About TUNING..........

Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

Just saw a video from the Letterman Show. It featured the "Sleepy Banjo Boys". The Banjer picker was just nine years old and a real foot stomper.

What I can't understand, is how this nine year old could tune and untune and retune his banjer while playing one very fast instrumental......and the string was in perfect pitch.

No electronic gimmicks were required. Why do some steel players have such a difficult time doing the same chore at the beginning of each set and not throughout a racing instrumental?

Howard Parker · From: Maryland

Scruggs Tuners

h
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Howard Parker

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Andy Sandoval · From: Bakersfield, California, USA

I guess it takes a lot of practice for some to develop their tuning ear and others come by it naturally.

Henry Matthews · From: Texarkana, Ark USA

Those are special tuners that are tunable for the lower and the high. That's how it is done snd Howard is right. Some are called Scruggs tuners.
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D-10 Magnum, 8 &5, dark rose color
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Howard Parker · From: Maryland

A classic from the master:

Flint Hill Special Flatt & Scruggs.

The Same from the kiddos. Definitely has the tuners installed.

h

Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

I sincerely appreciate the insight about the TUNERS.

It makes sense as they make it look so easy. Quite impressive, to say the least.

Alan Brookes · From: Brummy living in Southern California

One of the problems of the banjo is that when you tighten a string, that string pushes itself lower into the vellum, changing the tuning of all the other strings. So you have to keep tuning one string and then another and then go back to the same strings over and over again until they're all almost in tune.

As has been pointed out, Earl Scruggs invented the Scruggs pegs, which fit between the regular pegs and the nut. The strings pass through them, so that when you turn the Scruggs pegs those strings change their pitch, and when you release them the strings (hopefully) go back to their original pitch. The usual set up is for Scruggs pegs on strings 2 and 3. I think that that has more to do with the geometry of the peghead than anything else.

Earl made up instrumentals to use the pegs with. I've rarely seen them used for anything but his compositions.

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

Here's a good example of Buck Trent using them on a non-instrumental! Smile

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99epTcCEJUg

Steve Hinson · From: Hendersonville Tn USA

In addition to the Scruggs pegs,Shot installed two large buttons that Buck could use with the heel of his right hand to move a couple of strings...the bridge on that banjo looks like a little steel guitar bridge and has movable fingers on it...I always thought he just used the pegs until I walked in Seymour's shop one day and there it was!It was in for maintenance and I was able to scope it out...What a sound!One of the iconic instruments of country music,for me anyway...

Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

Once again the fine folks here at the SGF have answered a question that has nagged at me for several decades.

Your informative comments are indeed appreciated.
THANK YOU.

Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

Scruggs marketed Bill Keith's invention. Not fair to Bill to give Earl the credit
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Richard Sinkler · From: aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana

I've always known them as the Scruggs-Keith tuner.
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John Swain · From: Winchester, Va

With All Due Respect: Scruggs tuners were originally separate adjustable levers mounted between the 1+2 string tuners and again between tuners 3+4 applying sideway pressure to the string. Bill Keith designed the all-in-one tuners much later which could replace any peghead tuner but is typically used on 2+3...JS

Alan Brookes · From: Brummy living in Southern California

You're right John. It's those type of tuners that I was describing in my post. The other tuners came much later.

John Swain · From: Winchester, Va

I knew what you meant,Alan. Here's pix of his banjo with his invention (covered with a piece of metal so no one could steel his idea!). On the B+W photo you can make out the extra two knobs..

And here's the Kieth-Scruggs tuners..

Lee Dassow · From: Jefferson, Georgia USA

Ray, Mike Longworth, who worked for the martin guitar company for 27 years had those tuners on his banjo. A Gibson I believe. I knew him in 1960 when I was stationed at Ben Guerir Air Force base in Morocco. I think the tuners changed the banjo from the key of G to D. If I remember correctly they were on strings 2 and 3. Mike was fantastic on the banjo. I don't know if anybody on the forum knew him? Tennessee Lee
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