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Permalink Reply by Rand Moore on August 10, 2011 at 9:58am

Hi David Webb,

I assume you are talking about the 5th string tuner (machine head, peg) on a 5-string banjo, right?  Yes, on standard banjos, the 5th string terminates at the fifth fret, so the tuner would normally be placed somewhere around the 4th fret. On long neck banjos, and short neck banjos, this may not hold true. As I recall the long neck banjos have it around the 8th fret, but I'm not certain. And I'd get confirmation on short neck banjos.

One of the problems with the 5th string tuner located between frets 4 & 5 is that is can interfere with your left hand, especially if you are using a slide (yeah, you can use a slide on a banjo, too). My recommendation would be to anchor the 5th string to the area between the 4th and 5th fret with a screw and then move the tuner down near the tail piece. May take some "engineering" to figure out how to make the design work, but it would get that pesky tuner out of the way.

 

-Rand.

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Permalink Reply by Rand Moore on August 10, 2011 at 12:10pm

Hi David Webb,

To get the measurements for fret placement on a banjo, just use any fret calculator for a guitar - the calculations are the same, just the scale length may be different. The "standard" 5-string banjo has a scale length of about 26.5" (they vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, but are generally between 26 and 27 inches). Standard sized banjos also typically have 22 frets. So, pick a fret calculator you want to use, enter the scale length and the number of frets you want to use, and let it calculate the measurements. One popular fret calculators is the Stewart MacDonald fret calculator. Another is FretFind 2-D. My favorite is wFret.com which is a Windows application that will print out the scale - just tape it together and then tape it to your fretboard and saw away!  I think FretFind 2-D also allows you to print out a scale. There are a bunch of other fret calculators out there as well.

-Rand.

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Permalink Reply by Rand Moore on August 10, 2011 at 12:38pm

Here's a diagram showing what I was saying about reversing the position of the 5th String tuner...

Hope this helps.

-Rand.

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Permalink Reply by Chuck Dubman on August 10, 2011 at 4:29pm

26.25" is standard scale (Gibson Mastertone).  My Ibex fret rule includes a 26.125", or "Spanish

classic long scale."  That's close enough.

Rand Moore said:

Hi David Webb,

To get the measurements for fret placement on a banjo, just use any fret calculator for a guitar - the calculations are the same, just the scale length may be different. The "standard" 5-string banjo has a scale length of about 26.5" (they vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, but are generally between 26 and 27 inches). Standard sized banjos also typically have 22 frets. So, pick a fret calculator you want to use, enter the scale length and the number of frets you want to use, and let it calculate the measurements. One popular fret calculators is the Stewart MacDonald fret calculator. Another is FretFind 2-D. My favorite is wFret.com which is a Windows application that will print out the scale - just tape it together and then tape it to your fretboard and saw away!  I think FretFind 2-D also allows you to print out a scale. There are a bunch of other fret calculators out there as well.

-Rand.

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Permalink Reply by Mark Bliss on August 10, 2011 at 5:31pm

Many banjos have 17 frets and a "frailing scoop" too.

The variations are all over the place really.

I have seen some banjo neck configurations with the 5th string tuner at the tail, (Kind of tricky with a banjo pot however) or "tunnelled" configurations with the fifth tuner at the headstock. Cross-over players from guitar are often bugged by the tuner bump, but in reality, for the most part your thumb should never leave the back center of the neck for most common banjo playing styles. The real tricky part is changing keys. Capoing and spiking are especially tricky considerations on the banjo.

There are exceptions, but even the user of a slide should be able to adjust to the common five string neck. I was intrigued by thoughts of this when I recently checked out a "Banjonator". It was a banjo neck on a resonator pot. Very interesting. I feel a build rush coming on.........

Keep it fun!

Mark

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Permalink Reply by David Webb on August 11, 2011 at 12:37pm

Thanks to all those who replied and I now have more info to look at and try.

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