Bango is my 1930 Harmony Banjole I restored a few years ago. I decided to do some major surgery on Bango a couple weeks ago. He really didn't have a fretboard. The old brass bar frets were simply pushed directly in the neck wood. When I restored Bango awhile back, I lowered the action quite a bit to where he was playable. But, action was still higher than I like as Banjoles usually are. Besides that, the old brass bar frets are rough at best to play and not very smooth. Can shave your fingerprints right off if you get carried away. So, I decided, he needs surgery to compete with the late model banjoles that are a bit more user friendly. Attached are a couple pictures of Bango as he preps for surgery.
his neck, old brass bar frets and markers removed.
Then I sanded the old finish off the surface so I will have good adhesion of the titebond II and the new rosewood fretboard.
Thanks to Scott (Two Dogs Plucking) for donating his time and materials for this surgery. Scott out of the kindness of his heart sent me a new rosewood fretboard scaled to 12 3/4" scale (Bango was 13" scale what that was an odd scale), a fist full of fret wire, and pearloid markers. Thanks Scott, the 12 3/4" scale is perfect, and will better than the old odd ball scale Bango was born with.
So, at the moment, Bango is laying in my music area in traction as he bonds with his new rosewood. Then, installing the frets, and markers, then clean up and dressed.
What this will accomplish is allot really. I will be able to lower the action a bit more as I like, AND be able to raise the string to skin distance to gain back the sustain and volume I lose in the original nut and bridge work to lower his action before. With a new nut and bridge adjusted to the new fretboard will bring my action as it should be, and give me that distance for the strings to ring on the skin. Lovin it.
In the meantime, while I wait, I decided to do something with those ugly white buttons on the geared tuners I put on him a couple years ago. I stained them in a solution I came up with of coffee grounds, a bit of red mahogany powder stain from Re-Ranch, and a few cap fulls of denatured alcohol. Makes a nasty brew to let the white buttons sit in for about an hour. After removing and cleaning them up, here is what I ended up with. Cool looking I think..
They'll be more of Bango later...
Thanks again Scott for your help with the new parts..
his neck, old brass bar frets and markers removed.
Then I sanded the old finish off the surface so I will have good adhesion of the titebond II and the new rosewood fretboard.
Thanks to Scott (Two Dogs Plucking) for donating his time and materials for this surgery. Scott out of the kindness of his heart sent me a new rosewood fretboard scaled to 12 3/4" scale (Bango was 13" scale what that was an odd scale), a fist full of fret wire, and pearloid markers. Thanks Scott, the 12 3/4" scale is perfect, and will better than the old odd ball scale Bango was born with.
So, at the moment, Bango is laying in my music area in traction as he bonds with his new rosewood. Then, installing the frets, and markers, then clean up and dressed.
What this will accomplish is allot really. I will be able to lower the action a bit more as I like, AND be able to raise the string to skin distance to gain back the sustain and volume I lose in the original nut and bridge work to lower his action before. With a new nut and bridge adjusted to the new fretboard will bring my action as it should be, and give me that distance for the strings to ring on the skin. Lovin it.
In the meantime, while I wait, I decided to do something with those ugly white buttons on the geared tuners I put on him a couple years ago. I stained them in a solution I came up with of coffee grounds, a bit of red mahogany powder stain from Re-Ranch, and a few cap fulls of denatured alcohol. Makes a nasty brew to let the white buttons sit in for about an hour. After removing and cleaning them up, here is what I ended up with. Cool looking I think..
They'll be more of Bango later...
Thanks again Scott for your help with the new parts..
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