How to Lower the Action on a Baldwin Ode Banjo
- 1). Remove the retention screws securing the back or "resonator" to the banjo with a screwdriver.
- 2). Lift the resonator away from the banjo and set it aside, exposing the two truss rods inside. The rod closer to the drum skin head is the "lower" rod and the other is the "upper" rod.
- 3). Measure the distance from the banjo's 12th fret to the bridge with a straightedge. This should optimally measure the same distance from the nut to the bridge. Slide the bridge to the correct position, if necessary.
- 4). Measure the string height or "action" from the 12th fret with a 6-inch ruler. This measurement will provide you with a beginning point from which you can judge the raising or lowering of the banjo's action.
- 5). Loosen the nut on the lower rod near the neck and tighten the nut near the tailpiece with a wrench to lower the string action. Make small adjustments, check the string height with the 6-inch ruler and continue to adjust the nuts if necessary.
- 6). Loosen the nut on the lower rod near the tailpiece and tighten the nut near the neck to raise the string action. Make small adjustments, check the string height with the 6-inch ruler and continue to adjust the nuts if necessary.
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