OB-250 Kit Instructions

Instruction manual for assembly, finish, and setup
Written and photographed by Richie Dotson

Your kit contains the following items:

1 neck
1 tension hoop
1 arm rest
1 tailpiece
1 head
1 wood rim
1 resonator
1 one piece flange
1 tone ring
5 machine heads (tuners)
24 hooks and nuts
1 tailpiece bracket
4 wall lugs
4 thumb screws
4 "T" brackets (for attaching the resonator to the flange)
1 bridge
1 set of strings
1 truss rod cover with three screws
1 coordinator rod set with nuts and washers
2 lag bolts
2 sleeve grommets
1 nut wrench/screwdriver combination tool
1 allen wrench (used for truss rod adjustment)

Tools and supplies needed:

3 sheets 220 grit sand paper
3 sheets 400 grit sand paper
1 sheet 600 grit wet dry sand paper
1 wooden sanding block (approximately. 1"x2"x3")
1 safety razor
1 metal ruler
1 9" pony clamp
1 small, smooth faced hammer
1 hardwood block, maple works great (approximately. 1/2"x1/2x3")
1 fine, 6" flat file
4 cotton rags (approximately. 1'x1')
1 bowl, able to hold at least 1 cup of liquid
3 drops of dishwashing liquid
1 pair of rubber dish gloves
1 8 oz container of alcohol-based stain
1 roll of 1" masking tape
4 cans of premium lacquer
3 pads of 0000 steel wool
1 bottle of "Meguiar's Mirror Glaze #4"
1 bottle of "Meguiar's Mirror Glaze #7"
1 hand held power drill
1 awl
2 picnics
1 small pair vice grips
1 metric wrench set
1 very small allen wrench
1 tape measure
1 small tube of crazy glue
1 small, round file
1 medium size phillips screwdriver
1 set of needle files.
1 X-acto knife
1 padded neck support system (a bag of buckshot works best, but a cradle which fits the contour of the neck with soft padding will also work)

Safety

Wear safety glasses, hearing protection and approved respiratory protection while building this kit whenever they apply.

Experience

Your OB-250 Professional Banjo Kit contains all the materials necessary to construct a high-quality, bluegrass-style banjo minus the tools and materials listed here. Because skill levels vary from person to person, the results you get will also vary depending on your skill level. Think of this kit as a very complex model which requires time and experience. If you do not understand any portion of these instructions, please seek a professional's help, preferably a person who specializes in or is very familiar with the construction of this style of banjo.

The Importance of Reading the Instructions

Read these instructions through at least once and understand them before you begin the assembly of your banjo kit. This will save time, material, and money.

A Note About the Photos

All the photographs in this series can also be viewed in a larger, color format by clicking on them. They will open up in a new window, so there isn't any need to right click.

Copyright Information

Fretting the Neck

Using the sanding block and 220 grit paper, lightly sand the entire surface of the fingerboard. Work with the grain and don't sand in one spot for long as that causes uneven wear. This prepares the the fingerboard for receiving the frets by cleaning up any rough spots it may have. This should only take a few minutes.

Now, clean the sanding dust from the fret slots and pick out any bits of glue that may be accumulated near the binding. The sanding dust can be blown out with low pressure air or picking it out with the back side of an X-acto knife blade. The glue can also be picked out carefully using the X-acto knife.

Next, locate and line up all the frets according to size. This may take a little while as the difference in size from one to another is very small. Use a metal ruler or straight edge for this. The frets are cut precisely and fit exactly. Please take extra care making certain they are in proper order before continuing.

Start fretting the neck at the heel area. Start by lining the fret tang (the part that gets installed into the pre-cut slot in the fingerboard) and the fret crown (the rounded part that you actually see once the fret is installed) so it is even on both sides. These fret tangs have already been cut to fit the slot very precisely. Use caution so it doesn't dig into the neck's binding on either side. While making sure the fret is held upright and perpendicular to the plane of the fingerboard, gently tap the fret started on one side then the other (NOT IN THE MIDDLE). These frets have a slight radius or curvature and after they are partially seated on both ends, use the maple wood block and the smooth faced hammer to gently, but firmly, hammer them home. If installed properly, you should not see any gap between the bottom of the fret and the fingerboard.

