jmoathout - Posted - 03/13/2012:  18:06:37

When changing the head on my recently-acquired Bart Reiter Tubaphone, I remarked how similar the Tubaphone skirt was to a Whyte Laydie skirt.  So today I attempted to substitute the tubaphone skirt for a Bacon style donut to make a Tubaphone-based Baconphone Plus a la Bart Reiter.  Close, but no cigar.  My Tubaphone rim is maybe a 64th larger in diameter than the Bacon; and, the Bacon is just a smidgen taller, so a good fit seemed unlikely.  I reassembled the Tubaphone and all is good. I will probably return the unplated Bacon donut unless someone is in need of one.

jbalch - Posted - 03/13/2012:  19:58:58

Nice try...and a great idea. It would have been cool to hear. But as I told you, that tubaphone of yours lack nothing. 

Thit Bacon ring should be useful to someone out there to convert a Whyte Laydie, Regent, or Galax to a "plus" type banjo.

HolyGrass - Posted - 03/13/2012:  20:12:27

what is a Bacon donut? is it similar to a Dobson ring?
wonder if ya could put a Dobson underneath a white layde?

banjeaux bob - Posted - 03/13/2012:  23:05:24

I was able to play a Mike Ramsey Bacon and liked it very much.I also liked the way my Tu-Ba-Phone looked with the bracket band.So,I had a pot made with bracket band and the Bacon ring.I just haven't built a neck for it just yet.

jbalch - Posted - 03/14/2012:  05:00:10

quote:

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Originally posted by HolyGrass

what is a Bacon donut? is it similar to a Dobson ring?

wonder if ya could put a Dobson underneath a white layde?

---

 The Bacon ring is similar to H. C Dobson's design.  But the shape is different. 

In a Bart Reiter "plus" or "hot-rod" set-up, the Stew-Mac Bacon ring sits on top of a Stew-Mac whyte laydie ring (replacing the WL spun sleve).  It happens that the Bacon ring and the WL sleve are the same length and thickness so as to be interchangeable. (See photos below):

A Dobson ring from Bill Rickard or another source would not have the dimensions to fit the same way.  However, I did recently install a Rickard Dobson ring on my 12" (actually 11/7/8" O.D.) Internal resonator rim.  (Photo included).

Edited by - jbalch on 03/14/2012 05:03:22

Grand Concert-plus w/ Bacon tone ring

Rim & tone ring assembly

ring installed

jmoathout - Posted - 03/14/2012:  06:33:18

I was asked to post photos of the Tubaphone skirt and the Bacon style donut. Here they are, side-by-side, top and bottom.  The Bacon is unplated but polished on the outer edge which is exposed below the tension hoop.

Tubaphone skirt, Bacon donut top

Tubaphone skirt, Bacon donut bottom

jbalch - Posted - 03/14/2012:  09:30:40

Marshall:  Thanks for the photos. 

csbdr - Posted - 03/14/2012:  12:08:30

so what would adding the bacon donut to a whyte laydie tonering do to the sound?

Delfield - Posted - 03/14/2012:  12:17:09

jmoathout,

Am I understanding you right?  You have a Bacon tone ring for sale?  

I'd be very interested in that.

I sent you a Personal Message.

Thanks,

Jeff

jmoathout - Posted - 03/14/2012:  12:23:42

"so what would adding the bacon donut to a whyte laydie tonering do to the sound?"

I'm sure others will reply in more depth, but it adds some warmth and sustain without being "ringy".  It's more warn, to me, than either the WL or the Tubaphone.  Specifically, the skirt on the WL is replaced with the Bacon style donut. It's a straight drop in.  I think you will get lots of hits searching for "Bacophone Plus."  At least for Bart Reiter instruments, you can generate a Bacophone Plus starting with a Reagent, a GALAX, or a Whyte Laydie - but as I explained in my experiment above, not with a Tubaphone without some wood cutting.  John Balch has several audio files in the Bart Reiter group with his Bacophone Plus.