Papa-Joe - Posted - 11/14/2013:  09:49:06

I am wondering if there is a bridge that is better to use with a vellum cafe skin head, then other bridges

steve davis - Posted - 11/14/2013:  09:53:59

The music on my homepage (except for Buffalo Gals) was recorded on a banjo with a Gold Tone skin head.
The bridge on the banjo was a Davis compensated maple and ebony.

If you are speaking of old time tone I would recommend soft maple w/rosewood top at a weight of 2.6 grams.

banjonz - Posted - 11/14/2013:  11:42:40

It does depend on the sound you want to get. I have experimented with various bridges over the years on banjos that have had skin heads, and there really isn't too much difference, at least to my ears. But then, I haven't used all the bridges available today ( gets a bit pricey).

jbalch - Posted - 11/14/2013:  13:04:57

I use the same type bridges on my hide-head banjos and I do on mylar.

Bridges by Tim Purcell and Gary Sosebee are on all of my banjos.

I'm linking this to the hide heads group banjohangout.org/group/hideheads

Ken LeVan - Posted - 11/14/2013:  14:39:23

I recently made a skin-head short scale, bridge-in-the-middle banjo for a professional performer who plays and teaches all around the world - He is primarily a guitarist, and the banjo is his second instrument.  Just to "keep it simple" as a starting point, I built in  one of my my "inserta nuts" and a maple moon bridge made from my best red maple - it's hard to imagine a better bridge than that, but you never know.

I have heard only praises from him, and he knows full well I would gladly rebuild any part of the banjo that wasn't up to snuff including the bridge (I would do that for anyone I built a banjo for), so I think the red maple bridge passed muster.

Ken

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Ken LeVan - Posted - 11/14/2013:  14:44:10

I'm not so good at this site -sorry.  Here's the sound file I thought was included on my last post:   I'm happy to post more if anyone's interested.

Ken

Woodie She'll be Comin Around the Mountain

Bart Veerman - Posted - 11/14/2013:  14:45:16

It would depend a lot on your playing style and whether you have a tone ring or not: three finger, clawhammer, other?

Papa-Joe - Posted - 11/14/2013:  17:47:50

Thank for all of the replies, I've been playing for about a year now. The style I'm using is clawhammer. I have an entry level banjo Mitchell from Guitar Center has a resonator no tone ring. My wife picked it up for me for Christmas last year. I play the guitar and this banjo seems to play fairly easy and stays in turn very well. I am tring to get a little more of an old time sound out of the banjo. I would go to a more expensive banjo but I'm limited on funds. So I thought I would try making some improvements to this banjo. I have purchased a Bill Miller mounted calf skin vellum head and a Fults  34 Parallel tail piece. I thought I would also change the bridge. So if anyone has any suggestion let me know. I'm checking out those already suggested.

Edited by - Papa-Joe on 11/14/2013 17:48:45

steve davis - Posted - 11/14/2013:  18:01:17

I'll send you one to try out,if you like.