During a Cigar Box Nation TV broadcast on cigar box banjos, Wade Costenbader joined in the comments and offered some great suggestions for dealing with the pesky 5th string peg on cigar box banjos.
One of his tips that makes banjo neck making easier: Use standard 1x2 for the neck, then glue a narrowed piece of 1/4" (fretboard wood) perpendicular to the fretboard side of the neck starting at the 5th fret. That 1/4" width is all you need to squeeze that 5th string in there.
When it comes to the 5th string peg, he creates his own using a zither pin and scrap of wood. "I drill a hole into a scrap piece of hardwood. Glue a zither pin into the hole and your done. a bit of wax on the threads makes for easier tuning."
Got suggestions of your own? Post them along with pics in the comments!
Replies
Yeah Wade, here's one thing I've tried that worked pretty well. I've also done a tunneled 5th string that runs under the fretboard and up to a tuner on the headstock.
Great idea!