Fender Concert Tone 54 Banjo

General

A banjo is made of many components that each do their part in creating the overall tone of the instrument. It may be clear that a banjo's quality is hugely dependent on the craftsmanship of the instrument maker and the quality of its components. Even though the Concert Tone 54 banjo is the cheapest egg in Fender's Concert Tone basket, it still boasts some rather impressive specs, many of which wouldn't look out of place on a far more expensive instrument. In the visual department, there's plenty to enjoy thanks to elegant position markers and a striking headstock inlay.

Construction

Proof of the high quality of the individual components is Fender's choice for a head by the renowned Remo company. The head is kept firmly in place by a top-shelf rolled steel tone ring and the mahogany body features a beautiful high-gloss lacquer and white bindings. Five Fender banjo machine heads ensure excellent tuning stability. As the neck features a dual action truss rod, the instrument can be attuned minutely, resulting in optimal intonation and a pleasant action.

Blue Grass Banjo

A banjo wouldn't be a banjo without a nut resting on a tight head (usually made of synthetic material). This construction gives the banjo its distinct sound, it allows for the string resonance to make its way to the body at lightning speed, which is why this type of instrument has such a short, loud sound. In some cases - like that of this bluegrass banjo - the sound is amplified by a resonator. Additionally, bluegrass banjos are characterised by an added fifth string and are usually played with finger and thumb picks.

• The most common tunings for a bluegrass banjo are:
• dropped C: g C G B d
• open G: g D G B d
• double C: g C G C d
• modal G (mountain minor): g D G C d
• open D (Scruggs/Reuben): f# D F# A d
• Open D (D A D F# A D