After all the frets are installed, you will need to gently file their tops to ensure they are all uniformly level. Use the 6", smooth mill Bastard file. Round over the leading edge on a sander or sand the corners off before performing the leveling. Level the frets by lightly filing the tops of the frets with the direction of the fingerboard, NOT with the frets. Do this until you see some filings at every fret. This shouldn't take long and should not flatten the fret tops if the frets if have were installed properly. Take your time and don't file in one place or on one side too long. You are looking for uniformity.

Next, bevel the edges of the frets by turning your file approximately 30 degrees from the fingerboard binding, not the fingerboard, and file their edges until the bevel meets the binding. The only tricky spot on the neck is the area between the nut and the 5th string hump. Use your short sanding block and 220 grit paper here.

Now, sand the edges of the frets to remove the file marks with 220 grit, then 400 grit, then with .0000 steel wool. Do this by hand. Now use 400 grit then .0000 steel wool pad on the tops of the with your fingers as backing. This will remove any file marks that may be there from the fret leveling.

Sanding

Now the neck, resonator and wood rim can be sanded. Always sand with the grain and start with 220, then switch to 400 grit. Sand everything thoroughly and keep the paper moving. Do this as carefully and thoroughly as possible. Mistakes made at this stage of the assembly WILL be seen at later stages. Be sure you have removed all scratches, rough areas and saw marks that may me on these surfaces. Do not sand the lip on which the tone ring will rest on the wood rim and take great care not to miss the cut out areas on the headstock.

After the sanding is complete, dampen a cotton rag in clean, warm water to the point of near saturation and swab the entire surface of the neck (minus the fingerboard) and the outside of the resonator, plus the wood rim without wetting the area the tone ring rests. Let the parts dry for one hour, then sand again using the above mentioned sanding method. Repeat the wetting (grain raising) process and after the parts have dried again, sand once more with 400 grit paper. This will leave all the finishable surfaces ready for staining and finishing.

Preparing Finish

Use a quality, alcohol-based stain (I recommend the already prepared Behlin stains or mixing the powdered stains from Stewart MacDonald with denatured alcohol) and swab it on with a clean cotton cloth. Alcohol penetrates the wood surface better than water and will not raise the grain of the wood. Minwax doesn't get into the wood as much as it sets on top. That's why it has to be applied more than once--and that's why alcohol-based stain is recommended. Another good reason is that Minwax is oil-based and makes lacquer do some pretty weird things like dry on top, but not near the wood, etc. Wipe the alcohol-based stain on evenly and stain right over the binding.

After the staining is completed, let it set for 1 hour and use the safety razor to neatly scrape the binding clean of stain. Use caution as any stain accidentally scraped away from the wood will be very difficult to touch up. Also, and equally as important, is if you aren't careful while scraping the binding, you can cause hills, valleys, gouges, and other unsightly scares in the binding which will show up in the final finish.

Tape off the fingerboard and the ledge on which the tone ring will rest on the wood rim. Do not tape off the binding on the neck and don't worry about the tape not covering the edge of the fretboard's surface. Any finish that gets on the fingerboard will be taken care of later.

Using one of the coordinator rods, secure it as seen in this photo and tape it off using masking tape in order to protect it from the lacquer. This will provide a handle so the piece can be maneuvered more easily during the finishing process. At this time, spray the wood rim using either a high-quality lacquer or polyurethane according to the directions that follow the description of some finishing materials.

When the neck is ready to be finished (it isn't at this point), you can attach a piece of scrap wood using the lag screws passed through holes drilled into the piece of scrap which will also serve as a handle for finishing. They will need to be secured with the proper-size bolts (not provided.)

Lacquer, Spray Rig:If you have a spray gun and an air compressor it is assumed you already know how to set the spray and volume of your unit. I recommend a good quality lacquer, not the kind found in most paint supply places but one that is much better suited for handling constant touching, especially where the neck in concerned. Such a lacquer is available from Stewart MacDonald Guitar Shop Supply in Athens Ohio who are available on the web and offer a free catalog. If you are lucky enough to have a hardwood supply store near you, see if they carry the Behlin brand of lacquer. Another great lacquer is Five Star. You may also ask someone in your area who builds or repairs musical instruments what they recommend. Either way, don't run out to your Hometown Paint store and buy whatever brand is available. It will work, but the long term results may be disappointing. The web is also a great source for finding and purchasing what you need in the way of finishing supplies.

