Banjo for a child - suggestions?

Subject: Banjo for a child - suggestions?
From: GUEST,Jon W.
Date: 19 Jan 01 - 11:48 AM

I'm starting a banjo building project to convert an old cheap banjo into one for a child (10 or 11 year old girl). She desperately wants to learn to play. Can anyone tell me what an appropriate neck length would be? I've considered a piccolo banjo (about the same as a normal neck capoed at the fifth fret) or just making it somewhat shorter than normal (about 24" scale length). Also, should I use steel or nylon strings? It will be a five-string.

Subject: RE: Banjo for a child - suggestions?
From: mousethief
Date: 19 Jan 01 - 12:02 PM

Unless you've got an extremely small 11-year-old on your hands, a regular-length banjo neck should be just fine. We have a banjo-playing teenager at church who started when she was 10, playing a standard 5-string banjo. An extended neck like Pete Seeger uses might be too long (then again she can capo it and just play "up high" until her arms grow longer!).

Alex

Subject: Banjo for a child
From: Les from Hull
Date: 19 Jan 01 - 12:45 PM

Sounds like a good swap!

Les

Subject: RE: Banjo for a child - suggestions?
From: catspaw49
Date: 19 Jan 01 - 12:51 PM

Jon, I'm kinda' with Alex on this. Have you tried her size on the banjo as is?

Spaw

Subject: RE: Banjo for a child - suggestions?
From: Jon W.
Date: 19 Jan 01 - 12:56 PM

The banjo currently is a long neck (Pete Seeger) version. Frankly, it's too long even for me to play comfortably. It also has an unfortunate tendency to buzz at the eigth fret due to a twisted neck. I suppose I ought to let her play my regular banjo (26 1/4" scale) and see how she does with that.

Subject: RE: Banjo for a child - suggestions?
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 19 Jan 01 - 01:03 PM

Another problem with the long-neck besides the left-arm stretch is the unbalance because of the neck's weight. Bad enough for a big adult, let alone an eleven-year-old girl. You end up having to hold up the neck with your hand, which leaves you pretty immobile in fingering.

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: Banjo for a child - suggestions?
From: Wesley S
Date: 19 Jan 01 - 01:42 PM

I'm just excited to hear that you have an 11 year old that "desperatly" wants to play the banjo. What are you feeding her??

Subject: RE: Banjo for a child - suggestions?
From: Jon W.
Date: 19 Jan 01 - 04:08 PM

Actually the girl is a friend of one of my daughters, not related to me at all. We know her and her family through a home schooling cooperative. I don't know what her parents feed her, but I'll bet that as a home schooled child, two things she is not being force-fed are pop culture and peer pressure to "conform."