How to Set Up the Best Sounding Banjo

Rating:
Summary: How to Set Up the Best Sounding Banjo? Maybe, Maybe not.
Review: Roger Siminoff is acknowledged as one of the foremost authorities on banjo and mandolin construction in the U.S. This acclaim is well-deserved, and the extent of his knowledge is exhibited in this well-written book. If you follow the instructions in the book, your banjo will probably sound better than it did before you adjusted it.

However, Mr. Siminoff is just one of many experts in the field and some of his instructions clash with those of the majority of the others. For example, he recommends that the tone ring fit very tightly. Most other experts recommend that the ring fit with a slip fit on a humid day.

He also ignores some of the more modern tone ring mounting systems that have been finding greater acceptance among professional banjo players.

In his section on the selecting bridges, he states bluntly that extensive tests have shown that the weight of the bridge apparently should not exceed half the weight of the strings for the best sound. He doesn't give any of the test data, just his subjective judgment. In the same chapter, he states that bridges are available in 5/8 inch and 1/2 inch sizes--ignoring the existence of other sizes that have been available for a long time from most good suppliers.

One assumption he makes is that all banjos with a certain type of construction should have their heads tuned to a particular note or range of notes. Other experts have observed that due to differences in densities of tone rings and rims, that each instrument has its own particular range of frequencies at which it will 'speak' most effectively.

One thing Roger reveals for the first time in a book devoted to banjo setup is the idea of tuning the air chamber. This information is excellent, although I would personally try to determine the best air chamber pitch on an instrument by instrument basis.

Aside from these and other minor shortcomings, as I stated before, if you follow the instructions he gives, you will probably have a better sounding banjo when you get through.

However, be assured that 'best sounding' is a subjective term, and what sounds best to Roger Siminoff may not sound best to you. You may be able to find equally valid information that is more up to date on the internet.