hman0217 - Posted - 05/26/2017:  11:56:20

So basically I've had my mid weight goat skin on my banjo for about a year now and yesterday I gave it about a 1/4-1/2 turn tightening as it started to loosen again, presumably from the spring time humidity here in the northeast. What I noticed is that one side of the ring is ever so slightly lower than the other side. Specifically, If one were staring down the strings from the tailpiece towards the nut, the left side is a hair lower than the right side. I'm talking about less than 1/32". So the conventional wisdom, correct me if I'm wrong, is to tighten evenly across the head so as not to tense one area more than the other. But I'd love to even this out so question is:

If I just go very very slowly - meaning 1/8 of a turn per day or so til I get the tightness I need - would I be doing my banjo a great dis-service by tightening only the "high" side of the skin? My thinking is that the reason for tightening evenly is so that no immediate heavy tension is applied to one point along the head but, over time, the tension would distribute evenly anyway. Is my thinking off?

For the record, I tapped around the circumference and the pitch I get seems about even all the way around, so it doesn't seem that I have any "tight" spots as is.

a secondary question - the skin is about even with the ring right now, but the "low" side is about a hair lower. The top of the fielding tailpiece isn't quite hitting the skin at this point so I'm good there. I think this is otherwise okay (but will be sure to start a little higher on future skin head installations). But am I missing anything? Is there anything else undesirable about having the ring a touch below the skin? Again, we're talking less than 1/32" at this point, and I'm hoping this may be my last round of tightening, since I understand at some point the skin should stop moving around so much.

Thank you!

jbalch - Posted - 05/26/2017:  12:17:54

I would loosen it all around - then reinstall the tension hoop to a level height. Just apply minimal tension at first - focusing on the tension hoop height.  After it has settled, re-tension the head watching the tension hoop height to keep it even. You can re-shape the crown that way - without overstressing the hide. 

There is nothing wrong with the tension hoop pulling even with or even below the head - as long as you still have room (in the neck notch) to maintain sufficient tension. Also (as you have noted) make sure the tailpiece isn't pulled too too low as to damage the hide.  

Edited by - jbalch on 05/26/2017 12:22:24

G Edward Porgie - Posted - 05/26/2017:  13:44:22

I'd just leave it alone. 1/32" is not something to quibble about; probably nobody else is going to look down the strings as you have and even if they did they probably wouldn't notice such a tiny discrepancy. It also won't make a difference in the way the banjo sounds or plays.

Edited by - G Edward Porgie on 05/26/2017 13:45:01

ClayTech - Posted - 05/26/2017:  14:22:24

In my experience with my banjo, for best results the head should be under even tension all the way around regardless of the whether or not the tension hoop is at an even height. The hide head I currently have on my banjo sounds great, but to get it to tension evenly one side must be tightened up more than the other side. It's a natural product, so it's not perfectly even like a synthetic head.