Whatever brand you settle on, it is best, but not necessary, to buy one can of lacquer and one can of sanding sealer. What's the difference? The sanding sealer allows you to build up a base coat a lot quicker. It contains more solids, and although some of the material will be soaked up during the initial spray, more will stay on the surface of what it's being applied to. Sanding sealer is lacquer, too. It speeds things along by getting the finish surface smooth so the top coats of regular lacquer will lay smoother. In other words, it makes a prettier finish a little simpler to accomplish. Again, it isn't necessary, but helpful. Something else you will need is a can of retarder. High humidity effects a sprayed lacquer finish. This "problem" manifests itself through what is called "blush". This is a cloudy or milky, opaque film which appears on the finish of the part being sprayed. It usually gets worse as the humidity gets higher and is more evident around corners and points where the finish tends to accumulate or pool. Anything above 50% is considered high humidity for this type of finishing. High heat will also cause problems. So will cool weather. Retarder will help all these conditions by slowing the drying time of the lacquer enough so that the air bubbles and other problems caused my humidity and temperature differences are minimized.

Lacquer thinner is something else you will need. This is a solvent that mixes with the finish and will allow it to flow through your spray rig without clumping or splattering. It also allows the finish to flow smoothly over the surface being sprayed. It doesn't slow drying time; on the contrary, it dissolves very quickly and leaves the finish behind as it does.

Mixing Lacquer:Here is how I mix lacquer. In a quart sized rig, mix the lacquer and thinner in equal parts, half and half. Then add approximately two ounces of lacquer retarder to the mix. Use on a piece of stained scrap to see what the results are for the benefit of the retarder in the mix. If blushing occurs, add a tiny bit more retarder until you have controlled the problem. Adjust your retarder mix according to the size spray gun you have. This will get you pretty close.

Lacquer, spray can:Lacquer is available in a ready-to-use spray can, also. So is sanding sealer. I recommend either the Behelin brand or the spray cans available through Stewart MacDonald Guitar Shop Supply. If you use this method as the means in which to finish your banjo kit, you will also need to purchase at least one can of blush retarder, also available in a spray can. Do NOT run to you local hardware/bait-and-tackle and purchase these products. Lacquer of some sort will be available, but the other products will not. Lacquer from these sources is generally soft, slower to dry, and make terrible musical instrument finishes.

Polyurethane, spray can:Polyurethane is a great choice for the banjo's finish, too. It is durable and easy to work with and will wear extremely well. Use ONLY polyurethane in a spray can. In order for your banjo to look as if it came from a factory instead of a tool shed, this is important. Spray goes on evenly when applied correctly and finished out smoothly. Brushed on finished can be used, but are very difficult to manage where a musical instrument is concerned.

No special retarders, thinners or sanding sealers are needed if you chose polyurethane.

The Differences Between Finishes:Lacquer dries very fast. Usually between one and three hours, depending on the mix, brand, etc. Polyurethane requires about 24 hours.

Lacquer is clear when it dries and yellows over a period of time, but does so slowly. Polyurethane is ever so slightly amber in color when it dries. It isn't very noticeable at first, but it yellows over a much shorter period of time compared to lacquer. Polyurethane is a bit more flexible by comparison.

Coats of lacquer melt themselves into previous coats creating a molecular bond with each successive coat.

Polyurethane will do this if the previous coat is tacky, but not yet dry. Dry polyurethane will have to be sanded between coats.

When spraying the finish of your choice, ALWAYS practice on a like piece of scrap wood. I highly recommend that piece be stained in a similar way, also. This will give you the feel of what you are doing with the finish and possibly avoid a mistake that would have been made on your banjo.

Applying The Finish

Apply the finish evenly by holding the spray tip approximately eight to ten inches (8" - 10") away from the surface and keep it moving. Do not allow the spray to stay in one place. Be careful around edges and corners. Only apply a thin coat that flows into itself. What I mean by this is that the coat you apply should not be so thin that the surface looks like sandpaper, but shouldn't be so thick that it accumulates in excess in places causing the finish to run. This is the biggest reason for placing a few coats onto a piece of scrap material. If you are using lacquer, start with the sanding sealer mixed either in your gun or from the can. If you are using the caned finish, keep a can of blush retarder handy in case you notice any blushing. If blushing occurs, apply a light coat of the retarder to the freshly sprayed surface. This should take care of the problem. If it doesn't, let the piece dry completely. Sometimes this will help eliminate or reduce the blushing. NEVER spray lacquer on a rainy day, even indoors.

The first coat will be soaked up by the part you are finishing, for the most part. This is normal.

