Hi Clifton, really good video, thanks. I'm building my first mountain banjo, and your channel is incredibly useful. I saw in the description that you no longer angle your necks. Why is this?

@CliftonHicksbanjo

2 жыл бұрын

After I made this video I was informed by several collectors/researchers that almost no 5-string banjos were built with neck angle before the 1920s. A thorough examination of original antique banjos, antique sketches, photographs, and documents written by banjo makers, confirms that neck angle was introduced during the 1920s, and did not become standard until after WW2.

@samhuguet861

2 жыл бұрын

Neat, thanks looking into it and relaying the info to us

Ya know why Clifton Hicks is killer? Because he plays mountain music, but he sings with skill. He don’t holler, he sings. Somebody like myself really admires that coming from the bluegrass world.

I put Berkley Trilene monofilament fishing line on my deering good time special. 25, 30, 40, 50 pound test. I pre stretched the 25 and 30 so it would set in quickly. I made zero changes to the banjo. They have been on for months with no issues. Gives a nice mellow tone. Not as twangy as metal but not as muddy as nylgut.

@Tbowie13

9 ай бұрын

Ha, well, that's good to know for the apocalypse! 😂 A 1000-yard spool of you'd have a few lifetimes worth of strings! 😊

The back angle is because of the bridge height. Otherwise the strings would be father away from the fretboard at the 12th fret than the 1st fret. The bridge height effects the transition of the vibration of the strings to the drum head.

@neilbush9873

Ай бұрын

Great comment as I was trying to my brain around that.

Files for cutting nuts and bridges cost a fortune, but are good investments if you plan to use them a lot. Since I'm poor, what I've done is used automotive feeler gauges and cut or filed in teeny tiny teeth to make them in to saws.

This really solves the mystery of how to get the neck angle! Big help!

Neck angle is to help the string break behind the bridge.

Hey Cliffton really liked your version Blackbottom Blues -thanks. Also I'd add that one way to stop nylon strings slipping is to use a tiny piece of glass paper/ very fine sandpaper to roughen the surface of he string at the end. This can weaken the string so only do this on the part of the string that doesn't take any tension, that is, the part that wraps around pin of the tuning key. -the string can also be roughened up using a smooth rock or even river sand pinched between your fingers -if you're in the woods ;) Thanks again, good luck.

the way i do it is get a digital level gauge place neck flat on a flat surface fret board down, zero the gauge while neck is flat on the flat surface then raise the neck till you get neck angle then tape a wooded spacer on neck so the angle is correct then go to table saw then cut correct angle you can also cut the cut out this way and the heel then take out the spacer and cut the bottom of the neck straight with fret board running along table saw fence. to take off points of a mm use paper to use gorilla tape on your fence i hope this can help any one trying to make a banjo i screwed up loads before i was happy ,thanks Clifford for many great vids

I’m getting back into building banjo’s and this will help ! Thanks !

Hi Clifton I love to watch your channel it is always a wealth of information, and my favorite music is old time, so I love your playing and singing. but as a luthier that builds hurdy-gurdies, nyckelharpas, fiddles and Guitars. I can tell you why their is a slight back angle on a guitar and not on a Banjo, that has to do with string tension and structure, the banjo has a thick wood or metal band that resists bending, the guitar has a light structure and over time the wood can shift, the neck pulls up and the action of the strings over the frets, making the string height way to high making the guitar unplayable. luthiers then have to do a neck reset. difficult and expensive. even with a truss rod it can only help a small amount. so banjo's can resist distortion over long periods of time, because if their structure. The small neck angle on guitars allows them to resist distortion longer.

Man brother that banjo is just a ringing tonight the video quality and sound is excellent !love these vids

@CliftonHicksbanjo

6 жыл бұрын

I learned that song from Matt Kinman and I think he may have learned it from Bill Birchfield et al. around Roan Mountain, TN. That up-picking style is similar to how Kinman plays most of his banjo music and is also related to the up-picking of Creed Birchfield who played in the original Roan Mountain Hilltoppers.

@Schuylemagne

6 жыл бұрын

That up-picking technique, is that the same style used by Pete Seeger?

@CliftonHicksbanjo

6 жыл бұрын

Yes, it is the same basic technique that Seeger promoted and often used--as well as a LOT of other, earlier banjo pickers.

