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Thread: Deering tenor, no fingerboard or truss rod?

  1. #1

    Default Deering tenor, no fingerboard or truss rod?

    I’m on the hunt for a tenor banjo, a couple of times now I have played a Deering 19-fret which I liked very much for playability and crisp, loud sound.

    The one I tried has a one piece maple neck which also functions as the fretboard. There’s no truss rod and I’m not sure what provision it might have for adjusting the neckset (resonator in place so cant inspect inside).

    Just wondering what experienced luthiers and repair specialists think of this particular cost-cutting construction plan. Is that neck likely to be problematic a few years down the road? Anyone build mandos like this, or is it something that would acceptable only with the lower string tension of a short - neck banjo?

    Price is reasonable but not cheap— a bit over $700 Canadian brand new.

  2. #2
    Registered User
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    Default Re: Deering tenor, no fingerboard or truss rod?

    That's the standard Goodtime construction for 26.25" 5 strings as well, they're good as long as somebody doesn't put heavy gauge strings on or tune higher than standard tuning for prolonged periods so you can do all the standard banjo setup things:

    shim nut up

    different/higher bridge

    tighter head will raise bridge

    loosen nuts on lag screws and rotate neck heel

    shim the neck joint

    ovalize lag bolt holes in rim
    Kentucky km900
    Yamaha piano, clarinet, violin; generic cello;
    a pedal steel (highly recommended); banjo, dobro don't get played much cause i'm considerate ;}

    Shopping/monitoring prices: vibraphone/marimbas, rhodes, synths, Yamaha brass and double reeds

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  4. #3
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    Default Re: Deering tenor, no fingerboard or truss rod?

    Fender did this with some guitars. They are more work if you need a refret to protect the maple or refinish it.
    THE WORLD IS A BETTER PLACE JUST FOR YOUR SMILE!

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  6. #4
    Registered User
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    Default Re: Deering tenor, no fingerboard or truss rod?

    For budget banjos, Recording King (the R25 and above models, I have a few) and Gold tone are pretty good as are some of the other Asian factory instruments (Washburn, Gretsch) but you have to be able to recognize correct fret jobs, neck angle and fingerboard height etc or be willing to fix them yourself. Deering's QC is very good, kind of like Eastman I've never seen one with serious defects.
    Last edited by gtani7; May-26-2018 at 11:35pm.
    Kentucky km900
    Yamaha piano, clarinet, violin; generic cello;
    a pedal steel (highly recommended); banjo, dobro don't get played much cause i'm considerate ;}

    Shopping/monitoring prices: vibraphone/marimbas, rhodes, synths, Yamaha brass and double reeds

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  8. #5
    Teacher, repair person
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    Default Re: Deering tenor, no fingerboard or truss rod?

    For the same amount of money, you can buy a new banjo of better quality with sounder principles of construction. The catch is that it will be made in Asia rather than the US. For a couple of hundred more, you can buy a prewar Vega Tubaphone, which will be a high quality instrument that has all the crispness anyone could want.

    The Deering Goodtime series with neck and fretboard out of a single piece of maple have no provision for neck relief adjustment and no reinforcement. A small amount of neck angle adjustment is possible with the "coordinator rod" that secures the neck to the rim.

    I am a proponent of reinforced necks, whether they use an adjustable rod, laminated construction like most old Vega banjos, or solid reinforcements such as those used by Gibson in the 1910's or those used by Martin used from the 1930's through the 1980's.
    Last edited by rcc56; May-27-2018 at 2:24am.

  9. #6

    Default Re: Deering tenor, no fingerboard or truss rod?

    Thanks for all the suggestions and comments overnight.
    I have found so much variation in tenors that I’m not likely to buy without trying, and since I’m in far eastern Canada, the vagaries of cross-border shipping are a problem too.
    I think I can restrain myself from spending 800+, tax in, on the Deering. Did like a more trad-appointed Gretsch on the same wall, but if I’m going to spend a grand, I know where I can get a vintage Gibson from a friend....

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