decorah818 - Posted - 11/17/2021:  08:12:26

Has anyone put a fiberskin head on a Deering Americana banjo? I am trying to get the oldtime clawhammer tone.

chip arnold - Posted - 11/17/2021:  08:47:46

Hard to define " the oldtime clawhammer tone", as there were and are countless pickers and many different banjos with very different tones. Pretty much everything from a flathead Gibson to a skin head gourd :-)

I'm not familiar with the Deering Americana, but a good quality skin head will help to mellow out any banjo, if that's the sound you're looking for. A ren head will probably give you a mellower tone than a frosted head. So will taking some tension off any head and so will a heavier bridge.

Edited by - chip arnold on 11/17/2021 08:56:33

KCJones - Posted - 11/17/2021:  08:57:17

I would go with a renaissance head, which in my experience sound better than fiberskyn in almost all situations.

If you want to do a test run to preview what it might sound like with a fiberskyn head, just add a few strips of masking tap to your existing head. Pretty sure the fiberskyns are just the same head, but instead of powder coating them they put a second piece of mylar on top to make it a bit thicker/heavier and give it that fake skin texture. You might even be able to avoid buying a new head altogether with this method.

thisoldman - Posted - 11/17/2021:  09:21:07

I put a Fiberskyn head (had the original clear head) on a vintage resonator banjo to get a more mellow sound, and I think I went a bit to far. Debated between that and a Ren head and in hindsight should have gone for the Ren. But I digress.
As I understand Deerings "advertising", the Americana has a 12" pot with a Ren head to give you a bit more more bass and a warmer tone. You might not be able to hear much difference (mellower tone) with a Fibreskyn head, but it wouldn't hurt to try. You don't have a truss rod, so you can't experiment with heavier strings. You might try a heavier bridge. And, as Chip suggested, you might try loosening the head (that would be my first option, as it doesn't cost anything except your time). When I played clawhammer, back in the day, and was listening for tone, the banjos that I thought had the warmest tone were the fretless banjos with hide heads.

davidppp - Posted - 11/17/2021:  09:29:46

The Americana comes with a standard Goodtime tailpiece. The tone you're hoping for also cares about the break angle. A No-Knot would get you where you want to be. The Deering "Knotless" has that minimal break angle geometry and mounts the same way as the tailpiece you have. The typical modern No-Knot reproduction would require a small angle bracket, which is easy to make yourself if you know how to cut, bend, and drill brass -- or you can buy one (currently $3.25 on e-Bay).

Deering Co. themselves recommend renaissance heads over fiberskyn for Old-Time sound.

MusicManMike - Posted - 11/17/2021:  10:00:37

I put a fiber skin on my Deering good time and it mellowed up the tone. However, I also have instruments with renaissance heads and they tend to have an even plunkier sound

restreet - Posted - 11/17/2021:  10:01:22

I have tried many 11" & 12" heads (thin Renaissance, thick Fiberskyn, medium Deering Skintone, thin & thick goat, Menzies goat) on a half dozen very different banjos searching for an old time sound.

The Renaissance heads have more punch and clarity but I find the Fiberskyn heads to have a more mellow sound with the 5th string emphasized or at least heard above the other strings. I first discovered this on a Ramsey 12" fretless when I would stop playing thinking there was someone in the room but it was the drone of the fifth string. I liked it a lot.

Now I have 12 unmounted heads and 5 Fiberskyn heads on my best banjos.

I find the musical quality of the notes suffers when a head is not tight.

Edited by - restreet on 11/17/2021 10:02:30

Dan Gellert - Posted - 11/17/2021:  13:53:42

Fiberskyn is just mylar with a layer of Tyvek-type fiber added. Overweight and dull sounding on most banjos, IMO.

If you want to get a mellower sound from a plastic head, you can add weight and/or damping to the one that's already on the banjo. It's quicker, easier, and far more adjustable than changing the head. A very small bit of tape, gel, foam, etc. usually does the job for me (after some experimentation to find the best placement).

Before any of that, I'd suggest first adjusting the head tension to get as close as you can to the tone and response you want. Getting it tensioned evenly all the way around will make a lot of difference, and on most banjos that means using a Drum Dial.

decorah818 - Posted - 11/17/2021:  15:29:02

Thanks for advise. BUT I still am getting mixed info. I guess I will have to try all suggestion first. I did order a 12 inch fiberskyn head form Deering which is made for the Americana. I will report my results. However I understand tone is subjective. So I have to find the tone that I like.

chip arnold - Posted - 11/18/2021:  06:34:21

The quick and easy way is to use a heavier bridge. A Sampson for instance. FWIW, I would do this before you install the new head. It will make a significant difference. Next, install the new head. You'll be able to clearly hear the difference each thing made.

restreet - Posted - 11/18/2021:  08:08:06

A great heavy bridge for clawhammer is the Spillway Dam Bridge
banjohangout.org/classified/16100

CW Spook - Posted - 11/18/2021:  09:31:42

quote:

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Originally posted by restreet

A great heavy bridge for clawhammer is the Spillway Dam Bridge

banjohangout.org/classified/16100

---

This!  I'm using one on my Deering Hartford with a John Balch hide head and LaBella 17 strings to get the sound I want.

restreet - Posted - 11/18/2021:  10:27:44

Youtube video of GoodTime with Fiberskyn head
youtube.com/watch?v=pZmPf_0ss20

R.D. Lunceford - Posted - 11/18/2021:  11:08:54

One of the biggest changes you can make towards the plunky end of the spectrum is installing Nylgut strings, or maybe La Bella nylon strings. They are not loop or ball end, so you will have to have a method for tying them off. They work fine on a No-Knot tailpiece but be sure any sharp edges are filed smooth as they tend to break otherwise.

You could also experiment with some muting on the bridge.

decorah818 - Posted - 12/06/2021:  15:07:50

Okay got the Fyberskin head from Deering. I decided to risk it and try to darken it with wood stain. I used Old English color stain. I wanted it to look like real hide. I think it turned out nice. I also cut a scoop into the neck. I put a piece of gold pick guard material in the scoop. Over all I am happy with the way it turned out.

Edited by - decorah818 on 12/06/2021 15:12:33

Americana head

Americana

Americana scoop

Americana stained head

restreet - Posted - 12/06/2021:  18:12:40

If you want it to look like real hide, rotate the head so the logo is under the tailpiece.

decorah818 - Posted - 12/09/2021:  06:11:06

Wow... I forgot about that. Lol

Edited by - decorah818 on 12/09/2021 06:12:54