Yates Setup Tips

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216 Members, Created 1/27/2011 -

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From Warren Yates on 10/17/2011 6:37:48 AM

Hey Guys!

I thought I would pop in and share a few setup tips that we use.

Strings – We use 10, 11, 13, 20, 10. The 20 is stainless steel wound and the rest are plain steel. All loop end. I order them from juststrings.com in bulk. They come in straight tubes. It works great for a shop but not convenient for a road trip. Anything close or other brands should be fine.

Truss Rod – No matter if the relief in the neck is perfect or not, make sure that the truss rod has the slack taken out of it. A loose rod will absorb sound. Think “stiff neck is better”. I don’t know which way to turn it, I go by the effect of what is happening on the neck. Use the third string as your straight edge. Fret it on the first and last fret and set it where you just start to be sure you have some clearance under the string. Some relief is all you need.

Pot – Don’t bind up the pot with pressure; it needs to be free to breath. No pressure on the coordinator rods. The nut holding the tail piece bracket can have just enough pressure to hold the bracket in place but the two nuts on the inside just hand tight.

Head – Set the head in the area of G#. Play with it to better match your ear.

Tailpiece – Set the tailpiece just off of the tension hoop. This will put the end of it off of the head about ¼”

Warren Yates

4 Comments
	garman says: 10/17/2011 8:40:22 AM Great great info Warren, thanks so much. I live south of you in Lincolnton, really want to get up to see the shop soon.
	banjo5don says: 10/17/2011 10:16:04 AM Thanks Warren!
momo says: 10/24/2011 7:18:42 AM Warren, Thanks for the support.
	JohnTheWhite says: 8/4/2012 2:26:33 PM I do put minimum tension on the top coordinator rod, (nearest the head), but I need some tension, (not a lot), on the bottom rod in order to lower the action. I could probably take some bow out of the neck and ease the bottom coordinator a bit, but to me the banjo, (RS Mahogany), plays great.
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