Kavanjo Banjo Solution IT WORKS for ME - Pt 4

In part 3 of my banjo amplification search I left off after ordering a KAVANJO completely BLACK BANJO HEAD …

Hey, Hal the banjo guy from Nevah, Maine's atypical progressive NewGrass, Bluegrass Band … we call it PROGRASSABILLY for short. I hope this series of "blogs" helps folks to find a Banjo Amplification solution that is efficient, effective, effortless and enjoyable.

A very quick recap … I play a wonderful Stelling Sunflower Banjo in a large Band - NEVAH - 8 band members total, not counting our sound person. In order to be heard I tried several avenues, playing into a vocal mic, playing into a dedicated mic, installing a Fishman banjo pickup which worked for a while but wasn't 100% reliable, which could certainly be my fault, however, it would not work with my wireless system desires. Therefore, I finally purchased a Kavanjo Banjo Head with a built in pickup so I can play through a Line 6 G-30 wireless system.

… so there you have it, you are up to speed. The first ever Jet Black Kavanajo Banjo head arrived, complete with black screws and the external 1/4 jack as requested. I was a bit nervous about installing it, but John Kavanaugh has published installation videos demonstrating, in terrific detail, the process on a variety of banjos including Gibson, Deering and Stelling. The site does recommend you have the head professionally installed, but after watching the videos I felt confident I wouldn't have a problem putting it on by myself.

Installing the Kavanjo head was easy with the videos to guide me. I suggest you watch them first, and make sure you watch all of the videos relating to your instrument. For me there were three videos to watch. I'm glad I did because it alerted me to the proper technique and placement I had to be aware of.

And, I must admit, installing the 1/4 inch jack was so easy I was ecstatic by the process. I did have to do a little dremel work on the inside of the banjo resonator to get it to fit perfectly, but it was a couple of minutes detour. Hey, Stelling makes an amazing product with incredible tolerances.

1/4 inch jack provided by Kavanjo

Once I had the head in place, aligned and tightened down, tuned (the head that is), the strings and bridge repositioned I did my first test plugging directly into my Fender Acoustasonic 150 amp … and Wow, what an amazing sound … like a BANJO. It was perfect.

The Jet Black Kavanjo Banjo head - Note the black bridge.

Then I unplugged from my direct connection and plugged into the Line 6 wireless setup and again … PERFECT! I couldn't be happier.

It worked! After a couple of years trying various things, I finally had a solution I could rely on to give me an amplified banjo sound, one I really like, one the band liked. It also gave me peace of mind knowing I wasn't going to cut out, and I didn't have to worry about getting close to a mic. It's a real joy.

Now, I did have to tweak my set-up a bit, it's a NEW Head and has to be adjusted and tightened along with the bridge and tail piece to get the sound you want. And YES - I actually colored my bridge black too so it would be almost invisible on the banjo head. Don't ask, its just me.

Anyway, I am thoroughly delighted with my Kavanjo Banjo Pick-up System and highly recommend it to anyone who needs to amplify their banjo, wireless or not.

Hey, if you have any thoughts or questions about my setup just contact me at nevahband@gmail.com -

Thanks for reading this series of blogs …

Hal
NEVAH Banjo Guy