|
Please note this is an archived topic, so it is locked and unable to be replied to. You may, however, start a new topic and refer to this topic with a link.
4 string madness - Posted - 09/06/2010: 05:11:51
How much difference dose a brass tone hoop make on a banjo compared to the pot being the tone hoop ? Will it be brighter , louder ? Im thinking about making my own brass tone hoop and installing it on my next project .
xnavyguy - Posted - 09/06/2010: 06:32:15
The tone hoop, by itself, might add a little volume, because of the added mass. It is more likely that it will alter the note characteristics to the extent that it will add more focus and clarity, making the banjo easier to be heard in a jam environment. The same thing can be achieved with a really tight head but then, there's always the possibility of overtightening to a point of breaking the head.
I have two banjos with 1/4" tone hoops. One is a junk parts 10 3/4" open back with a one piece maple rim that has a galvanized steel hoop. The other is a Helix (tm) style 11" fir rim mounted with a 1/4" home made brass hoop with a resonator. The note attack/decay characteristics are very similar on these two banjos and much more defined than what I've heard on inexpensive laminated wooden rims without tone hoops.
Besides those two banjos, I installed a 1/4" stainless steel tone hoop in a friends multi-ply Hondo resonator banjo. In that case, the banjo didn't get a whole lot louder, but the sound became a lot clearer and sweeter.
I've attached a couple of sound files. One is of the open back. The other, Devil's Dream, was played on the fir rim. If you have time, you can go to Roll Player's music page and listen to a recording of "Defogger Breakdown" that was played on the Hondo.
4 string madness - Posted - 09/06/2010: 07:33:50
It sounded good both of them . If I decide to add this tone hoop there are 2 things I need to know 1 I think Im going to have to take the pot down 1/4 inch how is the best way to do this and 2 I have to make the tone hoop is there a way to do this in my garage or do I have to take the brass to someone with some sort of equipment to turn it to the right side and weld it .
My pot is also 10.5 inch from an old tenor .It more then likely not the best pot to use but I m going to try it .
xnavyguy - Posted - 09/06/2010: 10:45:58
Scott,
When I made my tone hoops, I first cut a round disk out of 3/4" plywood, using an old Sears saber saw. In my case, I used a 9" disk, thinking my hoop would spring back open. In fact, it opened up too much from the 9" form. You might want to start out with a 7 or 8" disk. Once I got it "sort of" round, I opened the jaws on my vise and covered them with padding. I then used a hammer to shape the hoop very slowly. I started out with it slightly larger than I needed. Once it got it close to round, I ground off the ends until it was sized properly. I then continued to "tweak" it with my hammer until I got it perfectly round and it fit snugly inside the head I was using, making sure the ends met one another. There's no need to weld or solder the ends together. Head tension will hold it together once it is under load. I'm attaching some more photos that might help.
When I built the fir pot, I had control over where the neck mounted and the bracket shoes so there was no need to cut the rim down. In the case of my friend Art's Hondo, the top of his rim was slanted inward from the outside. For that banjo, I made the hoop just a tad smaller than the rim so the hoop sat down just a little, enough so that I was able to re-position the neck a little higher and the bracket hooks were long enough to reach the tension band.
As far as cutting your rim down, I don't have any suggestions right now. If I did it, I would probably mark the rim and use a hand saw to make a rough cut, nearly to finished dimension and then sand it down, using a sanding block or belt sander.
Jerry
I forgot to mention. If you have to use a hammer, like I did, to do the final shaping of the tone hoop, there will be hammer marks & nicks on the brass. When I got through, I used a small file and emery cloth to smooth everything back down.
Edited by - xnavyguy on 09/06/2010 11:33:56
leemysliwiec - Posted - 09/06/2010: 14:40:59
I have made several banjos and banjo-ukuleles that only used the pot as the tone ring. They all sound very nice and they get good reviews from my banjo playing friends. I am now using a simple tone ring of brass, not because it sounds better, but because it sounds different. It is all just a matter of personal preference. Remember, some people just like the sound of a gourd banjo or a cigar box banjo. Tone ring talk can go on forever, but it is really up to YOU to decide what you like. Cheers, and have fun.
Helix - Posted - 09/06/2010: 17:13:05
As Jerry said, lots of gain by adding a tone ring.
I use 1/2" flatbar because it contacts the rim on the bottom and the back, so a double contact patch for almost 6'.
Most people add 1/4" roundstock from the hardware store.
People use telephone poles and brake drums for forming both rims and tone rings, I also make my own tension hoops of the same material, which makes a kind of double tone ring.
Notice how cool Jerry's work is.
4 string madness - Posted - 09/08/2010: 17:50:33
Well I think I will try it with out the tone hope first and then see what it sounds like with the tone hoop .Thanks for the input
|
|
|
|
Feeds
