With proper care and maintenance, your gourd or grain measure banjo can last a lifetime. Here are some things to think about after you’ve purchased your instrument.

Storage

Like most stringed instruments, gourd and grain measure banjos are susceptible to changes in temperature and atmospheric conditions. It is important, therefore, that you store your banjo in comfortable conditions, out of direct sunlight and safe from extreme temperatures. As with an acoustic guitar or fiddle, it is advisable, during dry winters, to keep your banjo reasonably humidified in order to prevent shrinkage and contraction of materials that may, in some severe cases, lead to warping or cracking.

Because these banjos to do not have any head-tensioning hardware, it is essential that they are stored with their bridges laid down flat. If left standing, the strain on the skin head where the feet of the bridge press down will lead to stretching. In modern banjos this is dealt with, primarily, by a simple adjustment of head tension. However, this is not possible with a tackhead instrument. To avoid any problems, simply lay your bridge down flat after playing, and your head will stay taut.

Playing Your Banjo

Fretless banjos do not require a perfectly-positioned bridge for proper intonation. Therefore, it is up to each individual player to find the particular spot where bridge position brings out the best possible sound. On most of the banjos on this site, that spot is somewhere just behind the middle of the head, but there are no rules governing where or how the bridge should be positioned, so by all means, live with the banjo for a while, and decide for yourself how you can get the best sound out of it.

The vast majority of minstrel tunes are played in “first” position, rarely venturing past the fifth fret, and almost never on any string but the first when they do. Like many historical instruments, the banjos on the site tend to have long scoops cut out of their neck, for both aesthetic and playability-related purposes.

Tuning

Minstrel banjos are not tuned up to the same high tensions as modern banjos; not only will the friction tuning pegs and gut/nylon strings not allow this, but the sound of the banjo will lose much of its character and depth. Most minstrel tunes are meant to be played at least two full steps lower than standard G-tuning.

It is normal for the tuning pegs, if left unplayed for a long time, to seize up in their holes. Should this happen to your instrument, take a rubber mallet or block of wood and very lightly tap them back out. On the other hand, if your tuning pegs are slipping and not holding tune – and this is unlikely to happen, as the pegs are custom fit to the holes before your banjo ships – go to your local music store and buy a small tin of peg dope, apply liberally, and bring your banjo back up to tune.

Other Questions

If you have any other questions about your banjo at any time, should you need your head repaired/tightened, or if any other repairs become necessary, please contact me at any time at gourdbanjo@gmail.com.