Texican65 - Posted - 07/30/2018:  16:25:08

How'do fellow fanatics?

I've got an 1890's Morrison banjo, restored and fully playable. It's the first classic style banjo that I've owned or played, going on about a year now since the restore. I have a thin Stern Tanning co. hide head on it, .011", and when I first set this banjo up for my liking, I had the head very tight, about 90 on a drum dial. I have been pleased with the sound, still am, but, as temperatures have changed, and more hot/humid weather is here, I've had to tighten the head to keep it where I desire. In doing so, the tension hoop is pulling down past the top edge of the rim. It looks tacky to me, and I feel like I need to tighten the head some more to keep the tension where I like, but it will again pull the hoop down further....not a good look. How can I correct this?

 

Mooooo - Posted - 07/30/2018:  16:42:39

better get ahead of that before winter comes along.

Edited by - Mooooo on 07/30/2018 16:44:09

beegee - Posted - 07/30/2018:  17:32:16

Short of replacing the head, the only workable solution is to install another flesh hoop on the outside of the current one, between it and the tension hoop. It still won't be pretty.

The Old Timer - Posted - 07/30/2018:  17:35:28

Measure how much this one pulls down when all is said and done, and inform your next supplier of what "crown" your banjo seems to like.

rudy - Posted - 07/30/2018:  17:49:21

If it has a round flesh hoop there's a distinct possibility that it's slowly slipping over the flesh hoop.  In that case you'd need to re-skin it. If a hide slips around the flesh hoop there's not enough material to pull it tight again.

If it isn't slipping you could back the tension all the way off til the head is slack, spritz the hide and let it draw up tight again before pulling the tension band down to re-tension it.

jbalch - Posted - 07/30/2018:  17:49:38

I have not discovered a way to reliably restore an overstretched head. But as suggested above, you can loosen all tension and even pull the head up on the rim a small amount.  Do not remove the head from the banjo. Do leave the tension hoop in place.  Then lightly moisten the top of head (do not moisten the crown). As it drys, the might shrink enough to recover some height on the tension hoop.  But I fear any benefit will be temporary.



From the looks of yours - the head has not yet bottomed out at the heel - so other than the appearance of it (and maybe the fit of the tailpiece) it should continue to function fine.  Also - as others have suggested - you can add another flesh hoop between the tension hoop and head - to raise it a little.

Edited by - jbalch on 07/30/2018 18:01:14

 

banjered - Posted - 07/30/2018:  17:54:41

It looks like your tension hoop is brass so I don't think a square brass fless hoop would look all that bad. Some might even call it "decorative." Not unusual for a thinner skin head to stretch over time. That or start over again with another skin head. banjered

AndrewD - Posted - 07/30/2018:  17:58:46

Too late to do anything except install a new head. Assuming this wasn't a pre-mounted head so "wrong crown height" is not relevant. This is just how it is with hide heads. As long as it doesn't bottom out in the slot between the head and the neck it will play fine. Better than the tension hoop riding too high. When humidity goes down again it may have to go up a bit and you will have a, to you, more pleasing aesthetic. Next time you mount a head you'll have a better idea of where it should be before you start to tension it - much higher than you'd expect - and you won't get this (purely aesthetic) problem.

Ken LeVan - Posted - 07/30/2018:  18:13:44

It's possible to make a 1/8" brass hoop and put it between the flesh hoop and the bottom of the tension hoop - that will raise the tension hoop, but as has been said  you have to make sure the flesh hoop isn't bottomed out on the heel cut.

Texican65 - Posted - 07/30/2018:  21:30:19

Thanks very much for all the insight.

I’m scratching my head a little, because I don’t rightly understand exactly what has happened here?

The luthier that mounted it, said I’d need a 15” head, the banjo pot is 11.5”. So that’s what I ordered and gave it to the luthier, and they mounted it. When I received the banjo a week later, everything was completely loose. So, I tightened up the head, for several days, to get it tight. And little by little over the last year I’ve tightened or loosened. Just recently when the head felt loose, I tightened it and noticed the hoop sinking down. What exactly went wrong here? Did I over tighten it, or was it not mounted correctly?

I’m feeling ignorant with this hide head issue, I didn’t know they were so touchy...I’ve only heard, but am starting to see it first hand. I wanted as close to original condition as possible with this banjo, but...maybe I’ll just put a plastic Remo on it? I’ve still got lots of room before this head bottoms out, maybe I’ll leave it. Hmmmm decisions.

Thanks again,

Dow

Ken LeVan - Posted - 07/31/2018:  05:13:58

My experience with them is that they stretch a lot, and you have to set them at a much lower crown height than they will eventually become after they are dried and fully tensioned or you wind up with what has been shown in the OP picture.  Also, all heads are not the same

I think that using a round flesh hoop instead of a square one might contribute to upward slipping, but that's just a guess.

John_J - Posted - 07/31/2018:  05:53:38

The easy fix for this is to order a premounted head from John Balch...

banjered - Posted - 07/31/2018:  07:18:19

Getting a loose head back from the "LUTHIER" after a week tells me the "LUTHIER" didn't know what the hell they were doing as far as putting a skin head on any banjo. YOU were on their learning curve as regards to installing skin heads. Skin heads are not as fragile and tempermental as some would have you believe if they are put on right in the first place. I've put skin heads on about a dozen banjos now, just got the "how to" off the net and BHO. So 1) do it yourself 2) find a real BANJO luthier to do the job 3) try the John Balch suggestion above. banjered