[Dixielandjazz] tenor 17 or 19 fret

[Mattias Hallin]

8 jun 2008 kl. 02.37 Joe Gerwood wrote:

> Any ideas on a Deering Boston tenor banjo for Dixieland? Which  
> would give a better sound and easier to play, a 17 fret or 19 fret?  
> I use a Deering Goodtime 17 fret tenor now. Thanks


Conventionally speaking, of the two a 19 fret tenor is considered the  
more "fullgrown" and better option for playing jazz, whereas the 17  
fret tends to be more associated with Irish folk music and the like.  
For ease of playing there is no major difference between the two,  
except of course that the 19 fret gives you a whole tone more of  
range. Sound-wise, I'd say it depends more on the individual  
instrument, although the fact that the 19 fret has a longer tessiture  
also means that you have to put that much more tension on the  
strings, which (all else being equal) should mean a tad more of the  
typical cut-through tenor sound.

Personally, of the various instruments I've played, I have usually  
preferd 19 fret tenors, but ultimately the choice is yours: "better"  
is a subjective judgement, and in my opinion the best thing for you  
to do would be to try both options, at the least in a store if not on  
the bandstand, and decide for yourself which one *you* think is  
easier to play and/or sounds better.

All the best,

/Mattias

---
Mattias Hallin · Brussels · Belgium · <cmhallin at algonet.se>

"Oh bury me thar! With my battered git-tar!
A-screamin' my heart out fer yew!"