Electic Banjo Help

Subject: Electic Banjo Help
From: clansfolk
Date: 09 Oct 99 - 04:22 PM

Read that as Electric Banjo!!!!

I have decided to buy a 5 string electric banjo to supplement my acoustics and would be grateful of any help.

I play with 4 bands at the moment and cover traditional Folk, Irish, Bluegrass and Rockabilly 50s/60s Goodtime music.

I have the problem of living in England where Banjo's especially electric are very scarce. At present I have electrified by using transducers on the skin and feeding the output through a zoom effects pedal and I'm reasonably happy with the sound when playing bluegrass and Rockabilly etc. but it does deaden the sound when playing acoustic.

Has anyone converted a standard banjo to a solid bodied banjo by replacing the skin with wood? What pickups would you advise? What's available and which sound the best. Is feed back still a problem with banjo bridge transducers?

So please let me have your ideas, problems you've encountered etc. Any UK builders of banjo's that make or would be willing to build an electric model.

Thanks in advance.

Pete

Subject: RE: Electic Banjo Help
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 09 Oct 99 - 06:47 PM

Pete,

Have a look at http://www.swanbanjo.com/

Jon

Subject: RE: Electic Banjo Help
From: bill\sables
Date: 10 Oct 99 - 06:34 AM

Hi Pete, I spent many years and many pounds trying to amplify a banjo to make it sound like a banjo and not an electric guitar and to overcome the feedback problem. In the end I bought a Fishman transducer banjo pickup about £100 and I am very pleased with the sound it produces and feedback seems to have gone but it is still not as good as playing through a mike.The banjo player in the Temperence Seven uses a mike on a stalk clamped to his banjo which sounds good. I have not heard a wooden banjo but I wonder how it would sound, Would it have the same ring as a regular banjo? because surely a lot of the banjo type sound comes from the skin. I would advise you to email Stan Gee at [e-mail] Stan has been working with banjos since the 60s and has probably views and advice on the subject. as to makers I would recomend Terry Docherty who makes guitars,mandolins,mandolas and fiddles He is a very respected luthier (I have a guitar and Mandola by him) and I'm sure he could make a wooden banjo to your requirements You will find him at [e-mail] or his website at www.ypc.co.uk/docherty Cheers Bill

Subject: RE: Electic Banjo Help
From: bill\sables
Date: 10 Oct 99 - 06:35 AM

Hi Pete, I spent many years and many pounds trying to amplify a banjo to make it sound like a banjo and not an electric guitar and to overcome the feedback problem. In the end I bought a Fishman transducer banjo pickup about £100 and I am very pleased with the sound it produces and feedback seems to have gone but it is still not as good as playing through a mike.The banjo player in the Temperence Seven uses a mike on a stalk clamped to his banjo which sounds good. I have not heard a wooden banjo but I wonder how it would sound, Would it have the same ring as a regular banjo? because surely a lot of the banjo type sound comes from the skin. I would advise you to email Stan Gee at [e-mail] Stan has been working with banjos since the 60s and has probably views and advice on the subject. as to makers I would recomend Terry Docherty who makes guitars,mandolins,mandolas and fiddles He is a very respected luthier (I have a guitar and Mandola by him) and I'm sure he could make a wooden banjo to your requirements You will find him at [e-mail] or his website at www.ypc.co.uk/docherty Cheers Bill

Subject: RE: Electic Banjo Help
From: mischa
Date: 10 Oct 99 - 07:01 AM

hey!

Take a look at www.deering.com. They make a model called the 'crossfire.' I've seen Bela Fleck play it, and it sounded excellent.

Good luck!

Mischa

Subject: RE: Electic Banjo Help
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 10 Oct 99 - 11:03 AM

Back in the 50s Eddie Peabody played a solid body Rickenbacker tenor banjo. I was just a little kid, but it sounded like Buddy Holly's strat to me. Other early attempts were by Buck Trent (who played a lot with Roy Clark) and Allan Shelton who put string benders on his Mastertone! (I don't think Jim and Jessie - who employed him - were impressed.

Rick

Subject: RE: Electic Banjo Help
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 10 Oct 99 - 11:42 AM

Bill, here are the links if you want to listen to hort sound clips to get an idea what they sound like.

I think the best known electric is the Deering Crossfire. Deerings home page is http://www.deeringbanjos.com/

Terry Swan is UK based and has recently started making electric banjos. His home page is http://www.swanbanjo.com/

Jon

Subject: RE: Electic Banjo Help
From: bseed(charleskratz)
Date: 10 Oct 99 - 04:01 PM

Alison Brown plays an electric she designed--which was built by (and is available from) the Nechville Banjo Company (www.nechville.com): She plays bluegrass which evolves into jazz and pure jazz--great stuff. Another possibility is a magnetic transducer which fits inside the head--these are available from such as Elderly Instruments (www.elderly.com).

Subject: RE: Electic Banjo Help
From: unclenort
Date: 11 Oct 99 - 04:44 AM

i once saw an accustic banjo that was amplified using a standard less paul humbucking pickup mounted between the rods inside of an epiphone banjo. along with a thin (about 2cm) piece of steel placed directly under the bridge.
i'm not sure why it works(the whole phisical vibration into an electical signal gets me)but it does work. the tone was very electric but still banjo and the signal was a little weak(hey, but so are fishman).
definetly not for traditionalists but IMHO an interesting apraoch.

Subject: RE: Electic Banjo Help
From: unclenort
Date: 11 Oct 99 - 10:48 AM

hard to believe my spelling's that bad. forgive my ignernce.BG

Subject: RE: Electic Banjo Help
From: Jon W.
Date: 11 Oct 99 - 11:21 AM

Earlier this year I built a wooden head banjo just for fun and although I love to play it I have to say it doesn't sound much like a banjo - more like a five-string bouzouki or something. So if you want real banjo sound I think it really depends on the skin.

Another place for banjo mics and pickups is Stewart MacDonald. And a good place to ask musical instrument questions is The Musicians and Instrument Makers Forum (MIMF).

Subject: RE: Electic Banjo Help
From: clansfolk
Date: 17 Oct 99 - 07:36 AM

Wow,

Plenty to go at there, I have now contacted Deering (like the looks of that one but I wonder who will stock it and how much it will cost over here in the UK?)and also the Swan site (not sure I like the looks of this one - bit like a carved bed pan!)

Along with a very talented woodworking friend we are looking at the various suggestions made and I will post my findings (although I don't know how long its going to take to try everything)

Another Idea that sprung up was to attach a wood circle to the inside of the skin (slightly smaller than the skin) then attach pickups, transducers tone volume and mixer controls through the skin/wood.

Thanks to all for the ideas and if anyone else can help - great

Pete (Clansfolk)