at least - the most important.

FWIW, I use 1/2" on my Vega because I'm loathe to mess with the set-up.  On my Bluegrass banjo, however, I use 11/16" and had the neck heel re-cut so that the banjo accepts that height with NO PRESSURE on the rim to "pull" the action lower.  That, however, costs money to have it done right.  I could have the Vega neck re-cut for a 5/8" bridge but for now I'm satisfied with (and am learning to live with) a lower bridge.  Unlike Bluegrass, when you play with bare fingers a lower bridge height doesn't really cause any problems (READ:  No picks scraping against the head, LOL!). 

Paul Bock 

 

[Trevor Boyd]

Hi Paul

Thanks for your detailed reply.  My banjo is not really a classic banjo - it's a Gold tone open-back which I had fitted with nylon strings to start learning on.  I'm not really much of a banjo mechanic - changing strings is about my limit at the moment, so I think it;s best if I leave it alone :-).  I have promised myself a decent classic-style banjo if and when my playing reaches a level that warrants it.  

Thanks again

Trevor

Paul Bock said:

Trevor, there are a couple of considerations: 

First and foremost, if you're comfortable with the 5/8" height then just stick with it.  I see no reason to go to a lower bridge unless the current height is uncomfortable to use, but you'd have to try a banjo with a lower bridge to find out.

Second, does you banjo have a neck attachment that permits string height adjustment easily, i.e., by tightening or loosening the rim-rod(s)?  If you have a banjo like mine - a 1925 Vega - that has a wooden rim-stick and isn't easily adjustable (you can use shims but that's not a "clean" fix, IMHO) then you're better off just leaving it alone and using the bridge you have now unless it's REALLY problematic..

One caveat:  *IF* your banjo has a rimstick and *HAS ALREADY* been "shimmed" to use a higher bridge, you ccould consider going to a lower bridge and removing the shims, but again the first consideration is - to me, at least - the most important.

FWIW, I use 1/2" on my Vega because I'm loathe to mess with the set-up.  On my Bluegrass banjo, however, I use 11/16" and had the neck heel re-cut so that the banjo accepts that height with NO PRESSURE on the rim to "pull" the action lower.  That, however, costs money to have it done right.  I could have the Vega neck re-cut for a 5/8" bridge but for now I'm satisfied with (and am learning to live with) a lower bridge.  Unlike Bluegrass, when you play with bare fingers a lower bridge height doesn't really cause any problems (READ:  No picks scraping against the head, LOL!). 

Paul Bock 

 

[Paul Bock]

I will say this in defense of your Gold Tone, and that is that likely has rimrods and should be relatively easy to adjust for different bridge heights.  However, if you're satisfied with it set up for a 5/8" bridge, by all means stick with that.

Paul