adamINmn - Posted - 07/18/2025:  21:37:10

Hi folks. I bought my first banjo about 8 months ago and it’s been so much fun learning clawhammer! Through lots of listening to others I’ve learned that I like a bassier, mellow sound. I’m playing a standard 11” good time (not so bassy or mellow as I’ve discovered). Because I don’t have a ton of disposable income I figured I should learn to tune my banjo to the sound I want.
So far I’ve learned to make my own bridges (super fun) and I’ve swapped out the tailpiece for a no-knot. Tonight I began playing with head tension- by that I mean I loosened the nuts 1/6th of a turn to see how it affects the sound and then decided to wait for my used drum dial to be delivered. I’ve also read a lot about tap tuning and hemmed and hawed over the potential difference that a different head could make.
My question and reason for this post is to ask about changing the head. Will swapping out my top-frosted head for a renaissance head change the sound in a way that I can cannot achieve through simply changing head tension on my current head? What about a fiberskyn head (most opinions of those I have read are not good)? Does each head have a distinct definable character that simply cannot be achieved with any other head? I’ve read as many archived posts as I can find on this subject and usually come away feeling no more certain one way or the other.
To reiterate I am trying to achieve a mellow sound with good resonance (I think?). So far I have basically been looking at folks who make nice sounds that I like, noting their banjo set-ups (or at least equipment) and have been altering my good time to more closely resemble those nice sounding banjos. The last piece appears to be the ubiquitous renaissance head. What do you all think, is a renaissance head a must for a mellow clawhammer sound?

Dean T - Posted - 07/18/2025:  22:41:40

I’ve had 4 different heads on my Goodtime, frosted, ren, fiberskin, and skintone. Yes they make a difference. Frosted is by far the brightest and loudest. The renaissance head is still very bright, but a notch below frosted in volume. The fiberskin is going to be the most mellow, but you pay for it in volume. The skintone is between the ren and fiberskin, and my personal favorite, and has the most sustain, good volume, and still beautifully mellower than the frosted or ren. The only negative, is the skintone is expensive, at $50 a piece, and only available through Deering.

GrahamHawker - Posted - 07/19/2025:  00:10:58

The standard fiberskin seems to suck away the tone especially on cheaper banjos. The best way to use them is to scrub them top with sandpaper which thins them down. I use renaissance heads for a more mellow sound than frosted tops. The Goodtime seems to be a very bright banjo and the lack of truss rod means that Deering say only use light strings which is not going to help. Perhaps you need to try nylon or nylgut strings. You could also try a real skin head. As far as I'm concerned banjos are about experimenting until you find what works for you.

One thing I've noticed is that early on some players have a yearning for more and more mellowness. This was true for me. After a while I remembered it was a banjo and not a guitar and that banjos are a bright sounding instrument. I go for a degree of mellowness (renaissance head, heavier bridge (very important) and medium strings.

Eric A - Posted - 07/19/2025:  05:19:09

You've already went to the no-knot. Check. You've already loosened your top frosted. Check. Tinkered with bridges. Check.



The next thing for sure is to try renaissance head. It will change things.



Note, I come from opposite camp, so I'm trying to reverse engineer for you. I like a bright clear sound. So the first things I do when I get a different banjo in my hands is put on a top frosted, pretty tight, ditch the no-knot, different bridge.  I can typically get any banjo to sound good to my ear, so you should be able to do the same, other direction.



To each their own.

Edited by - Eric A on 07/19/2025 05:22:30

RB3 - Posted - 07/19/2025:  07:03:45

As a new player, I think that trying different heads is not a bad idea. It would force you to try to learn the process of setting up your instrument. While you're at it, you might want to think about different bridges. They also have a great effect on the sound of the instrument.

davidppp - Posted - 07/19/2025:  09:09:22

Nylon strings & a DIY skin head wouldn't cost much more than a new renaissance.

Owen - Posted - 07/19/2025:  09:51:38

"Scratch that itch!!"

Bob Buckingham - Posted - 07/19/2025:  12:31:19

Twenty years ago or so everyone wanted mellow banjos. I like balanced banjos. I want the highs to pop and the lows to growl. I do not want a full brassy sound as much as I want character from the instrument. Renn head with well placed attenuation over a high quality tone ring gives me the sound I want. A rolled brass ring works nicely too and for very special occasion a tone rim, i.e., or tone ring just a wooden cap on the pot itself. I took a skin head off of my banjo, not because it would change with the wind but because it was too thick and did not project as I needed it too. Nothing in this world is perfect due to everybody having a different opinion on what is perfection. Find a sound that touches you and you will be in good shape.

LouieChee - Posted - 07/19/2025:  13:02:52

I think it is worth it to try different heads if you're in an experimental mood. Different heads provide a change in tone that isn't possible with just changing the tension on your current head.

For example, trying to achieve a darker, mellower sound with your top frosted head might result in a lower head tension than is ideal, hurting the responsiveness of your banjo. Using a head that has those qualities already may allow you to keep the head tighter for a more lively instrument.

tdennis - Posted - 07/19/2025:  14:59:18

There have been many threads on the BHO over the years about voicing the banjo to the players liking, with most of the suggestions being valid, heads, tensioning, bridges, tailpiece adjustment, strings, muffling etc. However, you might think about the different striking positions along the neck to get more nuanced voices for your instrument. I've found that with most of my banjos, I can go from bright/cutting, to guitar mellow & everything in between by using different strike zones.

reubenstump - Posted - 07/20/2025:  06:43:45

I play TFTL, so old time like clawhammer, not super bright like bluegrass.

