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Schendricks - Posted - 08/24/2013: 00:19:39
Hello everyone,
I'm preparing to order a skin head but I don't know whether I should get low, medium or high crown. Does this depend on some inherent feature of my banjo? If so, how can I determine the crown height? It's a Gretsch Broadkaster Special.
Two further questions:
1) What can you say about your experience with goat versus calf skin?
2) I see that the BHO member John Balch is a popular source for quality skin heads. What kind of considerations go into seeking one from him as opposed to what Elderly has to offer?
Many thanks for any advice you can give in this regard.
Cheers! - Stephen
pastorharry - Posted - 08/24/2013: 00:41:27
John can pre-mount your head if you have a standard 11" or 12" pot. Elderly just sells skins and you have to mount them yourself. If you live in a very humid area you want a medium, or medium to low crown as the tension hoop will sit higher on the rim. As the hide stretches and you need to re- tighten the brackets, you'll have leeway so the tension hoop doesn't end up sitting too low,(i.e., below the head surface. You see many old skin head banjos with the hoop pulled too low...not desirable. Of course if you are in a very dry climate, you'll want a medium or high crown , as your head won't sag much at all. Remember, it's weird but-Low crown equals less space= higher sitting tension hoop, high crown equals more space and the hoop will sit lower.
John may very well be familiar with the rim, or if you can send him the rim he could custom mount the head for you according to preference and climate, etc., I'm going to link this to the hide heads page for more imput.
jbalch - Posted - 08/24/2013: 04:22:36
I try to the initial crown so that the tension hoop sits 1/4" to 3/8" above the top of the head. That allows room for additional stretching of the hide (which is inevitable). After the head is seasoned a bit, I prefer the hoop to settle and stabilize about 1/8" +/- above the head.
Each piece if hide is unique. All will stretch. But some do so more than others. I think is is always best to set the crown a little low - rather than too tall.
Re: Goat vs. Calf. I can't tell much difference in sound based on species. The sound and performance of a head depend on the thickness, evenness, and texture of the specific hide (rather than the type of animal).
I use a lot of goat skins. I prefer them to be .013 to .016 in. thick and as even as possible.
Here are some photos: banjohangout.org/myhangout/pho...umid=6932
More - types of heads I use: banjohangout.org/myhangout/pho...umid=7464
rudy - Posted - 08/24/2013: 05:09:07
quote:
Originally posted by Schendricks
Hello everyone,
I'm preparing to order a skin head but I don't know whether I should get low, medium or high crown. Does this depend on some inherent feature of my banjo? If so, how can I determine the crown height? It's a Gretsch Broadkaster Special.
Two further questions:
1) What can you say about your experience with goat versus calf skin?
2) I see that the BHO member John Balch is a popular source for quality skin heads. What kind of considerations go into seeking one from him as opposed to what Elderly has to offer?
Many thanks for any advice you can give in this regard.
Cheers! - Stephen
The pre-mounts that Elderly offers are a one-size-fits-all. I've mounted a couple and if the instructions are followed they will pull down to match whatever crown height you need.
The larger consideration is that many who mount the Gold Tone head have difficulty getting the hooks on, as the head bead is fairly large. You sometimes have to end up filling little notches in the head bead or (shudder) bending your hooks so they will fit.
kirbonite - Posted - 08/24/2013: 05:46:07
I think the broadkaster takes a medium.. but am not 100 %. Most new banjos take medium crown as that is what Gibson takes..
The exceptions are any Deering Goodtime and most Deerings made before 2006. maybe some others I don;t know about.. I'd go with medim on th plastic ones.
The Old Timer - Posted - 08/24/2013: 07:45:59
I didn't even think about ordering from Elderly, due to the great response John Balch game me when I first inquired.
He knows his banjos, just follow his questions and advice.
Mine was finest white calfskin for a 1926 Mastertone with the "split/grooved" ball bearing tension hoop. John pre-mounted the head for me, and it fits PERFECT.
He gets my enthusiastic recommendation.
DEmery - Posted - 08/24/2013: 10:36:57
Stephen I must disclose that my banjos have had Balch Hide Heads on them for years. Knowing John...when we are together he has mounted heads directly on several banjos and in other cases he mounted them and shipped it. I am sure you can find a good hide from Elderly or other sources and if you want to mount it...I am sure you can do that as well. For me...I use John's heads because he has gotten a good sense of quality based on thickness, consistency, and appearance. When I want something special; John pulls from a good inventory to find what I want on a particular banjo. I tend to go with some sort of stain (coffee or tea) but in some cases a head simply looks right and we use then natural hide. I have also had John work with builders and match up heads for a project. All that to say I find it a good value. I don't deal with culls that he would pull out; the crowns are right; and once the heads settle down they sound great. Good luck with your skin head. I have them on all my banjos and really enjoy them. Attached are a few heads John has provided in the past couple years. David E.
Schendricks - Posted - 08/25/2013: 08:41:33
Thanks for your help, everybody. Going Balch!
