Banjo Question

Ethan.Bassist. · 03-22-2010, 10:48 PM

Hi. I was wondering if I got a 4 string banjo, would I be able to flip it lefty and restring it? I don't know how they are built so I don't know if it would stress things in it wrong. In the case of my uke, I just flipped it and restrung it. It was a snap. Any info would be great. My plan is to get one fairly cheap and see if I enjoy it before dropping money on a lefty 5 string banjo.
Thanks!

**Rainer.** · 03-22-2010, 11:09 PM

Yeah, it should work just fine. 4-string banjos are basically symmetrical. And banjos are awesome.

gg7 · 03-22-2010, 11:14 PM

You'd need a new string nut probably. 4 strings are usually plectrum or tenor...with thicker strings for the lower strings and going on to thinner strings for the higher strings, like a guitar.
Actually , the bridge has little slots in it too. Hmm. Haven't really looked closely at those. Seems you could just turn the bridge around though. That can't be done with a string nut though because the slots would be angled wrong.
Other than that, there shouldn't be any problems that I can think of.

**Sean.thomson** · 03-23-2010, 06:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rainer.

. And banjos are awesome.

Ethan.Bassist. · 03-23-2010, 08:55 PM

Cool that's excellent to know! Thanks everyone! There are a few luthiers around here that could surely get me a lefty string nut if I couldn't find one otherwise!

**SupaNova** · 03-23-2010, 09:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rainer.

And banjos are awesome.

Third.

roscoestring · 03-24-2010, 05:44 AM

On my 4 stringer I can see no reason why the nut couldn't be flipped too. For sure the bridge could be flipped. Worst case scenario you'll just have to replace the nut though.

. . .and YES, banjos are awesome!

caeman · 03-24-2010, 06:07 AM

The better quality banjos will have a better quality nut and setup, so you should be fine. In fact, when buying the banjo, you might even ask the store/luthier to setup it for left-handed play for you.

gg7 · 03-24-2010, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roscoestring

On my 4 stringer I can see no reason why the nut couldn't be flipped too.

The reason you can't flip a nut is because the angle of the nut slots would then be wrong. They are always angled front to back to match the break angle of the strings. Otherwise various problems can occur.