atracksler - Posted - 04/10/2008:  21:50:42

how deep should the internal resonator rim be?

how far should it be from the top of the main rim?


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sandyhookflash - Posted - 04/11/2008:  09:55:49

I read a post on the Hangout a few weeks ago about Earl's banjo and where the Gibson company replaced the L-brackets when they replaced the flange in the early 60's. The replacement brackets allowed the flange to rest deeper into the resonator, which decreased the distance between the inside of the resonator and the bottom of the shell. Doug Hutchens thought that this may have been one reason that Earl could get such a deep tone from the banjo--so, he thought that a smaller distance from the shell to the resonator could be a very good thing. Conventional wisdom says otherwise, and many of us have tried shimming the resonator to increase that distance. This just goes to show that banjos are fantastic because they can produce so many different sounds with a particular setup. Experiment.
Sincerely,
John Lewis

ballbanjos - Posted - 04/11/2008:  10:15:38

I do a lot of internal resonator rims, and have successfully used anywhere from about 1/4" from the head to 3/4" from the head gaps for the internal resonator. 5/8" or so is where I ususally set mine.

In general, getting the internal rim closer to the head seems to have the same effect that a smaller sound hole on a guitar has (like on the Larrivees). It seems to make it sound like it's holding back just a little. This can be a good thing or bad, just depending. On my banjos, 5/8" or so seems to get the balance of bass enhancement and echo that I like the best.

Dave

pgroff - Posted - 04/11/2008:  11:27:36

Just to add another data point:

I have a Bacon Professional 3 tenor banjo (probably ca. 1923) that has the internal resonator wall set to an average of 3/4" from the head.

This one does not have the ff donut style tone ring -- it's more like a Peerless ring.

I wonder if the ideal distance for the internal resonator rim wall for this kind of banjo depends on what kind of tone ring is present? (As well as acknowledging that different tastes might prefer different distances, as Mr. Ball noted).

This is the only IR style Bacon I have had in my hands, so I don't know, but I'm wondering if the pot of this Professional 3 is actually cut to also accept the donut ring; the rim has an angled cut to the inside that is a little different from my 1925 Peerless tenor. I have ordered a modern repro Bacon ff donut ring and I am going to check what mods if any would be needed to fit that ring. I do like the sound of the banjo as it is but I would be interested to try it out with the donut/IR combo many old-time players seem to like. Since I play single-string style tenor with a flatpick, what I prefer may ultimately be different than the CH players.

Paul

Edited by - pgroff on 04/11/2008 11:52:46