so i stayed up too late and bought this dodgy tenor banjo: ( if the link works) http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...T#ht_596wt_907 just realized that when i google "crown deluxe" tenor banjo, the link to the ebay. ad is the only match. and when i look at the pictures now im wondering if the backside is plastic?? personal stupidity- record right there..
the back of the resonator doesn't look like plastic to me, some kind of wood veneer perhaps. I like the Elton pickguard on it, very old school looking. Plus it's Japanese made and looks fairly decent quality, so as long as the neck is straight on it I'd say you did ok on that one! It may be set up for CGDA tuning - if that's the case and you're wanting it in GDAE then you'll need to change the strings most likely for different gauges and set it up for them. Tenor banjos are SO much fun!
thanks for those words of comfort:D If its plays ok Iīm happy
Looks good to me, and Japanese instruments are well made, on the whole. It's not always easy to get strings that tune well to GDAE on a 19-fret. I tried that setup on my 19-fret tenor some years ago, and it didn't sound right. You may well have better luck, so don't be put off by me if that's your choice. I like to keep both tenor banjo and tenor guitar in viola tuning - CGDA - because the fingering then matches my mandolin - all in 5ths. :-)
good to hear.. could you explain the part with the viola tuning and mandolin fingering again? :S
Well, my violin - like all violins - is tuned GDAE, i.e. in 5ths. A viola is tuned one 5th down from a violin - in CGDA. So, the relationship between the violin and the viola is as follows: -----Violin---Viola 1st......E.........A 2nd.....A.........D 3rd......D........G 4th......G........C As you can see, the 1st string of the viola is the same as the 2nd on the violin, etc. What this means in practice is that finger patterns and scale patterns are similar between the two instruments. And, of course, the mandolin has the same tuning and fingering as the violin - and the standard tuning on tenor guitar is the same as standard tuning on tenor banjo - so if you can find your way around one of these instruments, you can find your way around all four... Very handy! In general, short-scale tenor banjos/guitars sound better with viola tuning, and longer-scale ("Irish") instruments sound better with a more guitar-like tuning or even an open chord tuning. I'm no expert on the open tunings, but I'll bet there are many here on the Group who are.
WillFly, most tenor players back home play 19 fret tenors tuned GDAE - string gauges that Enda Scahill recommends are: .11 or .12 for the E string (plain steel) .16 or .17 for the A string (wound) .25 or. 26 for the D string (wound) .34 -.40 for the G string (wound) He also generally buys single guitar strings in the gauges he likes and pops the ball end out - Angelina Carberry does the same thing. etteM - while there are a few irish trad players using CGDA (Gerry O'Connor, and John Carty come to mind), GDAE is pretty much the standard.
Hi Jill - ah, you're talking octave mandolin tuning here. Gotcha! Same fingering as I was talking about, just an octave lower... There are quite a number of players over here in the UK who use more open chord tunings and, actually, CGDA is comparatively rare. I suppose it depends which sessions and circles we move in. Cheers, Will
thanks, so its like a mando with a capo on the 5th fret? wow i need to read some music theory:D Jill, I tried placing an order over banjo.ie , but "syntax error " came up when i tried confirming it. . sent a message, do you think its kosher to ask them to send it as gift if/ when they answer me? and what type of strings( these ones: http://www.banjo.ie/shop/Strings_3 ? )and pick do you recommend for the standard irish stuff?
Those strings are grand - I always used those (Tom's in house brand of strings) back home - the link you have is for ball end ones, and more than likely the tailpiece on your tenor will take loop end strings - Tom sells those same strings in the loop end version - just click on the link for "more tenor banjo strings" to see the selection. As regards picks/plectrums for playing irish stuff on the tenor I like either the .50mm Clayton Acetyl picks or the light grey Jim Dunlop .60mm nylon picks - most Irish trad players tend to use picks in the .50mm-.60mm range, though I'm sure there are exceptions. Tom sells both the Clayton plecs and the Jim Dunlop ones on his site as well, under the "Accessories, Extras" link in the sidebar.
do you have a link for his website, i canīt find it
www.banjo.ie is Tom's website - his shop is "Clareen Banjos".
Is he in Clarinbridge, Jill?
Yes, he's in Clarinbridge - his shop is attached to his house there.
My only forays to Clarinbridge only got me as far as Paddy Burke's for oysters and porter...
