morten - Posted - 11/03/2012:  15:27:46

I have a calfskin head that I`ve stained with mahogney woodstain, just had to try it on my new Recording King RK 36. And I must say it sounds realy good, anybody else her that plays "bluegrassbanjo" with skin head?

josephryanevans - Posted - 11/03/2012:  15:45:57

i don't have calfskin on my resonator but i've thought about doing it so i'm interested in what folks have to say. How did it affect your sound? Is tuning less stable?

Thanks,

Joe

morten - Posted - 11/03/2012:  16:05:13

quote:

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Originally posted by josephryanevans

 

i don't have calfskin on my resonator but i've thought about doing it so i'm interested in what folks have to say. How did it affect your sound? Is tuning less stable?

Thanks,

Joe

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The sound got more "soft" and maybe less loud.  About the tuning I dont know , I guess the skin is less stable to humidity and temperature ? I just put it on so I dont know .

Dan Drabek - Posted - 11/03/2012:  16:11:41

quote:

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Originally posted by morten

quote:

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Originally posted by josephryanevans

  I guess the skin is less stable to humidity and temperature ? I just put it on so I dont know .

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I'd guess you're right. That's why plastic heads got to be so popular.

DD

thumpic2003 - Posted - 11/03/2012:  16:59:12

last night i put a old skin head on a fender artist,  it took some of the zingg out, i like it

andyboyman - Posted - 11/03/2012:  17:12:05

not quite the same thing, but the result is the same. I put a calfskin on my open back a few months back, and then last week put a resonator from another banjo on it. Compared to other resonators, it sounds bigger. Not quite as loud, but its got a great tonal response.

Ira Gitlin - Posted - 11/03/2012:  20:52:01

I put a Bill Miller vellum head on my (recent) Kel Kroydon a couple of years back. It sounded good sometimes, but was very responsive to changes in the weather. I replaced it with a plastic head. But this past year I put the Miller head on my Ome Silver Monarch, and I like it better on that than I did on the KK. In fact, the Ome may never have sounded better.

amconk6 - Posted - 11/03/2012:  21:54:58

Loving the look. Nice engraved tension hoop! Might I ask where you acquired it? Been looking for one myself...

morten - Posted - 11/04/2012:  01:25:21

quote:

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Originally posted by amconk6

Loving the look. Nice engraved tension hoop! Might I ask where you acquired it? Been looking for one myself...

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TR Dockery - Posted - 11/04/2012:  04:29:46

quote:

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Originally posted by Ira Gitlin

I put a Bill Miller vellum head on my (recent) Kel Kroydon a couple of years back. It sounded good sometimes, but was very responsive to changes in the weather. I replaced it with a plastic head. But this past year I put the Miller head on my Ome Silver Monarch, and I like it better on that than I did on the KK. In fact, the Ome may never have sounded better.

 

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 Ira--

Did you put any water repellant on your Miller head when you installed it?

Happy trails,

Randy in Germantown, TN

Ira Gitlin - Posted - 11/04/2012:  08:29:02

Yeah, a few coats of something that someone here recommended. I don't remember what brand. It still went dead in humid weather. I don't gig on the Ome much these days, so that's not as much of an issue now.

Tim Zowada - Posted - 11/04/2012:  15:01:41

I'm the OP on the thread here: banjohangout.org/archive/230050 I have a LouZee Walnut/Chrome.

Eight months later, I'm still sold on hide heads. I used the Steve Davis quarter trick to keep the tension constant during the summer. It did require about 1 1/2 turns of the nuts to keep things tight. Now that winter is almost here, the head is "self tightening". So, I'm backing off on the nuts gradually.

I did purchase two unmounted Miller heads and hoops. I just haven't gotten around to mounting them. If I didn't love to tinker, I could be happy with this Miller Velum head for a very long time. Then again, there are those Sterns heads I keep hearing about... :).

Vellum Calfskin Head

Rennie - Posted - 11/05/2012:  02:25:19

I have a calf skin head on my Stelling crusader i love the tone of the banjo now it is not as crisp as a plastic head but it has a great fourth string growl I got the head off j balch here on the hangout for my old Windsor pop and just tryed it on my Stelling and have not taken it off love it

tiband - Posted - 11/05/2012:  15:50:55

I used hard wax to seal the head of a few banjos and Uke I  have and it did help a lot preventing reactions to humidity and dryness  . 

Needed  a few coats on both sides of the head. Used  natural wax, not  the liquid type.

Carnauba wax mixed with bee wax is  the best.

It is  in flakes and you can mix it with bee wax or other waxes or thinner

It did the job for leather boots and shoes for centuries so wy not calfskin heads !! 

highlandwoodworking.com/carnau...x1lb.aspx