I have an inexpensive Gold Tone banjo which works well from me as a beginner. It has new strings and seems to hold tune really well. My only issue is the second fret D7 chord. When I chord the D7 it sounds off and if I have my tuner on it registers as an A sharp. Any thoughts?
Second Fret D7
How high is the action at the nut? Sometimes a high nut will cause intonation problems at the first few frets…
Hey there!
The A note will register a bit sharp on a tuner…that’s normal. But it sounds like you’re hearing something beyond the normal which can be due to several things, like: finger pressure, nut slot height, neck relief setup
Is it possible to make a video and submit it of you playing the strings open, then fretting the D7 chord and playing it string by string?
Make sure to watch my tuning lesson: https://banjobenclark.com/lessons/how-to-tune-your-banjo-banjo
Here is a quick video I made. Hopefully I can figure out how to attach it.
First, my disclaimer….although I have tinkered with and even built instruments for many years, I am not a professional luthier, this is just my opinion. If I was a betting man, I would say the nut slot on your second string is too high. You could check this by fretting the third fret and measuring the distance between the second fret and string with a feeler gauge. A .0001. Gauge should fit between the string and fret and just barely make contact. If the nut slot is too high, it could be lightly lowered with a jeweler’s file. I have even used a wound guitar string to lower a groove. I have also ruined many nuts by filing too low. There is a delicate balance. As low as possible with no buzzing. Your best bet would be to take it to a luthier if possible. I took a still shot of your nut and flipped the photo (below). I also attached a picture of the nut on my banjo so you can compare the shape of the nut and height. Anyway, this is just my thoughts. I hope you are able to fix it. Many here probably know much more than me about it.
Sorry, had a hard time getting the second picture to load….