banjered - Posted - 05/31/2024:  12:35:45

I am wondering about other player's preferences. I prefer 3/16" to 1/4". Less than 3/16" it seems the tone is weak, not clear, not as distinct with notes, a bit mushy. More than 1/4" the tone can be too sharp, brittle, not as musical plus unnecessarily heavy as in weight. I know Reiter made a lot of 5/8" thick rims which seemed over built to me with a very bright tone. I see some newer builders also building banjos with thicker rims that while very beautiful in some cases stops me from considering their banjos. It seems most builders get going on a certain way of creating rims and don't change their style of rims. Of course many factors affect tone but I wonder in terms of rim thickness. Thoughts? banjered

Bill Rogers - Posted - 05/31/2024:  12:51:38

Half-inch or thinner for me. I always thought the Reiters were a bit muddier in tone than they should be.

Fathand - Posted - 05/31/2024:  13:06:55

I'll built a 3/4" maple rim with a Stew Mac Whyte Laydie brass rim in the 80S. I think it sounds great, frailed or picked. Back then I had a spun over Fairbanks Cole banjo about 1/4" thick rim, traded it off quick, no thanks.

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banjered - Posted - 05/31/2024:  13:19:22

I've encountered only a few of those 19th century spun overs but I haven't encountered one with a tone I like. Isn't that 3/4" rim make for a pretty heavy banjo? I think of those 3/4" banjo rims similar to people who prefer big trucks with big tires etc. Different stokes for different folks. banjered

Bruce Berry Banjos - Posted - 05/31/2024:  13:56:25

Depends on the sound one is going for.
Thin rims project low tones wonderfully, but decay quickly.
OT players often throw around the term "plunky" as desirable, and also stuff dampeners inside their banjos to "kill overtones".
Bluegrass banjoists know to stay in the octave that Pythagoras intended, and they don't want to dampen anything.
So Bluegrass banjos are considerably thicker rimmed with a cast bronze tone ring, and weight a metric ton typically.

lapsteel - Posted - 05/31/2024:  14:08:52

quote:

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Originally posted by Bruce Berry Banjos

Depends on the sound one is going for

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If you have a chance to read the Foxfire volume about banjos and dulcimers, please take it. 

We are all fortunate to have any banjo at all. 

Fathand - Posted - 05/31/2024:  14:17:19

quote:

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Originally posted by banjered

I've encountered only a few of those 19th century spun overs but I haven't encountered one with a tone I like. Isn't that 3/4" rim make for a pretty heavy banjo? I think of those 3/4" banjo rims similar to people who prefer big trucks with big tires etc. Different stokes for different folks. banjered

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The  Whyte Laydie ring is about 1/2 the weight of a flathead. Lack of a resonator also lessens weight. I would estimate the banjo at maybe 10 lb compared to a 13 lb Mastertone so a medium weight banjo. A heavy pot also helps a banjo to balance better on a strap. Those spunovers can neck dive.

davidppp - Posted - 05/31/2024:  15:10:53

I've subscribed to this thread because I'm working on the question "as we speak" (so to say). In my own peculiar way, I want to connect what people say about the sounds to what physics says about the rims. Obviously, it's subtle.  So far, I have three rims of the same dimensions, approx. weights, and hardware but different wood and/or construction.  A thinner drum shell is on order.  I'll drill it to mount the same hardware).  All will get the same neck.  I can already see that the sound of tapping the head is slightly different.  In particular, the head resonances have essentially the same frequencies but different strengths for the different rims.  And previous work claimed that you hear the head resonant frequencies, albeit faintly, with every note you pluck. (its.caltech.edu/~politzer/banj...-ring.pdf).

I never met a banjo I didn't like.  So, I'm useless on the question of what sounds better.