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long neck banjo

Page history last edited by Andrew Alder 14 years, 11 months ago

The long neck banjo is a 5 string banjo with an extra three frets for the four main playing strings, invented by Pete Seeger.

 

The 5th string is not extended, so instead of being five frets shorter than the others as on a standard banjo, on the long-neck it's eight frets shorter.

 

Standard scale length is 34", with 25 frets, and standard tuning E tuning:

 

  • e' - B - e - g# - b' (Used by Dave Guard of the Kingston Trio)

 

Seeger often used a capot on fret three to bring himself back to standard tuning, so assuming this was his favourite C tuning (g' - c - g - b - d' ) his basic tuning would be the (nearly unplayable):

 

  • g' - A - e - g# - b' 

 

(actual open string tunings taking no account of the fact that the g' string is shorter).

 

Without the capot, the melody string would probably be slacked of to e', or shifted up by Seeger's shortening technique to a':

 

  • e' - A - e - g# - b'

 

  • a' - A - e - g# - b'  (string 5 shortened an extra two frets)

 

but many other tunings are possible.

 

 

 

 

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