Help: 5string banjo measurements?

Subject: 5string banjo measurements?
From: Rollo
Date: 17 Jun 00 - 10:50 AM

While I'm proud owner of a cheap tenor banjo, my dream allways has been to play the 5string banjo - but money is short nowadays... so I decided on self-construction. The problem: I don't know anyone to have one around here.

So please can anyone of you take out his "frying pan" and measure the dimensions of his instrument's neck for me? I need the length of the strings down to the bridge, not the actual length of the wooden neck. I should be able to divide the neck into partitions by myself.

And please - no inches, but metric measures, will you be so kind?

Thank you!

Rollo

Subject: RE: Help: 5string banjo measurements?
From: Little Neophyte
Date: 17 Jun 00 - 01:49 PM

Rollo, I thought you were asking for my measurements.

Well in that case, I will pull out my banjo if no one else has. But right now I have to dash out the door but I will check this thread later on tonight to see if someone else has helped you.

BB

Subject: RE: Help: 5string banjo measurements?
From: BlueJay
Date: 17 Jun 00 - 02:33 PM

Well, Rollo, I pulled mine out. Other banjos may have different dimensions. Mine is a cheap one. Center of the nut to center of the bridge is 673mm. Another 110 mm from the center of the bridge to the end of the tailpiece. And about 132 mm from the center of the nut to the farthest tuning pegs. The strings come a lot longer and need to be cut, so the actual string length shouldn't be too critical. But they are probably a little over a meter when they come out of the package. As for Banjo Bonnie, I'm guessing 95cm x 59 cm x 85 cm. Hope this helps, but remember, mine is a cheap instrument, not even a brand name on it. A better instrument may be more representative. BlueJay

Subject: RE: Help: 5string banjo measurements?
From: Little Neophyte
Date: 17 Jun 00 - 04:30 PM

Close BlueJay

Rollo, I'll go look at mine
Bonnie

Subject: RE: Help: 5string banjo measurements?
From: Little Neophyte
Date: 17 Jun 00 - 04:38 PM

Mine are the same as BlueJays and I was measuring a Deering Goodtime.

BB

Subject: RE: Help: 5string banjo measurements?
From: BlueJay
Date: 17 Jun 00 - 04:48 PM

Banjo Bonnie- what about the other measurements, was I close? (You brought it up). BJ

Subject: RE: Help: 5string banjo measurements?
From: Little Neophyte
Date: 17 Jun 00 - 04:53 PM

BlueJay I told you that you were close. Close is good enough

Subject: RE: Help: 5string banjo measurements?
From: BlueJay
Date: 17 Jun 00 - 05:14 PM

Banjo Bonnie- Really, close to my cheapo eh? Then that must be a ffairly standard setup. (aat leasst if you're in fff). Rollo, good luck trying to make a banjo neck, I can't even carve a bar of soap! BJ

Subject: RE: Help: 5string banjo measurements?
From: Little Neophyte
Date: 17 Jun 00 - 05:24 PM

BlueJay, go check your personal messages

Subject: RE: Help: 5string banjo measurements?
From: Gypsy
Date: 18 Jun 00 - 12:59 AM

And i thought it was about 3" 10" zip.

Subject: RE: Help: 5string banjo measurements?
From: Rollo
Date: 18 Jun 00 - 08:06 PM

Thank you BlueJay, Thank you Banjo Bonnie. Tomorrow I will look out for a good piece of wood. For sure I will report the outcoming of my efforts.

I hope my Banjo "made in germany" will be better than german whiskey... ;-)))

Subject: RE: Help: 5string banjo measurements?
From: Jon W.
Date: 19 Jun 00 - 12:00 PM

Rollo, I've built two five-string necks so far, the first to go with a wooden head pot I built, the second to convert a tenor to 5-string like you are doing. If I can be of any help, contact me through personal message. Also go to this site: The Musical Instrument Maker's Forum for help. If you register you can access their library of expired discussions, also get free software (some of which I contributed) to help you do the fret spacing.

Subject: RE: Help: 5string banjo measurements?
From: Songster Bob
Date: 19 Jun 00 - 12:10 PM

You CAN make a five-string of sorts simply by drilling into the tenor neck and installing the peg. The string would hang off the fingerboard in mid-air, and the scale length is too short for real tone, but it can be done (I've seen it). The preferred method, of course, is to make the new neck. You can buy neck blanks, from rough-cut to nearly completed, at the Stewart-MacDonald company, for one.

Bob Clayton

Subject: RE: Help: 5string banjo measurements?
From: Rollo
Date: 19 Jun 00 - 06:20 PM

Jon, the site you mentioned looks very interesting. Thanks for the tip. Bob, thank you, but I prefer to construct the neck by myself. If you are a little bit choosy when picking a piece of wood it is not so difficult as it might seem. The way it was carved from the trunk is the most important thing.

Subject: RE: Help: 5string banjo measurements?
From: catspaw49
Date: 19 Jun 00 - 08:55 PM

So Rollo....Are you making the fretboard too? From what? What gauge frets? Tuners wooden too?

Spaw

Subject: RE: Help: 5string banjo measurements?
From: GUEST
Date: 19 Jun 00 - 10:03 PM

rollo, I have two measurments that might be of somhelp. the entire neck, from top of peg head to head of banjo should measure 26.5 in. The peg head,(top end of banjo with the pegs), itself is 5.5 in to beggining of neck (string board). from top of neck(under peg head) to 5th strig peg is 7.5 in. from 5th strig peg to head of banjo is 13.5 in. IMPORTANT: Don't forget, where the peg head conects to the neck, you'll need to have angled aprox. 15 deg. angle. Also, the neck width should start 1.5 in, and end at 2 in at head. Banjo w/head will most likely be roughly 36in depending on head type. Good luck, polar bear