country frank - Posted - 03/30/2011:  02:11:28

I am just about to put a skin head on my Deering Maple Blossom [in the hope it will give me another sound in my arsenal of banjo tones] and am wondering if anyone can give me any tips in so far as setting it up. Clearly a hide head will behave differently from a remo say. I have been advised that i will need to slacken off the head after each time i play it, which sounds monsterously labour intensive and likely to put me off for life.

Can i not just tighten up the head and leave it to stretch? {with intermidiate tightenings until the head reaches a maximum tension and stabalizes}... or not?

Am i wasting time and money trying out a skin head on a bluegrass banjo, will the banjo simply not perform with this sort of head technology or can it be set up to work?...my theory is EVERY flathead had a skin head on until nineteen-what-ever-it-was-

I don't use the banjo for gigs but i do use it for recording so i'm looking for a good bluegrass pop to the thing, volume is not as important as if i were gigging with it, which i also don't do.

Any and all tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

xnavyguy - Posted - 03/30/2011:  03:58:34

Frank, I have limited experience with skin heads but I have broken a few because I tightened them up to bluegrass standards but didn't take the time to loosen the head when the ambient air dried out. I think the advice you received to loosen the head after playing might be pretty good advice. Unlike plastic heads which will eventually stabilize (or is it stabilise), skin heads will continue to stretch until they break. I believe you might be able to achieve your tonal requirements by going with a Renaissance or similar head.

jbalch - Posted - 03/30/2011:  04:32:25

I have skin heads on all my clawhammer banjos and one for bluegrass. Love the sound, look and feel. I live in the central basin of Middle Tennessee (John Hartford called it "The bathtub of the South.") We have high and variable humidity.

I sometimes tighten my heads a little as summer begins and the humidity increases. In turn, I loosen when winter approaches and the dry gas heat begins to run in the house. Otherwise, I don't continually change the tension...for me that is just not needed.

I often use a slightly taller bridge with my skin heads (compared to mylar). If my normal set-up is 5/8", I might try a .656 or 11/16."

Here is a recent thread on skin heads for bluegrass: banjohangout.org/topic/201898

Also check out the new group I started for skin head users: banjohangout.org/group/hideheads

Edited by - jbalch on 03/30/2011 04:34:58

Bart McNeil - Posted - 03/30/2011:  05:57:38

i would agree with jbalch... that the skin head does not need constant adjustment if kept at a reasonable tension. On my banjos I never muscle the tension but keep it at the point where a very very gentle turn of the nuts is all that is needed. Tightening and loosening the skin head is never a problem and takes only a minute or so. I regard any adjustment for whatever reason as enjoyable.

Helix - Posted - 03/30/2011:  06:49:11

Hi Frank, think New Orleans about a hundred years ago with banjo players competing with fiddles, then it rains, good luck, then it dries out, good luck.

However, with a little spray bottle of water, rainwater, preferably, there's a lot of music,

Woodchuck, calf, who's hide is being donated for the cause?

It's the 'sound' of them that really interests me, but you are right about the 'fiddle factor.' Lots of adjustment, but if you store it in the case with a half potatoe or some other humidity maker it shouldn't crack out on you.

It's a heck of a lot of trouble, but there IS something there, notice Mr. Balch's experience.

country frank - Posted - 03/30/2011:  08:11:10

Many thanks everyone, i am slightly relieved and encouraged by the responses.

I am 'hoping' that as the humity levels here in the UK are reasonably stable [and constant] i might get away with a minimal amount of ongoing adjustment. John i greatly appreciate your input as you are clearly very experienced on the subject, phew!, okay, thanks again. I'll post when she's up and running.

The Old Timer - Posted - 03/30/2011:  08:24:58

I recently heard or maybe read here that a good old standard procedure for the old time players was when they were through playing they'd lay the bridge down flat, so as not to stretch the head where the bridge feet go, and make a low spot.

The only way to know is to try, and I hope you tell us how it works out. This winter I put an old vintage used Rogers hide head on my 1927 Sytle 5 Deluxe Mastertone. I enjoyed the "pop" of the shortened note sustain. After I played this awhile I gained the ability to "hear it" in some of the old Earl Scruggs Mercury recordings, notably Pike County Breakdown.

I've heard a bunch of live tapes of Earl back in the early 50s and sometimes his banjo made tones that sounded more like Hawaiian drummers than "bell like". REALLY short sustain on the notes. They often talk about old Lloyd Loar mandolins sounding "woody", lots of Earl's live sound in the hide head days was like that. I've also heard a live tape where it's pretty obvious they playing outdoors on a rainy (or very humid) day, and his banjo sounded like crap, really thick and toneless, like the head was a horse blanket.

Have fun! And you haven't really experienced the hide head til you bust one! I know. It's a rotten feeling after all that prep work to put it on well.

jbalch - Posted - 03/30/2011:  14:42:37

Laying your bridge down is probably a good idea if the banjo is going to be stored for a while. It can also help to prevent the natural tendency for the bridge to sag in the middle. I've done it on a tack-head gourd that sinks a little or on some banjos that are not played much.

But on the banjos I play all the time, I don't move the bridge (too much trouble). I just keep the head tight and play them. I figure I'll replace heads & bridges when the old ones are done.

country frank - Posted - 03/31/2011:  01:14:51

Oldtimer many thanks, thats great advice regarding laying down the bridge if and when i leave the banjo a while, will-do. And yes, exactly, 'woody', 'pop', short sustain.. all of which i am hoping for.

John, many thanks again, very much appreciated, i joined up for the hide head group and am looking to do some learning!.