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blanham - Posted - 11/11/2016: 14:24:47
I'm curious as to what type of tone ring is in this Bart Reiter Professional from 1988. It looks like it is cast metal, and it's pretty heavy. It has a really good, clear, loud tone. I'll attach a photo. Any information would be appreciated.
Dan Drabek - Posted - 11/11/2016: 14:34:25
Looks like a Vega Little Wonder style tone ring. They're usually a thin, spun sheet brass skirt wrapped around a round, solid brass rod. All with nickel plating.
DD
jbalch - Posted - 11/11/2016: 14:40:04
I have not seen one like that. Maybe Bart will respond.
Dan Drabek - Posted - 11/11/2016: 16:37:04
On second look, I may have been wrong on my initial impression. I thought I saw a junction of the ends of a rod on the top side of the ring. But the sides look more squared off in the photo, and I see a couple more indentations spaced around the ring. It's hard to tell from just that one photo, but if it's made of one piece, it's not a Little Wonder. As John said, Bart is a forum member and if he sees this thread, he can give you a correct answer.
DD
kona - Posted - 11/11/2016: 16:46:37
Interesting. Is that the only tone ring? No Bacon donut, like every other Reiter internal resonates I've seen?
banjobart - Posted - 11/11/2016: 16:49:13
It's a tone ring sliced off a large bronze bearing from an oil drilling rig in Texas. I used a dozen of them back then, sliced from one bearing.
blanham - Posted - 11/11/2016: 17:20:26
quote:
Originally posted by banjobart
It's a tone ring sliced off a large bronze bearing from an oil drilling rig in Texas. I used a dozen of them back then, sliced from one bearing.
Oh, it's a Lube-A-Phone, haha. Thanks so much for the information, Bart.
Dan Drabek - Posted - 11/11/2016: 17:26:27
quote:
Originally posted by blanham
quote:
Originally posted by banjobart
It's a tone ring sliced off a large bronze bearing from an oil drilling rig in Texas. I used a dozen of them back then, sliced from one bearing.
Oh, it's a Lube-A-Phone, haha. Thanks so much for the information, Bart.
Just the thing for oil timey music. (ouch)
DD
lfbenitez - Posted - 11/11/2016: 18:50:37
quote:
Originally posted by Dan Drabek
quote:
Originally posted by blanham
quote:
Originally posted by banjobart
It's a tone ring sliced off a large bronze bearing from an oil drilling rig in Texas. I used a dozen of them back then, sliced from one bearing.
Oh, it's a Lube-A-Phone, haha. Thanks so much for the information, Bart.
Just the thing for oil timey music. (ouch)
DD
ba-dump-bump :-)
blanham - Posted - 11/12/2016: 04:48:09
So you can get an idea of how it sounds, I recorded 2 different clips: finger picking on "Sally in the Garden", and clawhammer style on "Muddy Roads".
RogBanjovi - Posted - 11/12/2016: 12:41:56
Shouldn't that be da bum ditty?
quote:
Originally posted by lfbenitez
quote:
Originally posted by Dan Drabek
quote:
Originally posted by blanham
quote:
Originally posted by banjobart
It's a tone ring sliced off a large bronze bearing from an oil drilling rig in Texas. I used a dozen of them back then, sliced from one bearing.
Oh, it's a Lube-A-Phone, haha. Thanks so much for the information, Bart.
Just the thing for oil timey music. (ouch)
DD
ba-dump-bump :-)
mikehalloran - Posted - 11/13/2016: 20:00:21
quote:
Originally posted by blanham
quote:
Originally posted by banjobart
It's a tone ring sliced off a large bronze bearing from an oil drilling rig in Texas. I used a dozen of them back then, sliced from one bearing.
Oh, it's a Lube-A-Phone, haha. Thanks so much for the information, Bart.
A Lube-A-Phone? Ha! You're killing me!
carlb - Posted - 11/14/2016: 05:59:10
I will upload pictures on request. I believe that Bart's setup are derived from the Bacon FF Professional banjos. These Bacon banjos used three different variations of their tone ring. One is the dish in which it's obvious that the tone ring does not touch the top of the pot, but rests on a thin ledge just at the top of the shoes. Second, instead of the dish, the metal is wrapped in a circle (still one piece like the dish) and, depending upon the head tension, may or may not rest on the top of the pot; this type also rests on a thin ledge just at the top of the shoes. Third, is similar to the first, except there is an extra ledge cut into the pot in which a rectangular, solid brass ring rests just under a dish type tone ring.
blanham - Posted - 11/15/2016: 02:11:23
Carl, I think I know what you mean, that the ledge is cut into the outside of the pot, a little above the bracket shoes. I for one would like to see a picture or two; it's hard to find pics of these with the head removed. I never realized before that the dish didn't rest on the top of the pot, but it makes sense that it would be designed such as to vibrate freely. Thanks!
Dan Drabek - Posted - 11/15/2016: 17:57:28
Good rich sound on the banjo. The bass notes have a lot of resonance.
DD
carlb - Posted - 11/16/2016: 08:21:10
Here are three pictures of how Bacon Professional were constructed.
1. Since I have no picture of the inside of the dish tone ring over the pot, I using a portion of a picture that is from the original patent (June 19, 1906; a copy can be found on the Bacon Professional Banjo web site <sugarinthegourd.com/BaconProfe...alBanjos/> at the bottom of the file BaconBanjoPics.pdf) to illustrate that there is a space between the top of the tone ring and top of the pot.
2. A picture of a rolled, rather dish, tone ring and how it sits on top of the pot. The picture was taken from the inside, back of the banjo. The tension of the head on this banjo does cause it to rest on the top of the pot. The lighter colored wood in the foreground is the inner wall of the tone chamber and the darker is the pot. The skin is only a slightly different color then the tone ring.
3. A picture of a pot with a ring under the tone ring. The pot has two ledges. The outer, thinner one is for the dish tone ring and the thicker, inner one is for the rectangular ring under the tone ring. The tone rings sit in an upside down position next to the pot.
mikehalloran - Posted - 11/16/2016: 09:24:19
Although I've owned a couple, I never had them apart. Did Bacon ever use a version of the Bacon ring on the Stew Mac site? Did Bart?
banjobart - Posted - 11/16/2016: 16:52:44
Stew-Mac has always made my Bacon tone rings, for almost 40 years. I paid up front for the first run of 75 and then the Bacon ring became a stock Stew-Mac item, off and on, over the years. I provided the first ring, the example for Stew-Mac to duplicate, a guy in NC made that prototype. As seen above, Bacon used several variations of this design. This tone ring design has also appeared in Washburn and other banjos made about 100 years ago. This design is sometimes confused with the B&D Silver Bell tone ring.
