skip sail - Posted - 09/21/2014:  01:38:55

I'm looking for a 10 inch medium crown vintage  skin head to put on my Washburn ladies size presentation.

anyone got a spare they can sell or trade?

cheers,Skip

Banjohaven - Posted - 09/22/2014:  13:45:30

Skip

I have a 10-1/8 off of a Vega Banjolin, I fleshed it up a few months ago and then customer wanted a plastic

VInnie

skip sail - Posted - 09/22/2014:  14:17:09

thanks Vinnie, but i need a perfect 10,the washburn is exactly that. thanks anyway

G Edward Porgie - Posted - 09/22/2014:  18:01:06

Why are you intent on a vintage skin? I seriously doubt if a new skin would sound noticeably different and it'll look vintage in a short time if you play it much.

I have an old skin (very old) with no flesh hoop but I don't think it's quite big enough to wrap around a new hoop. I'll measure it tomorrow and let you know.

G Edward Porgie - Posted - 09/23/2014:  12:27:15

Measured the head I have. It's way too small.

I apologize if I got your hopes up.

mikehalloran - Posted - 09/27/2014:  13:15:10

quote:

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Originally posted by G Edward Porgie

Why are you intent on a vintage skin? I seriously doubt if a new skin would sound noticeably different and it'll look vintage in a short time if you play it much.

 

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I'll leave that part of it alone. When you want a vintage head, nothing else really will do.

Since the old ones came in one basic size, why must it be exactly 10"? A larger one is easy to install even if it's off of an ii" banjo. Get it damp and make loops of thread every inch or two along the outer edge. Use these to pull the edge  over the hoop and under the stretcher. Set it like you would any other and, when done trim the edge removing the loops at the same time. If you make the loops even and long enough, you can get an even pull with one hand while setting the stretcher with the other.

G Edward Porgie - Posted - 09/28/2014:  09:47:16

What Mike says about using a different size head is true, so long as it's big enough to stretch over your existing flesh hoop. That is, if you have an existing hoop. If the flesh hoop has been long gone, a new one can fairly easily be made.

Tom Berghan - Posted - 10/02/2014:  07:59:23

"Vintage" 10" will be hard to find. I have used quite a few hide heads (I have a harem of banjos) and I don't think one can  tell the difference in tone between vintage and new. It is skin not wood. I don't know, maybe I'm wrong. But I DO hear a giant difference between hide and Mylar. 

Anyway, there are aging techniques that will give you the look of a vintage skin (make a new hide look old). If you want to go there then we can start that conversation. 

I have one very old hide that is still creamy white. But many vintage hide get that tea-brown color and I tend to think that comes from years of exposure to cigarette smoke. 

So are you after a sound or a look?

CEParagon124 - Posted - 10/02/2014:  08:39:38

Perhaps John Balch can duplicate that for you. I think he will stain a head for a small additional fee.

I should think finding a vintage mounted medium crown 10" head is going to be difficult.

Charlie Noyes