power and tone depends mainly upon the rim and the neck, that is,
supposing the parchment head to be of proper quality; but then the
preparation of the heads is a business of itself, and the amateur is
no more expected to make the head than to make the strings. So again,
all the minor accessories, such as pegs and tail pieces, brackets and
bridges, are kept in stock for his benefit, and he may justly claim
all the credit if his efforts in connection with the two principal
parts first mentioned result in the production of a superior
instrument. Among these ready-made items is a "fret wire" of peculiar
section, furnished with a flange ready for insertion into fine saw
cuts across the neck, which much facilitates his work.

Of course, the correctness of the notes depends entirely upon the
accuracy with which the frets are spaced, and the accompanying diagram
exhibits a convenient method of determining the spaces by graphic
means.

[Illustration: SPACING FOR BANJO FRETS]

It is to be understood that when the distance from the "nut," N, to
the bridge, B, has been determined, the first fret is to be placed at
1/18 of that distance from the nut, the distance from the first to the
second is to be 1/18 of the remainder, and so on. To determine these
distances by computation, then, is a simple enough arithmetical
exercise; but it is exceedingly tedious, since the denominators of the
fractions involved increase with great rapidity; being successive
powers of the comparatively large number 18, they soon become
enormous.

In the large diagram, the distance, A C, on the horizontal line