Nechville Tenor Banjos & Scale Length Explained
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- Опубліковано 19 вер 2024
- Tom expands on the different tenors we build- both 17 and 19 fret (and custom) and why different scales are better suited towards different styles and tunings (Irish, Dixieland, etc.).
I have been playing a Nechville Tenor Banjo in Irish tuning for about 7 to 8 years now. I have never ever heard a better sounding Banjo in my live. Tom made it about 7 years ago for me. 19 frets, about 58 cm scale length, GDAE tuning, 5/8th bridge, ,38 ,28 ,18w ,12 strings, classic head. A friend of mine adjusted a Oettinger tailpiece to fit. Fantastic sustain (Yes: sustain). I think there were not many Tenors around then. I had met Tom and his Banjos at the famous Tønder Folk Festival in Denmark and fell in love with the beauty immediately. I love my Epiphone from 1926, but the Nechville is my favourite. I knew Gerry O'Connor had one, but I am glad Enda Scahill has chosen one, because he is my absolute hero when it comes to Irish tuning (though I think his ones a Plectrum Banjo in another special tuning, correct me if I am wrong)
A Banjo that is in tune over the whole fretboard and stays in tune for most of the session and is easy to tune (Yes: in tune), has a fantastic sound (forget your jokes). No, I am not promoting the Banjo, I am not payed, I just want to give Tom all the credit he deserves.
The best compliment, a Banjo can get is, tha my wife, who plays the irish Flute and the Harp, said the Banjo were beautiful and sounded nice. This compliment is second to none.
Thanks, I've never considered Nechville as an option for Irish tuned Tenor banjos. I think one of the members of "We Banjo 3" has a special scale length Nechville banjo made for him. Didn't know you can order them.
@@davidcudlip6587 Enda Scahill is the member of We Banjo 3 with the custom Nechville. He tunes his Nechville to GCGD then capos up to ADAE I believe.
I always thought the Irish banjo was a shorter neck, 17 frets shorter distance between frets. This makes it easier to play at speed for jigs and reels. I do not know many Irish players who used a longer neck. When they do they usually use a capo?
It is, my Barnes & Mullins Irish tenor banjo is 17 frets. Tuned GDAE. Edna Scahill uses longer necks, but then he is simply brilliant with all styles.
Thank you for sharing your advice and expertise.
Hi Tom, For a bright, snappy tone, in CGDA jazz tuning, you recommend the shorter scale (17 frets?) Did I hear that right?
Would really like to hear it played by someone who is a specialist in the particular style.
Why does everyone think that you can tell the scale length by counting how many frets you can count on the fret board??
I do not think they do!! Irish players prefer the 17 fret because the distance between frets is narrower which enables fast playing on jigs and reels.
A 21" scale length is optimum, in my opinion, like an octave mandolin.
It might be, but it is a bugger trying to play Irish music, there is such a distance in the frets on the lower end, it is hard to get your fingers around. I think most Irish players use a 17 fret instrument. There are some fine banjo makers in Ireland who produce a sweet bell like sound. 💚💚🤍🤍🧡🧡
That banjo sounds beautiful, Tom. Bluegrass banjos, and a lot of tenors, are quite heavy - around 11 lbs. Is this necessary to get a good sound - do tone rings really need to be so hefty?
Okay, so then why is it, that every, and i don't even mean most, but EVERY last Irish tuned tenor banjo i have ever seen has been 17 fret short scale!? What your saying makes perfect sense, but the convention i have always observed over the decades is that Irish musicians prefer using a short neck tenor in the low tuning.
Hi, I have met very few players wit 17-frets, especially not in ireland. Tom Cussen from Clareen Banjos once told me, when I asked him for advice on that, that only one out of ten would be a 17-fret he sells. In GDAE they are hard to tune, to play and they tend not to stay in tune (now it is time for the jokes). Usually people who suffered physical handicap change to a 17 fret in Irish tuning. Tom Cussen told me as well, there is simply more Banjo and more sound with a 19 fret. I do agree. I started playing on a short scale Vega Little Wonder copy, which lead very soon to a dead end for my techniques and playing. I changed to an original Vega Little Wonder Long scale, immediately recognized improvement and could not resist the Nechville, which I still think is second to none I ever heard, though this is a matter of taste of course.
I need an information, please: i've played for many years an Eko 4 strings banjo 58,2 centimeters scale lenght, i would like to know which is the longest scale lenght available on a 4 strings, and to be tuned A D G C ,like a regular tenor, i know that with a longer scale, i would obtain a deeper sound, that's what i'm looking for. Thank you so much. Regards, Patrick from Italy
Why does Deering think that scale lengths have to be secret???
Nice video 👍🏻
Vegavox and others were CGDA at a scale length of around 23 inches or 58.42CM for years. When did the GDAE change start.
GDAE is the Irish version of Chicago tuning iirc. GDAD is Chicago tuning favoring the heavier side which seems odd because it's usually D, G, B, E no?
I understand that Barney McKenna (of Irish folk group 'The Dubliners' fame) started the use of GDAE tuning. I don't know when he began doing so.
Hi Tome. I would like to ask if you could help me with my Banjo with some info on it and it looks like you are the expert in this aspect. It is a Epiphone Recording Artist with lights built in and made for Charlie Jeib (?).
Thank you. Now I know why my 17 fret banjos never sound good in low tuning.
What neck length would you recommend for the DGBE (Chicago?) tuning?
Ayyuz ❤👍
very good ❤👍
Most interesting
What neck length would you recommend for old time? It would be played with someone playing clawhammer (rather than bluegrass picking)?
My ideal would be GDAE tuning because I am a fiddle player, so that means I already know how to pick the notes. I don’t mind a somewhat dulled sound since clawhammer is a softer sound compared to bluegrass style
If you want to play old-time, you need a 5 string banjo, not a tenor, and you’ll want to learn a bunch of different tunings.
@@JasonGinsbergRKC2 Thanks - I have heard a few people playing old time on a tenor banjo - definitely not common.
whats the measurement of the longer scale
Mine is 23" from bridge to nut, but there are "plectrum" Banjos even longer than that.
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