Apply one thin coat, set the piece aside in a clean, dry, safe location and allow it to dry. It will take many coats for you to achieve a nice finish build-up.

If you are using Lacquer, you may apply three thin coats, one right after the other about 15 minutes apart before setting the piece aside to dry.

If you are using Polyurethane, DO NOT sand this first coat. Let it dry about two hours and apply a second coat. Then let it dry two more hours and apply another coat, then set it aside to dry for 24 hours.

After the initial coat is dry, whatever finish you have chosen to work with, DO NOT SAND IT YET. Apply three more coats in the same manner as when you started. After this is dry take a look at the surface you have been finishing. IF the finish appears to have stopped soaking into the wood, you are ready to perform a LIGHT, "scuff" sanding. If it hasn't, apply three more coats.

To scuff sand, use 220 grit sand paper and sand with the direction of the grain very lightly. You aren't trying to achieve a smooth finish at this point. You are simply roughing up the surface so the next series of coats can be applied. Be very careful at this stage of finishing as the finish which has been applied is very thin. Sanding through the finish and the stain would be difficult to mask. Please keep this in mind as you sand, especially near edges.

After this, apply three more coats, let dry as before, repeat the scuff sanding process and apply three more coats. By this time you should have a nice build up of finish to work with.

After this initial build-up is accomplished, you may now sand the surface smooth. This is done with the use of 220 grit sandpaper and working in the direction of the grain. This time instead of scuff sanding, you will be attempting to remove most of the irregularities from the surface of the finish. This step is important for the following coats of finish. It will help insure a smooth, mirror like finish toward the end of the process. Sand carefully as not to break through all the layers of finish. Sand only lightly and by hand. If you feel the entire surface can't be smoothed without breaking through the finish, stop and apply more finish in groups of three coats until you feel the finish is thick enough to be smoothed completely.

Keep the sand paper moving and don't sand one spot too long. Clean or change the sandpaper often so you don't leave streaks that result from the paper getting gummed up. Take your time and be as careful to sand evenly as possible. It may not be a good idea to try to level all the spots out on this first round of level sanding. Use your own judgment and play it safe.

The best way to tell if you have completely smoothed the surface is to stop periodically and wipe off your work with a clean, cotton cloth. If you see shiny spots, the finish needs either more sanding, or more finish in order to fill the low spots.

After this, apply three more coats of finish (regular lacquer this time, if that is what you are using, ) and take a look at the results. You should see a more even coat with less irregularities this time.

After you are confident that the surface has been smoothed and the top coats are looking pretty uniform, apply two more rounds of finish, three coats at a time.

Now you can switch to 400 grit and perform the same level sanding again.

After that level sanding, and if the finish is smooth, switch to .0000 steel wool and steel wool the entire surface.

Now, clean off all the sand paper and steel wool dust very thoroughly. Apply three more coats and set aside for two (2) days to cure for lacquer, or five (5) days if you are using polyurethane.

Wet Sanding

The next step in the finishing process is called wet sanding. You will need a bowl of warm water with a couple of drops of dish washing detergent added and some small (approx. 2"X4") pieces of 600 grit, wet or dry sand paper.

Working with the grain, as always, wet the paper and sand the entire surface of the piece you are working on until the entire finished surface is dulled (no shiny spots left).

Keep the surface wet while sanding. The small amount of soap will lubricate the sand paper and the water will float away pieces of finish that the sandpaper removes. Change your paper often and keep the paper moving. Be careful around the edges, especially when working on the headstock. Check your progress by wiping the surface dry and looking for shiny spots or areas you may have missed.

After the wet sanding is complete, and the entire finished surface is completely dulled, you will need to polish the finished surfaces. You will need 1 bottle of "Meguiar's Mirror Glaze #4" and 1 bottle of "Meguiar's Mirror Glaze #7". These are available through most automotive supply stores, or you can purchase them through Stewart MacDonald's Guitar Shop Supply.

Start with the #4 polish. Use this polish liberally and with a clean, cotton rag. T-shirts work very well for this. Work the polish in lightly and take care to polish the whole surface. Work in small circles and don't press too hard. This will take a while, but the idea is to polish the finish to a shine using this product.

It will become pretty shiny with the number 4, but will only reach a certain point where it will not get any shinier. Remember to take your time and be sure the whole finished area is done carefully and evenly. This step is very labor intensive and will require patience and a bit of time.

