Cookie Tin Banjo Part 4: Bed Post Banjo

Step 16 Strings and Frets

You'll notice the strings aren't run to the same pegs as a violin. That's so the outer strings can travel the greatest distance to the peg and not have to bend so much at the nut.

I strung the bedpost banjo with "spectra" kite line of various thicknesses. The purple stuff here has the best tone. It rings almost like steel. The other stuff has more of a gut string plunky sound.
I strung the other banjo with light steel banjo strings. The open strings sound very much like a banjo, but a little quieter. When fingered the notes are a little damped, as you would expect from a fretless instrument.

These banjos are fretless. I was surprised how easy they were to play.
I've ordered some fret wire. When it comes in I'll do another installment on how to fret a fingerboard. In the meantime here's what this one sounds like with totally random pieces of spectra kite line used as strings. There's a bit of buzz on the low string where I need to flatten the neck better:

Comments

[DrStoooopid]

but how does it sound? Any chance of a sound clip?