This was going to be a 5-String Banjo, except I used a piece of wood for the neck that turned out to be too narrow to have 5 strings with a decent amount of inter-string space. The resonator makes this instrument the loudest acoustic instrument that I have made to date. I'm sure I will be making more of these resonator instruments. This instrument features a 4th string tuner (called a 5th string tuner on 5-String banjos) made by cutting down a standard guitar tuner and drilling a new string hole. The instrument is currently tuned to a-D-A-d. Also, this instrument is chromatically fretted and to make it easier for me to play, I used gold colored fret wire for all the diatonic frets, and silver colored fret wire for all the accidental frets. So now I can play my old diatonic tunes on this chromatically fretted instrument with relative ease.
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That's a good looking build Rand. I've seen other 4 string banjos tuned like this but they've all been fretted diatonically. I like having the chromatic notes and great idea using different fret colors.
I don't feel a photo is complete without some textual comments on it.
==>David Piasta:
The gold-color fret wire (brass alloy? I guess) and silver-color fret wire (probably some nickle alloy) were both purchased thru CBGitty last summer when I was in the States (be sure to order fret wire of the same size). I've done one other instrument this way (a octagonal shaped chromatic 4-stringer which I tuned to open D). Color coded frets are a good way for diatonic players to "step up" to chromatic. I wish I could find black fret wire, as that would contrast better between silver and gold (which looks the same in low light conditions).
==> Ben of C.B.Gitty... How about some black fret wire?!
==> Keith Rearick:
Yeah I like to show build photos, but I prefer to do a complete write-up of a build (but that takes time). Will try to add an in-depth write-up of my Reso-Box builds in my discussion group "Home Made Resonator Boxes 101, v.2.0". I need to finish up the other two resonator instruments that I have in process so I can give the topic a more thorough coverage (my photo documentation is some times a bit spotty, so I'll do several builds and highlight what I find to be my "'best practices").
Very nice build, and thanks for showing pictures of the inside. How people do things internally, is as important as what the finished product looks like.
Thanks, Rand. I am using an unusual old pie pan and it's too late to strengthen now - and you make me wish I had done so. Small thing in my favor is a rather large and flat surface area saddle to distribute the down force. I hope.
Also, if you are planning to add a resonator like I did, it's a good idea to stiffen up the soundboard. Usually, with acoustic instruments they make the soundboard as thin as possible. But, with a metal resonators, the thin sound board will end up stealing some of the vibrating energy from the metal resonator, reducing sound output.
In my case, I needed to use a thin sound board because working with hand tools, it's difficult to cut large circular holes in thicker boards. So, I had to then come back and stiffen up the soundboard by gluing on additional pieces of wood on the underside of the sound board. Here's a photo...
This shot is looking through the sound box from the back-board which I had yet to install. You can see the extra "framing" I added to stiffen the sound board, as well as how I attached the neck. The "thru the box" part of the neck has to be lowered in order to provide clearance for the resonator.
Thanks for the good info, Rand. Huh. Interesting saddle.
My neck is wide enough for a 4 strings at 1.5 inches. But you got me thinking. I think I will experiment with this tuning: High G - DGB. Yup. Will give that a try. I an a 3 string guy and pretty good on DGB. That tuning will give me the high drone and simple chording and picking that I am familiar with.
Comments
That's a good looking build Rand. I've seen other 4 string banjos tuned like this but they've all been fretted diatonically. I like having the chromatic notes and great idea using different fret colors.
Thanks for the complements, guys.
I don't feel a photo is complete without some textual comments on it.
==>David Piasta:
The gold-color fret wire (brass alloy? I guess) and silver-color fret wire (probably some nickle alloy) were both purchased thru CBGitty last summer when I was in the States (be sure to order fret wire of the same size). I've done one other instrument this way (a octagonal shaped chromatic 4-stringer which I tuned to open D). Color coded frets are a good way for diatonic players to "step up" to chromatic. I wish I could find black fret wire, as that would contrast better between silver and gold (which looks the same in low light conditions).
==> Ben of C.B.Gitty... How about some black fret wire?!
==> Keith Rearick:
Yeah I like to show build photos, but I prefer to do a complete write-up of a build (but that takes time). Will try to add an in-depth write-up of my Reso-Box builds in my discussion group "Home Made Resonator Boxes 101, v.2.0". I need to finish up the other two resonator instruments that I have in process so I can give the topic a more thorough coverage (my photo documentation is some times a bit spotty, so I'll do several builds and highlight what I find to be my "'best practices").
-Rand.
Very nice build, and thanks for showing pictures of the inside. How people do things internally, is as important as what the finished product looks like.
Nice build...just wondering were you got the gold or brass coloured fret wire? All I have ever seen is the nickle wire.
Very nice build, and a good source of imformation.
Thanks, Rand. I am using an unusual old pie pan and it's too late to strengthen now - and you make me wish I had done so. Small thing in my favor is a rather large and flat surface area saddle to distribute the down force. I hope.
Very nice...
g-D-G-B... Sounds like a good plan, Uncle John.
Also, if you are planning to add a resonator like I did, it's a good idea to stiffen up the soundboard. Usually, with acoustic instruments they make the soundboard as thin as possible. But, with a metal resonators, the thin sound board will end up stealing some of the vibrating energy from the metal resonator, reducing sound output.
In my case, I needed to use a thin sound board because working with hand tools, it's difficult to cut large circular holes in thicker boards. So, I had to then come back and stiffen up the soundboard by gluing on additional pieces of wood on the underside of the sound board. Here's a photo...
-Rand.
Thanks for the good info, Rand. Huh. Interesting saddle.
My neck is wide enough for a 4 strings at 1.5 inches. But you got me thinking. I think I will experiment with this tuning: High G - DGB. Yup. Will give that a try. I an a 3 string guy and pretty good on DGB. That tuning will give me the high drone and simple chording and picking that I am familiar with.
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