After every spot on the finish looks the same as the rest, and there aren't any scratches or dull places left, wipe the piece completely clean, being sure you get EVERYTHING, then you can move on to the #7.

CHANGE TO A NEW POLISH RAG AT THIS POINT. You can't mix these two polishes or the results will be poor.

With a clean, fresh piece of T-shirt, use the number 7 polish. You can apply a little more pressure to it than you did to the #4, but not too much. After a while, clean your work and look at the results. You will be surprised by how wet the finish looks!

The results of the final finish depend on your patience and skill. This resonator looks great! Yours should, too. You should now apply a coat of automotive wax to the final finish in order to help protect it. Remember, this finish is delicate and should be handled with the utmost care when assembling and setting up your instrument. Set it all aside for a couple of days to let it cure even more before assembling the banjo.

Assembly and Setup: The Flange

Pad your work area before you begin assembling the pot. Carefully remove all tape. Place your tone ring onto the wood rim, mind the holes in the tone ring, that they align with the holes in the wood rim. Next, place the banjo head onto the tone ring, then align the tension hoop onto the lip of the banjo head. The recessed portion of the tension hoop gets centered above the two holes that receive the lag bolts that attach the neck to the pot.

Now align and attach the flange using 6 "J" hooks at the following described intervals around the pot and securing them with the nuts provided. Two will be located on either side of the neck relief cut out, two will be at the rear on either side of where the tailpiece will attach, and the other two will be spaced out between the others. DO NOT tighten them. Only put them on with your fingers until you are sure everything is where it needs to be and everything aligns the way it is supposed to. If you get it wrong, you will be doing it all over again.

After you are sure everything is aligned, fill in the rest of the hooks and nuts and after running them up with your fingers, tighten them evenly using equal amounts of turns using the wrench provided.

Be sure to attach your thumbscrew brackets to your pot at this time, too. They are spaced from the neck notch and the point where the tailpiece attaches at the third flange hole. There are four of them.

Assembly and Setup: The Neck

Now you can mark your neck and attach the lag bolts.

When attaching the neck to the body it is extremely important for the bilateral angle to be exact. Install the 2 sleeve grommets in the inside of the pot. Hammer them in gently.

The best method for attaching the neck is to use a 9" Pony clamp to temporarily secure the neck to the pot. First, turn your pot over and set the neck in place. Now, place the clamp on the outside of the heel and on the inside of the wood rim. With the clamp in place, sight down the neck and make sure the fingerboard (not the frets) is parallel with the banjo head. Using an awl, place it in the inside of the wood rim in the TOP hole through the grommet sleeve (the one closest to the head) and mark where the neck will be drilled so the lag bolt can be attached. Remove the clamp and drill a 13/64" pilot hole for the lag bolt. Make sure the hole goes straight into the neck both both up and down and left and right (you should use a partner as an extra set of eyes to help with this alignment). Use a piece of tape on your drill bit as a depth gauge. This will prevent you from drilling through the heel!

Now, screw the pointed end of the lag bolt into the neck just up to the tops of the threads. You may use two 10mm nuts (not included) tightened together on the bolt threads so a wrench can be used for this (this is known as double nutting), or you may carefully use a set of Vice Grips. If you chose Vice Grips, place them securely in the area of the lag bolt BETWEEN the screw threads and the bolt threads. Care should be taken not to damage either set of threads. Once the first lag bolt is attached, place the neck back on the rim and attach a 10mm nut on the lag bolt from the inside of the wood rim and temporarily tighten the neck securely to the pot. Again, sight down the neck to insure the neck is aligned parallel to the head. Now, place the awl in the inside of the remaining hole and mark the location of the second lag bolt. Remove the neck from the pot and drill the hole for the second lag bolt. Attach the second lag bolt and temporarily reattach the neck with two nuts on your lag bolts. Sight down the neck again to make sure the neck (fingerboard) aligns squarely with the head. If your neck fits properly, you have done a great job!

If you use a small pair of vice grips to install your lag bolts, be sure it is clamped between the screw threads and the bolt threads. Take your time and be careful not to ruin either set of threads.

You may now apply the finish to your neck.

At this point, you can slip your neck into place and secure it using the coordinator rods. Be sure you attach the tailpiece bracket at this time, too. Tighten everything down being sure not to over tighten things. Tighten the neck up to the pot with the coordinator rods first, remembering the long rod goes toward the open end of the wood rim. After that, snug the inside nut and washer on the long rod, then the outside nut and washer on which the tailpiece bracket is attached. The top coordinator rod should only be tightened firmly, not over tightened. DO NOT over-tighten this nut.

