Irish Tenor Banjo - what have you got?

[James Rankine]

I've always played short scale tenors, barring the odd go on a 19 fret one in a music shop, this will be a good way to see if 19 frets is my cup of tea or not. That way when I drop money on a Clareen I can be certain about whether to get a 17 fret or a 19 fret one.

My first two tenors were short scale. I could never decide if a 19 fret was for me - the odd hour here and there in a music shop couldn't decide it for me. Then a local music shop had a half price clearance deal on a solid chinese 19 fret so I took the plunge. It still took over a year for me to warm to it but by the time I had I was ready to drop a larger amount on the Capek. I'm now a committed 19 fretter. I think there are so many differences to take into account with tenors that it can take a while to decide what is right for you and it makes sense not to make a big financial plunge until you're sure.

[Jill McAuley]

Well the Deering arrived this afternoon and I haven't been able to put it down! Interestingly the transition from 17 fret to 19 fret hasn't been as noticeable as I anticipated. This is likely because my 17 fret Triple X has a slightly longer scale length than other short scale tenors I've owned, and as such I'm not finding the stretch to 19 too bad at all! It arrived with D'Addario's on it and the A is unwound so we'll have to do something about that - I ordered some Newtone strings from Eagle Music in the UK a few days ago so hopefully they'll get here soon!

[zoukboy]

What have you got?

OME custom tenor banjo. It's has a 12" Juniper pot with a Silverspun tone ring, mahogany neck and resonator.

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[Jill McAuley]

Lovely! Those OME tenors are gorgeous!

[Blue82]

I thought I would reply to the thread and introduce myself at the same time. Just over three weeks ago I purchased my first banjo: a Deering Dropkick Murphys Tenor. I've been a fan of the Dropkick Murphys for nearly 15 years and, thanks to the band, slowly developed a taste for all types of Celtic music. My interest in Celtic punk/rock/folk and even ITM led me to take up the mandolin. But, many of the bands to whom I listen make prominent use of banjos. Given the relative ease of going from a Mandolin to a GDAE tenor banjo, I decided to give that a try.

Apparently Deering has only made 10 of the Dropkick Murphy models (10 Deerings, probably a lot more Goodtimes). So, I'm excited to get a limited addition model that was produced for one of my favorite bands. It is fairly unique (for Deering) in having a grenadilla wood tone ring. It has a maple neck, rim, and resonator. I've found it to be a great player, though I don't have a lot to which to compare it.

My one challenge has been to figure out which pick to use. I'm currently working through a pile of about 10 choices. I use Primetones for my mandolin, but they made too much string noise on the banjo for my taste. I've just about settled on a v-pick, but having been changing my mind about every 2 days.

[Jill McAuley]

My one challenge has been to figure out which pick to use. I'm currently working through a pile of about 10 choices. I use Primetones for my mandolin, but they made too much string noise on the banjo for my taste. I've just about settled on a v-pick, but having been changing my mind about every 2 days.

I would think V-Picks might be a bit too heavy for tenor banjo playing - my only experience with them was with mandolins and they were on the thick/rigid side. I use a Blue Chip Kenny Smith 40 for mandolin but that would be too heavy for my liking when it comes to playing triplets on the tenor banjo. Have you tried either the grey Dunlop .60mm or .72mm picks, or Clayton .50mm ones? I'm a fan of the Clayton's meself, but have used the Dunlops in the past as well.

[Blue82]

I would think V-Picks might be a bit too heavy for tenor banjo playing - my only experience with them was with mandolins and they were on the thick/rigid side. I use a Blue Chip Kenny Smith 40 for mandolin but that would be too heavy for my liking when it comes to playing triplets on the tenor banjo. Have you tried either the grey Dunlop .60mm or .72mm picks, or Clayton .50mm ones? I'm a fan of the Clayton's meself, but have used the Dunlops in the past as well.

Dunlop .60 (both nylon and max-grip), .73 max-grip, and Clayton .63 Ravens are all in my pile that I've been testing. I can probably make any of them work, but I like the V-pick a little better. I am using the ultra-lite V-pick, which is .80, so it's not that thick. The Dunlops especially I have to hold very close to the tip. That might actually have some additional benefits, but I'd have to change my habit. I'm still experimenting though.

[Jill McAuley]

Dunlop .60 (both nylon and max-grip), .73 max-grip, and Clayton .63 Ravens are all in my pile that I've been testing. I can probably make any of them work, but I like the V-pick a little better. I am using the ultra-lite V-pick, which is .80, so it's not that thick. The Dunlops especially I have to hold very close to the tip. That might actually have some additional benefits, but I'd have to change my habit. I'm still experimenting though.

