Care and Maintenance of your Banjo

Environmental Concerns:

Keep in mind, your banjo can only withstand the same temperature changes that you can. For instance, you probably wouldn't survive well in the trunk of a car during extremely hot weather; you must know, your banjo would probably come apart also. Some tips to keep in mind is to let your banjo acclimate itself after being in extreme cold or hot weather...let it adapt before removing it from a case.

• Avoid leaving your banjo in a vehicle during extreme weather (hot or cold)
• Avoid exposing your banjo to direct sunlight (shade-tree picking would be preferable) Glue joints are susceptible to breaking down during excessive heat.

Adjustment Concerns:

Head tension is the most common need for adjustment. After installation, or newly manufacture and assembly, the head on a banjo tends to continue to stretch. It's very critical that the head be re-tightened within a short period of acquiring your new banjo (unless purchased through a shop that sets up your new banjo before it's shipped). FOTW will tighten and tune every head before it leaves the shop to ensure that the customer receives a banjo that doesn't require any further adjustment. If not properly adjusted, the banjo will tend to have a lowered (sunk in) bridge and more of a thunky sound instead of a bright crisp tone. Intonation may also be affected. To adjust your banjo head, utilize a proper bracket wrench and adjust each nut in a star pattern...be sure not to overtighten. There is a certain torque that comes with feel...if the nut is so loose that you can tighten it without a wrench, it most definitely will need tightening. It's highly recommended that you go to a local repair techinician if you're unsure of this process. A banjo head is designed to last for many years; overtightening may cause breakage.

Action (height of strings above the fingerboard) can be affected by bridge, tailpiece, angle of neck, nut adjustment, coordinator rod setting, truss rod setting, banjo head tension, and so on. If you are having a problem with your action, it's recommended that you take your banjo in to a repair techinician for proper action adjustment. FOTW makes sure that the action is set properly by checking all of the above banjo facets to ensure that every banjo is shipped with an easy to play action.

What Affects the Tone:

• Optimal Tailpiece Tension
• Optimal Banjo Head Tension
• Optimal Coordinator Rod Adjustment
• Ideal Brand of Strings
• Gauge of Strings
• Age of Strings
• Type of Fingerpicks and Thumbpick Utilized
• Whether the Banjo has a Tonering or Not
• The Type and Style of Tonering

How to Treat and Care for Metal Parts:

Banjo hardware can be made from the following metal plating:

• Chrome Plating: Not as long lasting...can corrode easier than other platings.
• Nickel Plating: Far more durable...but does tarnish easier.
• Gold Plating: Beautiful to look at and truly an enhanced appearance over and above nickel and chrome.

To care for Chrome or Nickel plating, polish periodically with a dry cloth. Do not use a paper towel which can be more abrasive. If the plating has tarnished, try "Simichrome" polish. Be sure to first try it in a hidden spot to ensure that it works well without any plating reaction.

How to Treat and Care for Wooden Parts:

Be very careful about choosing the proper polish for the wooden parts. The one and only polish that I highly recommend, that is not silicone base, and contains no abrasives, is Martin Guitar Polish. Polish the wooden parts of your banjo every 1 to 2 weeks, or more if played daily. Be sure to polish the back of your neck to ensure that any accumulated grime on the back of your neck does not impede your playing.

Be sure to write if you have any questions regarding these lessons: info@folkofthewood.com

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Please send any comments, questions or requests to info@folkofthewood.com