Assembly and setup: The Head

Install your main nut and your 5th string nut and your machine heads (tuners). Remember, if the main nut is a little tall, remove material from the bottom only, using 220 grit sandpaper. Also remember the BOTTOM of the string slots can NOT fall below the height of the top of the first fret or you will end up with a buzz. You may also have to shim the bottom of your nut in order to correct it if you remove too much material.

You may need to gently file some finish from the walls of the tuner holes with a small round file in order to install them. Be careful of the finish and take material away from around the inside of the hole evenly. The tuners have a small set pin which digs into the wood and helps to hold them in place. Don't over tighten them.

The geared 5th string tuner gets a little wood glue on the outside of its tapered wall, and is best pressed in by removing the tuning button and placing a small, deep well socket over the shaft and gently tapping it into place. Mind its piston, though.

The 5th string nut will need to have a hole drilled in order to install it. Drill this hole the same size as the nut and install it right behind the 5th fret and not too close to the edge. Keep it off the binding about 1/16". This will space the 5th string at about the right place. This nut may be a little long, so any height adjustment should be made by removing material from the bottom of the nut. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DRILL THE HOLE FOR THIS WITHOUT USING TAPE FOR A DEPTH GAUGE. You could drill through your neck if you aren't very careful. 1/4" is plenty deep enough. You will need to use a small needle file to notch the 5th string nut parallel with the fingerboard at this time.

Final Assembly

With your work area padded, sit your pot into your resonator taking time to carefully line its neck notch up with the neck notch on the one piece flange and mark the resonator's inside wall at the center of each thumb screw receiver's opening with a very small Allen wrench. This tool is already angled and perfect for this job. Now, using tape as a depth gauge, and drilling as straight as you can, make the holes for the wall lugs 1/2" below the inside lip of the resonator. Be sure to drill them slightly smaller than the lugs so the threads will gain purchase on the hole walls. Now you can install them with the proper-sized wrench and align the threaded openings, there is no top or bottom, straight up.

Set the resonator aside.

Install your truss rod cover.

Install your tailpiece.

Remove the masking tape from the banjo's neck and, using a safety razor, scrape any finish from the fingerboard. Don't angle the blade. Keep it flat with the fingerboard. This won't take too long. Clean the fingerboard using .0000 steel wool.

Install the strings and place the bridge onto the instrument.

Check again to ensure everything is tight and that your head is at the approximate tension that you desire.

Install the banjo's armrest.

Install the resonator, tune the instrument and make any minor setup adjustments that may be necessary.

If your banjo was assembled correctly, you will be able to play it at this point.

Setup and Adjustment

If your banjo has an action either too high or too low, don't attempt to adjust the action by using the truss rod adjustment. That is NOT the truss rod's job. It's not the job of the coordinator rod set, either. Using the coordinator rods to adjust the banjo's neck angle will produce undesirable stresses on the wood rim and tone ring which may result in less than optimal tone. Your neck may need to shimmed in order to play the way you want. You may also try a different bridge height to correct any adjustment you feel necessary. If you choose to shim the neck, remove the resonator and loosen the strings and the coordinator rods to allow the neck to be pulled out a bout 1/8" from the wood rim.

If your action is too high, make a shim for the top of the heel, the area closest to the fingerboard. If it's too low, make a shim to fit the bottom of the heel, or the area closest to the resonator. I recommend you take the time to make one out of a thin piece of maple and you probably won't need it very thick, either. You may have to attempt this several times in order to achieve the action you desire, disassembling, assembling and stringing the banjo to this point each time. It may be a little time consuming, but well worth the extra effort if this step is necessary for your needs.

Adjusting the truss rod ensures you have a slight amount of relief, or a very slight forward bow in your neck. Most stringed musical instruments need this in order to play without buzzing. If your instrument isn't broke, don't fix it! Turning the truss rod adjustment clockwise tightens it and reduces bowing. Turning it counterclockwise loosens it and increases the amount of bow. If you feel you need to adjust the truss rod, only turn it a small amount at a time and never force it or attempt to adjust it with something other than the proper size Allen wrench.

I truly hope you enjoy this banjo. I know I do. It is a, solid, great sounding, beautiful instrument that is well built and will last for years to come.

Richie Dotson