@mjan547

6 жыл бұрын

fralin1966 a

Mr. Hicks, I have written previously about banjo building and you told how you build your tack head banjos. Your seemed to be what I was thinking of doing. My idea was simply to buy a Congas drum head and soak it for an hour in a bucket then to place it on a wooden pot bowl which has pre-drilled out holes on the frame and with a rubber band place the hide where I want it then let it dry and place the tacks with a block of wood instead a hammer to halt tearing of the hide. Would that method work in your experience?Also do you like to use fishing line strings I like their Sound more then steel?

thank u .

Dual control rods allow you to fix the neck angle in a couple of minuets instead of days or weeks to make playable again.

You're so great on that banjo.

@CliftonHicksbanjo

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks, I learned that song from Matt Kinman and I think he may have learned it from Bill Birchfield of Roan Mountain, TN.

Where can I find information about how to appropriately size the neck?

Thanks Clift

@clawhammer704

4 жыл бұрын

Now find a place that has some seasoned hardwood that will not twist and warp.

Is that one of those Bear brand bows?

Hi sir! Is your banjo tuned to standard tuning? I've been trying to learn your version of banjo picking girl but the notes feel a little bit different.

What is the banjo that your playing? Also, where can I get one like it? Your music is very awesome sir! thank you for playing!

The more angle allows for a taller bridge which for the most part increases volume. 11/16 is a tall bridge for a banjo.

@landowar2162

6 жыл бұрын

And the reason for that is that it allows for more pressure on the bridge. So more pressure to build up and the bridge presses harder against the skin which transfers the vibrations more and quicker.

Are there any modern banjos that you know of that can accept nylgut strings without ruining them? I was considering buying the Goodtime Artisan Americana but I don't want the strings getting destroyed. I'm really glad to have seen this video.

@CliftonHicksbanjo

4 жыл бұрын

I recommend trying "La Bella No. 17" nylon strings. They are thinner strings (closer to what was common circa 1900) and people have told me they work on their Goodtime banjos without modifying the nut. You will probably have to get a new bridge, however, because the ebony-capped bluegrass bridge that's probably on your banjo right now almost certainly won't hold them. You just need a "classic" or "minstrel" style bridge.

Clifton what song are you playing in this video, would you consider putting the song name in your side notes? That would be great, thanks

Hey Clifton, I've got another question. Where do you buy large blocks of maple or harder types of wood?

@prestonbickler6863

4 жыл бұрын

Nevermind, I found a guy

I can totally identify with that hole "oh well the old-timers know and it's hard to explain but I just have to show you.." as if it's some kind of magic nonsense! I'm a Math and Science kind of guy and there's a lot of that in the design of a musical instrument I can't deal with the traditionalist Hocus Pocus.

@georgepalchikov7176

4 жыл бұрын

As someone who builds garage quality musical instruments just for fun, I can say that figuring out stuff on your own is the best part. You don't just follow instructions or theory, you make mistakes and find solutions by yourself. Basically, it is a kind of reverse engineering.

@wesleyofficer1237

4 жыл бұрын

@@georgepalchikov7176 sure, I do enjoy the same free sort it out as you go kinda thing. I just mean I can't stand it when someone who either knows (or doesn't) hides the processe(s) in an attempt to appear superior. And I understand sometimes its not worth trying to explain to every kid that comes along, but the overall concept sure has made it hard to learn in a few occasions throughout my life. Y'all are fine, I get what you're saying 👍

What song does he open with about Tennessee?

@CliftonHicksbanjo

2 жыл бұрын

"Banjo Picking Girl" ~ gDGBD

Hey buddy quick question on the dowl. Whats a general ball park thickness of the dowl do you suggest? Just dont want to go to thin and run into issues latter on

@CliftonHicksbanjo

4 ай бұрын

About 1" x 1" is plenty of dowel without being too clunky. They are typically tapered toward the tailpiece. Factory made banjos with wooden dowel with be something like 7/8" at the heel tapering to maybe 5/8" at the tail.

@whiskymylove

4 ай бұрын

@CliftonHicksbanjo thank you, you appreciated

If you, or anyone, has a nice antique banjo, I hope you do not butcher the instrument by trying to set the neck angle back. Please do not try to pull the neck back by tightening the mechanism on the back of an SS Stewart. Almost all of the vintage banjos were set up flat. The only problem I have had is if the tension hoop is not pulled down far enough (close to the rim edge) and the tailpiece is riding high and a taller bridge has to be used. The nylon strings will always need to be higher from the fingerboard than steel because the nylon strings vibrate with a wider arc. To get a crisp sound, use a bridge for "classic or minstrel" banjo, which is much thinner than standard bridges.

