The banjo, I am learning, is a very customizable instrument, amenable to tinkering. I took the neck off the banjo in the first week. I removed, repaired, and replaced the head. It's just like a drumhead. The bridge slides out, and when it wasn't working, I took a hacksaw to it to deepen the grooves. Replacement tuning pegs are available for purchase. The strings, as with any string instrument, are replaceable, and retuneable in numerous combinations (so far I've about G, C, and D tunings, with more on the way, no doubt). The resonator is removeable, as is the metal ring to which the resonator mounts. My banjo is missing the "truss rod," which all the beginner banjo diagrams show running parallel to the neck underneath the head. It seems to be fine despite this. My first day here, I made a test bridge out of scrap from the shop. It seems to work fine. Already, I like this instrument, and I can't play anything on it.
This way of doing things is my way of doing things. If the banjo isn't working, it's not beyond me to take off all the lugs and tear it apart. Parts, not wholes, are replaceable, and are simple enough that I can figure out how to make do or do without. A Depression mentality for a hobo's instrument. If the recession is the new Depression, then the banjo deserves to make a comeback
No comments:
Post a Comment