Old-Time Banjo Resources

Placing Your Bridge

Unlike the bridge on a guitar, a banjo bridge is not fixed in place. It can be moved back and forth—closer or farther from the tailpiece. If you play a fretless banjo, you can try various bridge locations to change the scale length and even the tone of your banjo. Eventually, you’ll find an optimal position for the bridge.

But if you have a fretted banjo, this is only one optimal position for the bridge that will insure good intonation: the position that makes the 12th fret the exact half-way spot on the strings. More or less. It’s not an exact science, and using a tape measure won’t ensure a properly positioned bridge.

  1. Start by positioning the bridge location about half way between the center of the head and the tailpiece.
  2. Tune the third string to its normal pitch (usually G or A).
  3. Touch the third string gently at the 12th fret position and pluck the string to produce a harmonic.
  4. Then fret the third string at the 12th fret (lightly, so as not to bend the string).
  5. Compare the pitch in Step 3 with the Pitch in Step 4. You can use an electronic tuner, if you like.
  6. If the fretted note is higher-pitched than the harmonic, move the bridge slightly towards the tailpiece.
  7. If the fretted note is lower-pitched than the harmonic, move the bridge slightly away from the tailpiece.
  8. Go back to Step 3, and continue until the 12-fret harmonic matches the fretted 12th fret
  9. Repeat these step for the 1st and 4th string. If you’re lucky, they will be pretty close. In some cases you may need to angle the bridge a bit (pivot the bridge so the 3rd string length doesn’t change).

Like I said, it’s not an exact science. Fact is, you can spend hours positioning and angling a bridge and your banjo will never have perfect intonation on all strings at all frets. It’s always a compromise, so just it get it as close as you can.

Lots of factors affect bridge placement, including string gauge, bridge height, head tension, and neck relief.

Special compensated bridges are also available, which may improve the intonation of your banjo. In fact, all fretted banjos I make come with a handmade compensated bridge.