Hot Club Man - Posted - 07/30/2022:  10:50:06

What is the best sounding 'hide' vellum for tone? Calf skin? Your experience of different vellum's?

jbalch - Posted - 07/30/2022:  11:09:05

I dont think there is a predictable difference based exclusively on species. Differences are based on the thickness and texture (stiffness) if the individual hide.

Calf is often a little stronger than goat. I usually recommend high-grade calf for bluegrass or jazz (tenor) banjos and/or higher tension set-up.

Goat is my preferred choice for old-time banjos. That is what I use on my personal Bart Reiter instruments.

Alvin Conder - Posted - 07/30/2022:  11:51:05

Years ago, and I mean years ago, I got to play Tommy Jarrells banjo. One that Kyle C made. Thing played and sounded amazing. I asked him what made it sound so good. He looked me right in the eye and said that the skin was made from Cat. Said p**** Cat made the best sounding banjos. Have never figured out to this day if he was serious or just pulling the leg of an impressionable teenager.

I would consider John Balch the modern master of skin heads, so if you can’t get cat skin, go with his advice.

(BTW- I love cats, just relating a true story)

jbalch - Posted - 07/30/2022:  12:07:28

quote:

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Originally posted by Alvin Conder

Years ago, and I mean years ago, I got to play Tommy Jarrells banjo. One that Kyle C made. Thing played and sounded amazing. I asked him what made it sound so good. He looked me right in the eye and said that the skin was made from Cat. Said p**** Cat made the best sounding banjos. Have never figured out to this day if he was serious or just pulling the leg of an impressionable teenager.



I would consider John Balch the modern master of skin heads, so if you can’t get cat skin, go with his advice.



(BTW- I love cats, just relating a true story)

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I think Doc Watson told a story about cat hide on his first banjo too. 

Ground hog was sometimes used in the rural south.

Bill Rogers - Posted - 07/30/2022:  13:03:34

Back to your original post—“best sounding” varies according to the ear and taste of the player. I agree that John Balch is the man for skin heads. I’m a happy user.

rmcdow - Posted - 07/30/2022:  18:31:03

quote:

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Originally posted by Alvin Conder

Years ago, and I mean years ago, I got to play Tommy Jarrells banjo. One that Kyle C made. Thing played and sounded amazing. I asked him what made it sound so good. He looked me right in the eye and said that the skin was made from Cat. Said p**** Cat made the best sounding banjos. Have never figured out to this day if he was serious or just pulling the leg of an impressionable teenager.



I would consider John Balch the modern master of skin heads, so if you can’t get cat skin, go with his advice.



(BTW- I love cats, just relating a true story)

---

That would be a big cat, for an 11" banjo.

carlb - Posted - 07/31/2022:  05:47:36

I prefer thin calf skin, preferably slunk, (0.2 - 0.25 mm thick).

Clifton Hicks - Posted - 08/02/2022:  14:55:25

quote:

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Originally posted by Alvin Conder

Years ago, and I mean years ago, I got to play Tommy Jarrells banjo. One that Kyle C made. Thing played and sounded amazing. I asked him what made it sound so good. He looked me right in the eye and said that the skin was made from Cat. Said p**** Cat made the best sounding banjos. Have never figured out to this day if he was serious or just pulling the leg of an impressionable teenager.

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"p**** Cat?"

Joel Hooks - Posted - 08/02/2022:  18:55:36

quote:

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Originally posted by rmcdow

quote:

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Originally posted by Alvin Conder

Years ago, and I mean years ago, I got to play Tommy Jarrells banjo. One that Kyle C made. Thing played and sounded amazing. I asked him what made it sound so good. He looked me right in the eye and said that the skin was made from Cat. Said p**** Cat made the best sounding banjos. Have never figured out to this day if he was serious or just pulling the leg of an impressionable teenager.



I would consider John Balch the modern master of skin heads, so if you can’t get cat skin, go with his advice.



(BTW- I love cats, just relating a true story)

---

That would be a big cat, for an 11" banjo.

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Yeah, I've seen this folksy claim before.  I figure that it is either bull or was intended as a hilarious joke.

After I read this, I measured both of our cats (one is pretty big, but both are trim) and I could not figure out how someone could get a large enough usable piece.  On a Glenn/Hicks/Profitt pattern mountain banjo, sure, but not on a standard 11" rim.

That said, Frank Converse wrote the story about how his second banjo had a dog skin head provided to him by Jim Wambold.

archive.org/details/conversere.../mode/1up

But he could have been stretching the truth a bit.  While his letter are overall extremely reliable (and even supported by other documents) there is a hint of the old "back in my day" story telling about some of the early stuff.