@CliftonHicksbanjo

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks, Clarke. I have been trying to spread the truth about neck angle for a couple of years now. When I made this video, I didn't know that truth.

@panhandlingray

3 жыл бұрын

I saw Clarke live in Eureka Springs some years back. He did the warm up set for Tom Paley. A fine show by both gentleman.

@drewby613

2 жыл бұрын

I built a Stew-Mac kit years ago with a cast, one-piece aluminum tone-ring/rim assembly, with no rods or any opportunity for neck angle adjustment. I found a piece of hard plastic and made a shim that I put between the neck and the stretcher band, and after some fiddling around I was able to get the string height I needed. Never was a fan of the tone of that instrument, but I learned to play on it all the same.

What technique do you use to make the top surface of the neck flat?

@CliftonHicksbanjo

4 жыл бұрын

If you're lucky you'll find a block that's flat ish in one side already. Squaring one up from a rough log is _tough_ work. Requires big backsaw, big chisels, _sharp_ jack plane & then finish off with sandpaper on a long, flat form. You can use a flat slab of granite or good flat board to hold the sandpaper, then just rub it back & forth. I will then finish with a 3' steel level wrapped in sandpaper.

@prestonbickler6863

4 жыл бұрын

@@CliftonHicksbanjo thanks for getting back so quickly! That's great advice. Every idea I've had so far seemed to overcomplicate things. I'll definitely try that out.

The way I understand the need for that neck angle is that you need more distance between the strings and the head in the area of the bridge for picking, but you need a fair bit less distance between the neck and the strings for fingering. If the neck didn't angle, but were a straight line coming off the pot, because of the height you hoist the strings to for your picking comfort, you'd have too much string height down the length of the fretboard (even though the nut doesn't have the height of the bridge), making it impossible to finger, until you got below the fifth fret or so. The neck angle lowers the nut relative to the point of contact with the pot, and that has the effect of bringing the strings closer to the fretboard, making them closer to parallel. If the neck weren't angled back, you'd in effect have a really thin right triangle (like the profile of a cedar shake) with the bridge being the upright and the nut being the point at the other end, and you can imagine from that how high the strings would be at the 12th fret. Even at the 7th fret you'd have to go so far before reaching the fingerboard that you'd be noting really sharp from pulling the string so far. So adding the neck angle solves that problem and the string height remains playable all the way up the neck.

@CliftonHicksbanjo

Жыл бұрын

I've learned a lot since filming this. For example, no five string banjos were built with neck angle prior to about 1920. They all had flat-trajectory necks.

@drewby613

Жыл бұрын

@@CliftonHicksbanjo wow. They must have been hard to play!!! Maybe the whole approach to left hand technique was different, somehow?

@CliftonHicksbanjo

Жыл бұрын

@@drewby613 They are _different_ but not necessarily difficult. Instead of steep neck angle and a tall bridge (like modern banjos) they utilized ~ zero neck angle and a shorter 1/2" bridge. With gut or nylon strings and lowered tunings they are actually a joy to play, and I would argue sound superior to modern banjos. Every banjo that you see me playing today has zero neck angle.

@drewby613

Жыл бұрын

@@CliftonHicksbanjo That is interesting!!! I'll keep my eyes peeled on that detail going forward. You also probably have a dead-straight fingerboard, so it's interesting that it all works without getting any buzzing. I guess fretless fingerboards and nylon strings aren't as prone to that as steel-string and fretted banjos are.

Without the back angle, the bridge height would be the same as the nut. The alternative would be to have a fretless banjo, since you would not be so concerned about maintaining the string height the proper distance from the frets at the 12th fret region. However you also don't have as much clearance between the strings and the head unless you set the fretboard slightly above the head.

Neck angle just works out from the relative skin tension and bridge height which gives the right string elevation to prevent buzzing on the frets. The lower the strings, the easier it fingers but the strings will begin to buzz when they get too low. Tight skin raises the strings and brightens the tone. But it also gets hard to finger. So ya gotta increase the neck angle.

@CliftonHicksbanjo

2 жыл бұрын

Five-string banjos were not _typically_ built with neck angle until after WW2.

@MrPanchoak

2 жыл бұрын

@@CliftonHicksbanjo Probably partly the reason that many of the earlier instruments had a sweeter sound. Today's hard driving Bluegrass wasn't a thing yet and folk needed a softer background with a cheery atmosphere.

Unrelated to the video: you sound a lot like Nicolas Cage