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Some tailpieces have hooks that are hard to reach, or that don't hold the loops
too well until the string is tuned. Bend the loop to fit the contour of the
tailpiece if necessary. Hold the end down to the pointy end of a pencil and
just roll the loop around:
You'll get a nice smooth bend that way. For more about bending loops, check
out the
mandolin restringing article.
Then, just slip the loop end over the hook:
And run the string up over the tailpiece, and under the bar in front:
I'm holding the string down with my finger and slipping it under the bar.
If your string has to go down through a hole in the front of the tailpiece, just
bend a curl at that end of the string so when you insert it into the tailpiece it
will be easy to grab and pull through. Also, that way you won't be likely to poke
a hole in your head:
Here comes the nasty part. All instruments with tailpieces have movable bridges.
That means when the strings come off, so does the bridge.
It's important for all banjo players to know how to position their bridges.
The conventional method of placing the bridge is to play the harmonic of the first
string at the twelfth fret and compare to the fretted note. If you just barely touch
the string directly over the twelfth fret and pluck the string with your finger,
you'll force the string to vibrate at exactly the octave note:
Then by playing the note fretted at the twelfth, you can compare the two. If the
fretted note is sharp by comparison, just move the bridge toward the tailpiece and
try the comparison again:
If the fretted note is flat, then just move the bridge toward the neck. In no time
you'll get it exactly right for the first string. Then do the fourth the same way.
Now you have the bridge in approximately the right position. Later, you may want
to readjust to compensate for different strings or tunings.
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