NBD! (New Banjo Day...)

Greetings Earthlings.

I apologize for not posing in a couple years, but I have been busy.

My last post was about the passing of my Dad, and despite however easy you think things are after the death of a loved one, let me tell you they are not. I know he was a crusty old buzzard, but I still miss him from time to time, and soon we will be traveling to his grave-site to check on the installation of his new headstone. (Thank you Barrack Obama and the VA...)

Anyway, Before I get into this years Field Day fiasco, I thought I might try to lighten things up by announcing my latest venture into the unknown, a new banjo. I can already hear it - 'What are you gonna do with that?' and 'Another stringed instrument you will never play!' So no need to say it.

More importantly, it is more of an adventure than anything else, since I am sick of expanding my horizons elsewhere. I have read all the books and magazines I wanted to read, I have watched practically every TV show and movie I could ever wanna watch, and I am just sick of computers and networking. All that leaves is Ham Radio, and Music. And Photography of course. Staying out of bars, and not spending a lot of money elsewhere tends to allow me to purchase a new toy now and then, and I figured since I am not wasting cash on new radios, cameras or even golf clubs, why not venture into the unknown and try something different?

Since I have access to two of the best banjo players I have ever heard, I am hoping to get a free lesson here and there. (Alex and Randy - you are on notice!) That part played heavily into my decision. Since I can already strum a note or two on a guitar (Marshall Amp, Gibson Les Paul, Fender Strat and Ovation Celebrity Deluxe) I figured a side-step into the world of bluegrass might be fun. After all, I am a BIG fan of the Pickin' On series of albums...

Little did I know that batteries were not included and that some assembly would be required. Since this was my very first banjo, I didn't really know what to expect. I had read a little online about banjos and which were better than others, etc. so I had just enough knowledge to make me dangerous. I decided on a name-brand banjo, mid price range (not cheapest, not the best) and a hard-shell case.

I chose a Fender FB-55, and the hard-shell case for a FB-54. I didn't know if it would fit, but believe me when I say this case was meant for this banjo. Now I know there can't be a lot of difference between banjo sizes, so my assumption that it would be fine was a lucky guess. I always try to get the fitted hard-shell case for my instruments, no matter what the cost. What actually surprised me was the little bag of parts that shipped with the banjo.

Because the banjo and the case shipped separately, the banjo came somewhat unassembled. The bridge for the banjo shipped in a little bag with a screwdriver and an allen wrench. (I still have not figured out what the allen wrench is for...) The strings were installed, but as I will continue to explain, there were still many adjustments to be made...

First let me say this is a gorgeous instrument. Even though it states 'Crafted in China' this is a wonderfully finished banjo. The fit and trim leave nothing to be desired, although the setup from the factory was a nightmare. The neck is exceptionally straight (no truss rod adjustment required) and the chromed parts all fit extremely well and looked beautifully finished. This is an instrument that will look good and last a long time. The head was tight and even, tuned to approximately G (G# maybe...) but the compensator rod was somewhat out of alignment and loose. The tuning pegs, while not geared, were also loose and required much tightening before the banjo could be tuned. Here is a shot that doesn't show a lot of detail, but you can still see this is a beautiful instrument:

Having played guitars before (even a violin and a cello once or twice) I knew the bridge had to be used to set the intonation. Here is another spot where I got extremely lucky... In all reality, I used my electronic tuner to help set the proper pitch, but it still may be off a bit because the tuner has difficulty with a banjo. In all honesty I couldn't believe the thing required so much setup. It was almost like I had to carve the thing outta mahogany myself. Getting the tuners tightened, bridge set and everything lined up was the first part of the battle. I looked at the action, and realized I either had the bridge too high or something else was wrong. This would be painful if I had to play something this far outta alignment.

I was thinking I had to adjust the truss rod, then it came to me! There has got to be a way to either set or shim the neck to the right position. Never having setup or played a banjo made me a bit leery of taking it all apart, but apparently that is what I needed to do in order to get this baby setup properly. I got to use the supplied screwdriver to take 4 big screws off that held the back (also called the pot) off, and the single compensator rod (really nice banjos have two compensator rods) took about 1/4 turn to set everything perfectly. I put it all back together, tuned it up quickly and I was AMAZED at how close the action was past the 12th fret. Unbelievable! I wish my guitars could be setup this nice (actually the Les Paul is close...).

Here are some shots of the innards, I used my wife's Nikon P90 for these macro shots.

Check the close action in these next few shots, it is incredible how close and smooth this thing plays! I hope Randy approves...

Anyway for an instrument Crafted in China, I cannot find a single thing to complain about. No scratches, the finish is perfect, and everything fits perfectly. The setup on the other hand, left a lot to be desired. If I had to take this to a luthier, it could have easily been $50-$150 for the setup. (I think that is my next career...) Luckily I have a keen-eyed son and no fear of taking things apart. I still need to take it apart again, in order to add a drop of oil to all the threads and check things now that I have them set the way I prefer.

I have heard a lot of complaints about this particular model (Fender FB-55) but I do have to say that I would put this up against any banjo, this one is a player, and not to be hung on a wall somewhere as an ornament. Is it a $4K Gibson? No way. Does it play and sound great? For sure! Now all I need to do is learn how to play it! Earl Scruggs, watch out!