I've got an old aluminum pot banjo from the 60's or 70's, originally intended to be used with a resonator. It's not labeled, but looks just like all the old Hondo, Jida, Aida, etc. I'm just starting to learn clawhammer, and would like to improve the tone of this instrument. I've currently got the resonator off and a rag stuffed under the head, right under the bridge. This has helped a lot, as the tone without the rag is very brassy and loud and muddled (the notes seem to hang forever and get all mixed up and muddy). So this is a good start. It still sounds a bit tinny, though. It needs more bass tones, and more 'pluckiness'. What's my next step? Heavier strings? Thicker bridge? I've read that a heavy Moon bridge will help. Agree? Other options? Thank you!

I have an old Hondo that I replaced the plastic nut,after it split, with one I made from a buffalo horn tip. It gave it a much fuller tone. But then I wasn't going for the "plunky" tone either.

I would put a Fiberskyn head on that banjo (you might need low crown, not sure).

Look at XNavy guys home page.  You will find a wealth of info there.  Also search for all of his posts.  I've even done a little work on these to improve the tone, and have a video posted as well.

Tim

When I bought my first banjo, which had a very plain, un-adorned aluminum rim, it was very loud and shrieky. One of the members here suggested I try a drum head. In my case it was a 10 mil thick Remo Ebony Ambassador head that I bought online from Sam Ash music. The drum head worked well on that banjo, taming the shrillness and still had enough focus and volume to hold its own in a jam.

Some things which some of us have done:

Thicker head, Rrenaissance head, FibreSkin head;

Heavier J hooks allow tighter head.

Wooden inserts within the aluminum rim - anything from  a turned-down wooden rim, to dowels, to a wooden "tone ring" (See my "WaldoTone" blog). If you log into the Aluminum Rim Outcasts", you'll find threads, blogs, pictures and sound clips linked.

I added an extra lag to my friend's aluminum banjo.  It made quite a difference:

The heavy Moon will definitely help and a no-knot if one isn't there already.

jw

quote:

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Originally posted by Klondike Waldo

 

Some things which some of us have done:

Thicker head, Rrenaissance head, FibreSkin head;

Heavier J hooks allow tighter head.

Wooden inserts within the aluminum rim - anything from  a turned-down wooden rim, to dowels, to a wooden "tone ring" (See my "WaldoTone" blog). If you log into the Aluminum Rim Outcasts", you'll find threads, blogs, pictures and sound clips linked.

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Here's teh "WaldoTone blog I mentioned:The WaldoTone Rim, or thinking outside the box.

When I modified my friend Art's (Roll Player) Castilla bottlecap, I also added an extra lag, much like David Cunningham did for his friend. Neck heel contact,
up closer to the fret board, is absolutely essential to get the most out of any banjo. The problem with the single co-rod banjos is the attachment point is
so low in the heel that it is difficult to get really good contact there. On my banjos, I have added shims at that point and cranked the snot out of the nut
that holds the neck on the banjo. When I added the multi-ply rim to Art's banjo, I first sawed the bottom of the aluminum rim off. Probably not something
that you can do Neil, but it might give you some idea of some of the lunacy that goes on amongst some of the folks on this forum.

Bottle Cap Rim With 3 Ply Maple Rim Installed

Bottlecap Banjo Neck Heel With Added Lag Bolt

Bottletone Banjo Modification Composite

Thanks so much for all the replies. I put an Elite (Fiberskyn) head on last week, and that made a world of difference. Still need the rag under the head, though. I think I'll try the bridge next, as that's a pretty easy change. I also replaced the tuners, since a couple of the knobs were loose and vibrating. I just got the cheapo $11 set from StewMac and they work great. I'm about a month in, and started some drop thumb this week. Tons of fun!

So I changed out the head with an Elite from StewMac, and changed out the bridge with a heavy Moon. Both made a great deal of difference in the quality of the sound, especially the head. So what's next? I thought about changing out the plastic nut for bone. Worth it? Will different strings help?