Forum - Banjo Ben Clark

A couple of random questions from a newbie

#1

I am a newbie who just started about a month ago and I"m really enjoying the journey thanks to Banjo Ben and the other helpful people in this forum. I have no other instructor here, so I have a couple of random questions I"m hoping you guys can answer.

  1. Recently when I play the middle G string it’s started vibrating my high g string. What would cause this and how do I fix it?
  2. I have some marks on the head of my banjo which I believe came from an over eager few days where I tried playing faster than I should have and scratched the head a bit. I’ve attached a picture. Is this the cause? If not, what is causing it. I’m not greatly concerned about it as in a year I plan on buying a nicer banjo, but while I think I’ve fixed the issue of hitting the head, it would be easier to tell if I could clean off these marks and see if they come back. Any ideas on how to do this?
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#2

  1. I have no idea. Could be your 5th string has come off its nut & is touching the fret? (shrug)

  2. The head is easy to clean. Just use a Mr Clean Magic Eraser or some equivalent.
    Works like a charm. The little dampness won’t hurt the head since it’s made of plastic.

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#3

Hi @pastormac David

Q1. Frequency Modulation. Both strings are tuned to G so your drone string, the short one is osculating in harmony. Worth checking to see if the pip has cracked, if you’ve been a bit heavy handed with your thumb pick.

Q2. This is common on the frosted head. It’s gonna get bigger over time. Some players look on it as a badge of honour. The marks running parallel to the strings are sweat marks. Keep a paper towel handy and wipe the underside of the strings frequently that should help reduce the dark patches.

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#4

Thanks Archie. That’s helpful information! I figured it was some kind of frequency harmonic, but (and I know I should probably know this because I did watch the video on the banjo itself, but apparently I’ve forgotten) what is the Pip?

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#5

Thanks Banjoe! I didn’t notice anything obvious and It doesn’t appear to be touching the fret, but I"ll double check. Thanks for the info on using a magic eraser.

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#6

The pip is the little 5th string nut on the fretboard next to the tuning key. Not all banjos have a pip. My Deering Calico uses a railroad spike instead.

I agree with Archie about the harmonic resonance. There has to be a reason for it, though. That’s not a normal thing to hear. I had an issue similar to that once. The pip had fallen out and I put it back in backwards. The side that was supposed to be facing the tuning key was facing the bridge, and the slot on that side was wider, so it gave the string enough room to rattle inside the pip. So that’s worth checking.

Also wouldn’t hurt to press on the 5th string at the bridge to see if the noise is coming from there.

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#7

Thanks so much for your help. Is this a Pip or a spike? It doesn’t appear to be broken, right?

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It’s not the best picture because I wanted it to fit in this post, but let me know if you need a better picture. If I mute the fifth string anywhere along its length it doesn’t vibrate of course, but what exactly do you mean about pressing on the fifth string particuarly at the bridge?

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#8

Yup. That’s the pip. It appears to be in tact, but in that pic, it also looks like the string is VERY close to the 5th fret. That could be where you’re getting your buzz.

And I’m sorry. I wrote “bridge” when what I meant was “tailpiece.” Sometimes the tailpiece can rattle at certain frequencies. So you can touch the tailpiece with your fretting hand and pick the 3rd string with your picking hand and see if it continues to rattle.

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#9

The fifth string on all three of my banjo’s including my Stelling rest on the fifth fret @Mark_Rocka. Could be that @pastormac David’s string is hovering above the fifth fret and NOT touching. Which would definitely cause a problem with vibrations.

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#10

Thanks @Mark_Rocka . I’ll experiment with the tailpiece soon.

#11

@Archie . Thanks I’m not with my banjo currently (and sadly). But when I get home I’ll take a look and see if the string is resting on the fret. I’ll go back to the maintenance videos and see how to adjust that if needed. Appreciate the help!

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