banjo humbucker height

[banjohabit]

need a guesstimate from you modders : i have an epiphone (500T i think) humbucker pickup laying around that i thought i would mount inside my banjo. i didn't pay $2500.00 years ago for this banjo for it not to sound like it's worth it, so i don't want the pickup to touch the head of the banjo, top or bottom. i only want the pickup so i can use the banjo in my amp, with my effects, usually it sounds great mic'd.

mounting difficulties aside (think i'm on track to do that part), the closest i will be able to get the pickup to the banjo strings is 27/64ths, or nearly a half-inch. then the pickup is also under the plastic banjo head.

before i make the effort to make the mount i have designed, i would appreciate it if some of you would hazard a guess as to whether or not the pickup can magnetize the strings enough from that distance to get a signal strong enough for a pre-amp to detect, but without gain levels that would almost insure feedback, even with a humbucker.

whadaya think ?

[TeleTim911]

I can't answer your question, but I've seen it done before back in the mid '80's, actually played in a band with a guy that did that very thing. He mounted a guitar HB into the banjo body under the head. He had no problem getting really loud. He had it mounted at about a 45 degree angle to the strings...first time I heard that thing I just died laughing it was so ridiculous, but it worked like a champ.

His was mounted about 1/2 or 1/4" from the head. He installed an acoustic guitar type jack into the body for the line out.

I've never heard anything like it since...especially when he hit the "wah" pedal.

[banjohabit]

sounds like another twisted banjo picker ! excellent ! i am quite encouraged......wah pedal, did you say?.....

[TeleTim911]

Yes, he had a wah and distortion pedal....more of an OD pedal than distortion, just could really crank that banjo.

First time he auditioned he showed up with that banjo, a Strat and some BF Fender amp (can't remember which one, I want to say Deluxe?). He gets his three pedals out (OD, Wah, Volume) gets hooked up, plugs in that strat, and we went to jamming away.

He then brought out a quart of orange wine, and started drinking (oh yeah, he was just crazy), and after about a quart, he drags out the banjo. Says, "You guys know Foggy Mountain Breakdown? Just play it a little faster than Scruggs". We say, well....okay.

He plugs in that banjo, and away we went....he literally smoked the place up with that banjo, we were all looking at each other and just dying laughing. Seriously.

He played a few more banjo songs, and drank another quart of orange wine. The more he drank the better he got, no kidding. He could play banjo, fiddle, guitar, sing lead and harmonies, and was just a truly fun guy.

He could do the same thing with his fiddle...play all that CDB stuff....and use his OD and wah....you wouldn't believe it.

Band broke up a short time later, but that was one amazing guy. On the part where he went up the neck on the banjo, he'd kick on the OD (just slight), and stomp that wah....literally would bring people to their feet hooting and hollering.

[Dan German]

Maybe it's just me, but if I had a banjo I had paid $2500 years ago for, I would be looking for a proper banjo pickup system, not using some leftover Epiphone HB. I'm thinking that no matter what you do, that pickup wasn't designed for that, and it's not the high end of "pickups not designed for that" either. YMMV.

[Twang Guitars]

I have a Gold Tone, with a humbucker under the head. It is 1/8 - 1/16 under the head. (just needs to Not Touch the head) works awsome, never had any feedback. I play it through a Fender Acoustasonic Jr. amp.