Banjo Newsletter Review of Gold Tone's Graphite Neck
From the Banjo Newsletter, November 2000
By Bob Piekiel
Having had about twenty years of experience with banjo setup and construction, I am well aware of the effect neck wood has on a banjo's tone. Indeed, many pickers have their own personal favorite when choosing a new banjo such as maple, walnut, or mahogany, as each type imparts a specific tone the instrument. One thing that I've always noticed is that "identical" banjos from the same manufacturer do not always have the same tone, no matter how they are set up. Most manufacturers do an excellent job of consistency when building instruments, but there are differences that show up. These differences are due largely to the wood used in the rim and neck. Wood can vary in density, hardness, moisture content, and grain structure, even from one cut of a log to the other.
Recent BNL articles on the effect of wood types and grain structure on banjo tone, including remarks about bridge construction and "grain runout" have hit the nail on the head.
One of Goldtone's newest products is their graphite banjo neck, which can be purchased separately, or as part of a new banjo. Their ad, which had been appearing on the inside front cover of BNL, caught my eye with their claims that graphite offered a uniform and consistent structure which contributed in a very positive way to the banjo's tone, as well as structural integrity. Physically speaking, the claims are true of graphite or similar composite materials. They have a very uniform molecular structure, they can be duplicated from piece to piece with the same properties present, and can be shaped and worked like wood, so why not use it for a banjo neck?
This is what Goldtone has done. They are offering a graphite neck, similar to a standard mastertone neck, except for being a bit thinner, which can replace a traditional neck and hopefully produce a favorable difference in tone. In addition, the graphite is inherently a slippery material, making for a very smooth, playable neck, free of 'sticktion.' In order to evaluate the claim, I obtained two identical Goldtone OB250+ banjos, except one was supplied with a graphite neck. The OB250+ features a three-ply maple rim, a JLS tone ring (similar to a Gibson flathead) and overall similar construction to a Gibson RB 250.
Upon playing both instruments right out of the case, using factory set up, which basically has a 5/8" bridge, a frosted Remo head, 10-12-16-14-10 strings, a head tuned to about a G, and a Straightline tailpiece cranked down just below parallel to the head, I noticed that the graphite neck banjo produced a significantly darker, fuller sound than the maple neck model. After playing both for a fashion, I felt that I could go better on the tone of both so I began to tinker. Tightening the heads up to an A made both louder, and loosening the tailpiece a bit helped add back some bass, but still, the graphite model was clearer without being "synthetic" or unnatural sounding. What was surprising to me is that the banjos were fitted with relatively havy 3rd and 4th strings, (16 and 24), which often play loud if you pick them hard, but suffer in the sustain department. The maple model did sound a bit choked off on these strings, but the graphite model rang much more fully. Changing these strings to a 14 and 22 added to the crispness and sustain even more without diminishing the volume or bass response.
If someone were to ask me what I like most in a banjo's tone, I would have to say a warm, rich response with a really deep, growling 4th string that explodes when you touch it. I don't like to have to play hard to get the sound out of a banjo, and I can always tell when an instrument is 'sucking up the tone' rather than delivering it. I also like to hear a tone which seems to come from deep inside the pot, rather than just the head. This is directly caused by sound waves reflecting up and down the neck and causing multiple vibrations in the head, slightly out of phase with each other, just as two stereo speakers can be driven such that the listener thinks the sound is coming from elsewhere than the speakers themselves. How close could I get the graphite model to deliver these effects?
For starter, both banjos had a limit as to how tight you could go on the head without losing the bass overtones. In both cases, tightening above an A had a negative effect. Going below a G caused the instruments to sound choked off, but again the graphite neck banjo consistently had more guts than the maple one. Trying a variety of different bridges (taller, thinner, etc.) made the banjo's sound different, but again the graphite model proved superior. In fact, there was nothing I could really do to "kill" the superiority of the graphite model's tone over the maple version. Trying light gauge strings made the banjos ring out crisply, but the graphite model retained much of its bass response even with the light strings. Putting light gauge strings, a thin bridge, and over tightening the head is a "trick" used to make inferior banjos sound better than they really do, but as soon as you get them into a jam session they fall apart under the overall sound of the band. The graphite model retained its bass response enough to have a good impact on a jam session even when deliberately set up not to.
I had about two dozen banjo students play each model and about the same number of jam session pickers hear both banjos at several different times. Everybody had slightly different tastes as to what they like in banjo tone, but of the jammers, everyone agreed the graphite model was clearer and better sounding than the maple model. Of the students, all but two liked the tone of the graphite model best. Overall, I was able to get favorable comparisons between the two from a variety of different people, particularly when playing in a group.
The graphite neck is solid black in color, with only dot inlays present. No peghead inlays were on the model I played, but Goldtone could certainly add some if desired. The factory finish on the neck is satin, but it can be easily polished using a felt pad and buffing compound to a high gloss for even more slickness. No special cleaners or wax (i.e. lemon polish) are needed to keep the neck in good shape. The frets are simply pounded into standard slots the same way as a wood fingerboard and can be replaced easily with little fear of chips. The graphite neck is thinner than Goldtone's maple neck, which they claim is made possible by its superior strength compared to wood. I am a very tall, skinny guy with long fingers, and it took me a bit of getting used to (I like thick necks), but once I did, it was very playable. Wayne Rogers at Goldtone tells me all new graphite necks will be 1/32 of an inch wider than the one I tested, which measured just a whisker over 1-3/16" at the nut.
The one thing I can repeatedly say about the graphite neck banjo is the no matter how you set it up, it retains its deep, cutting tone, and it holds it even in a loud jam session or on stage, where many times banjos which sound good in a small room by themselves lose their punch when competing with other instruments in a band setting. I recommend these highly. The list price of the standard maple neck OB 250+ is $1759. This by itself is an excellent value. The Graphite neck option is $250 more. Dealer prices will vary somewhat.