Then unscrew the long nut on the lower coordinator rod about 1 turn. Loosen all three nuts at the tailpiece end of the coordinator rods slightly. To lower the action, you must push the upper part of the heel piece away from the rim. When the action is correct, shim the neck. Then retighten the nuts at the tailpiece end of the instrument. If it is too high, loosen the nuts and rods, and tighten the long nut on the lower rod slightly. If it is correct, shim the neck so it fits firmly (see below). A nail or piece of drill rod may also be used to turn the upper coordinator rod. When loosening or tightening the nuts, insert a nail or piece of drill rod into the holes of the coordinator rod you are working on, in order to keep it from turning. Tighten the outer nut (at the tailpiece), then re-tighten the upper rod and its nut. Tighten the inner nut on the tailpiece end of the lower rod until the end of the rod at the heelpiece makes firm, but not overstressed contact with the inside of the rim. Now, unscrew the long nut on the lower coordinator rod about 2 turns. Loosen the upper rod slightly, by unscrewing it about 1 turn.
To raise the action, you need to push the bottom part of the heel piece away from the rim. This is a simple, but somewhat confusing step in banjo setup. Adjust these at your own peril.Ī BETTER WAY TO SET YOUR ACTION A far better, less risky way to set the string height on your banjo by adjusting the neck angle, is to use the coordinator rods like a pair of screw jacks.
Putting undue stress on the coordinator rods can distort the rim and/or break off the lag bolts that hold the neck onto the rim. Adjustments of more than 1/16" at the rim of the banjo will require another technique. WARNING WARNING WARNING Do not attempt major changes in the action of your banjo by using coordinator rod adjustments alone. Loosening the inside nut on the lower coordinator rod and tightening the outside nut will lower the action. This will push the rim into a slightly oval shape, thereby pushing the heelpiece of the neck outwards at the bottom, and raising the action. Tighten the nut inside the rim at the tailpiece end of the lower rod. Insert a nail or small length of rod into the hole in the lower coordinator rod, to keep the rod from turning as you perform the next step. To raise the action with the coordinator rods, first loosen the outer nut that holds the tailpiece bracket in place. The following instructions are specifically for Gibson dual rod instruments. Each brand has its own system, but the basic principles are the same. Fender banjos are a good example of this. Some copies have two coordinator rods, each of which has internal threads that fit the lag bolts on the neck. The lower rod has a long nut (called "the long nut" by Gibson dealers and parts sellers) which is threaded at one end to fit the lower lag bolt and at the other end to fit the coordinator rod. This rod screws directly onto the upper lag bolt. On pre-war Gibsons and current Gibsons, the upper rod has internal threads at one end. To further complicate matters, some banjos that are styled after Mastertones have slightly different coordinator rod setups. On these instruments, the upper rod has been replaced by a brass nut, which holds the neck in place. Those made in the 1950's and 1960's have only 1 rod, the lower one. The other is to change the action of the banjo by altering the angle of the neck.Ĭurrent Gibson Mastertone banjos as well as most pre-war Gibsons have dual rods. One purpose is to hold the neck onto the rim of the banjo. they are spaced about 1 3/4" apart and run across the diameter of the rim.
Most Mastertone style banjos have a pair of rods inside the rim that go from the neck to the tailpiece. I cannot and will not assume responsibility for any damage you cause to your instrument by doing this yourself. I cannot overemphasize the danger of doing this yourself. People who adjust their own coordinator rods have been known to cause horrible damage to banjos. If you break your lag bolts or damage the rim, the factory will not honor the warranty on the instrument. THE COORDINATOR RODS Banjo Setup File #7 DISCLAIMER Adjusting the coordinator rods during banjo setup should only be done by people who know what they are doing, particularly on instruments that are under warranty.
Functions of the Coordinator Rods-Banjo Setup File #6
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