Ah, didn't know that V-picks did one as light as .80mm, good to know!

[BBarton]

Jill -- good to hear you're liking the Deering! I also lean toward the Newtone strings, They're not long lasting, but I do like their "warm" sound (and the wound A).

[Jill McAuley]

Yes, I'm loving the Newtone strings - bought several packs of them. This banjo will keep me more than happy until such time as I get me hands on a Clareen.

[Bob Michel]

I have a couple of nice old tenors, which I'm afraid I've been neglecting of late in favor of mandolin and some other instruments.

The one on the left is a 1925 Weymann; I figured out the model number once, but I've long since forgotten it. It has a pop-off resonator and 18 (!) frets to the body; 1925 (according to Fred Oster, from whom I bought it back in the '90s) was a transitional year for the design. With a clear plastic head it's a screamer, a perfect banjo for big, raucous sessions; but it still has a nice tone.

The one on the right is an Orpheum #1. These are notoriously hard to date, but I reckon it's very roughly the same age as the Weymann. I bought it on a trip to Nashville about five years ago. It's compact and plunky and enormous fun to play; it's far quieter, but still has plenty of volume for playing in groups.

I know the Orpheum is strung with a D'Addario "Irish Banjo" set (.012-.036); I'm thinking the Weymann may sport something a bit heavier, but I can't remember the gauges offhand. For picks I rarely use anything but the .60 Dunlop Ultex (in the 1.14 version, this is one of my two or three favorite mandolin picks as well). Both instruments could use a little work: the Weymann would profit from new tuners, and the Orpheum just needs a set-up. But they're both quite playable in their current condition, and I don't really covet another tenor, though I suppose I wouldn't turn down a pristine Vega Style M if one fell in my lap.

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Bob Michel
Near Philly

[BBarton]

Bob -- Those are nice looking banjos. Does your Weymann have the old Grover Champion friction tuners? My teenage student has a 1920 Weymann Keystone State 140 that had its original friction tuners, which we could barely turn. We replaced (actually, had done by a pro) with small-shaft ABM geared tuners, which were recommended as providing the least amount of modification to the existing holes, and they work well, although they're a bit short for the headstock thickness (we couldn't accommodate the washers provided). I'm guessing your newer and fancier model may have geared tuners, but if not, you might want to look into that, BUT they are more expensive than the usual crop of geared tuners (Grover, Gotoh, Stew-Mac, etc.).

[Ryk]

1927 B&D Silver Belle No 1. Love it! Got it last week and haven't done too much Irish on it yet.

Ryk

[Bob Michel]

BBarton -- The Weymann (also a Keystone State model) has what I assume are its original 1:1 friction pegs. They're not too stiff, and they actually hold tuning pretty well, but a couple of them aren't seated properly, and are a bit temperamental. Thanks for the suggestion of the ABM geared tuners. It sounds like a modification well worth making, but just now there are several other projects ahead of it in the queue!

Bob Michel
Near Philly

[BBarton]

Bob - My student (she's 13) loves her little Weymann model 140, but she'll probably grow out of it eventually. The ABM tuners work great, but they're not cheap -- we were lucky as my banjo repair go-to guy up here had a set he installed for half-price. I've been trying to find a pop-off resonator for it, so if you ever hear of one available, let me know!

[Jim Garber]

I have been playing mandolin, fiddle and 5-string banjo over the decades I have played music, but have been interested in playing fiddle tunes on the banjo. I do like Irish music and other Celtic styles but am more of a generalist. I have been playing old time tunes on the tenor even tuning in cross-tuning for the key of A.

Last year, I found a Gibson TB-Junior for the right price and got the thing together to play in GDAE tuning. The scale is pretty short, tho: 19 inches. The upper strings seem to play in tune but the lower ones not so much especially the low G. I like the shorter scale since that way I can still finger it like a mandolin.

A friend of mine has a nice vintage Vega Style M with a Tubaphone tone ring and a larger pot with a skin head. I know that is not the ideal for an "Irish" banjo but for what I want it sounds pretty good. The scale I believe is 21". So I set out to buy one and found a decent deal on eBay tho the banjo needs a lot of cleaning up. I am not sure that the skin head will clean up more than the photo shows.

The Gibson BTW has no tone ring and has lots of tubby plunk (my new nickname). The Gibson is probably about half the weight of the Vega — I can even play it standing up without a strap.

I have been listening to a few of the prominent ITM banjo players, notably Enda Scahill, Gerry O'Connor and Angela Carberry. Great stuff and those folks are true magical musicians.

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