I switched to a Ren head at 89 Drum Dial and slightly heavier strings - 11-12-14-22w-11.

I prefer it this way. You will probably have to experiment with more bridges to get the lows, mediums, and highs as you like them.

Eric A - Posted - 07/20/2025:  07:01:16

quote:

---

Originally posted by tdennis

There have been many threads on the BHO over the years about voicing the banjo to the players liking, with most of the suggestions being valid, heads, tensioning, bridges, tailpiece adjustment, strings, muffling etc. However, you might think about the different striking positions along the neck to get more nuanced voices for your instrument. I've found that with most of my banjos, I can go from bright/cutting, to guitar mellow & everything in between by using different strike zones.

---

This.  But in addition to striking position, consider striking angle.  I like things crisp and clear.  So I make an effort to strike at a straight down angle across the string.  No off angles for me.  If my banjo is not sounding right, I usually notice that I had gotten lazy on strike angle.

reubenstump - Posted - 07/20/2025:  09:26:13

quote:

---

Originally posted by reubenstump

I play TFTL, so old time like clawhammer, not super bright like bluegrass.



I switched to a Ren head at 89 Drum Dial and slightly heavier strings - 11-12-14-22w-11.



I prefer it this way. You will probably have to experiment with more bridges to get the lows, mediums, and highs as you like them.

---

I should have stated that this setup is for an 11" Goodtime Artisan openback, with my LeVan Super Woodie set up very similar.

And I listed the strings slightly incorrectly.  I use 10-12-14-22w-11, which is a GHS PF150 set (10-12-14-22w-10) with an 11 replacing the 10 at the fifth string.

Edited by - reubenstump on 07/20/2025 09:27:08

adamINmn - Posted - 07/20/2025:  09:58:14

Wow! I couldn’t get back on here since I posted my question. Thanks so much to everyone who replied. All of your insight has given me lots to consider moving forward. It’s amazing how variable these instruments are for how seemingly simple they appear. I love tinkering and listening to the subtle variations that occur through each change. I’m excited to mess around with this stuff for the foreseeable future.

adamINmn - Posted - 07/20/2025:  09:59:56

quote:

---

Originally posted by reubenstump

quote:

---

Originally posted by reubenstump

I play TFTL, so old time like clawhammer, not super bright like bluegrass.



I switched to a Ren head at 89 Drum Dial and slightly heavier strings - 11-12-14-22w-11.



I prefer it this way. You will probably have to experiment with more bridges to get the lows, mediums, and highs as you like them.

---

I should have stated that this setup is for an 11" Goodtime Artisan openback, with my LeVan Super Woodie set up very similar.

And I listed the strings slightly incorrectly.  I use 10-12-14-22w-11, which is a GHS PF150 set (10-12-14-22w-10) with an 11 replacing the 10 at the fifth string.

---

Great info! Thanks for the specifics of your set-up. Did you take off the top frosted head right away or did you play on it for a while before switching to the ren head?

adamINmn - Posted - 07/20/2025:  10:04:05

quote:

---

Originally posted by Eric A

quote:

---

Originally posted by tdennis

There have been many threads on the BHO over the years about voicing the banjo to the players liking, with most of the suggestions being valid, heads, tensioning, bridges, tailpiece adjustment, strings, muffling etc. However, you might think about the different striking positions along the neck to get more nuanced voices for your instrument. I've found that with most of my banjos, I can go from bright/cutting, to guitar mellow & everything in between by using different strike zones.

---

This.  But in addition to striking position, consider striking angle.  I like things crisp and clear.  So I make an effort to strike at a straight down angle across the string.  No off angles for me.  If my banjo is not sounding right, I usually notice that I had gotten lazy on strike angle.

---

Oh man! I've had many a practice session that devolves into analyzing why my striking finger produces a certain sound. Long nail, short nail, rounder profile, more pointed profile. What bothers me is I can get a warmer sound from my middle finger nail but I'm way more comfortable striking with my right index finger. I'm trying to find that perfect fingernail Shape and angle for sure. I like that it's an ever-evolving process.

adamINmn - Posted - 07/20/2025:  10:12:59

quote:

---

Originally posted by GrahamHawker

The standard fiberskin seems to suck away the tone especially on cheaper banjos. The best way to use them is to scrub them top with sandpaper which thins them down. I use renaissance heads for a more mellow sound than frosted tops. The Goodtime seems to be a very bright banjo and the lack of truss rod means that Deering say only use light strings which is not going to help. Perhaps you need to try nylon or nylgut strings. You could also try a real skin head. As far as I'm concerned banjos are about experimenting until you find what works for you.



One thing I've noticed is that early on some players have a yearning for more and more mellowness. This was true for me. After a while I remembered it was a banjo and not a guitar and that banjos are a bright sounding instrument. I go for a degree of mellowness (renaissance head, heavier bridge (very important) and medium strings.

---

I think I'm with you on the "degree of mellowness" statement. Through my bridge experiments I've hit a certain weight or used a material with a certain density that tames the twang down but also eliminates some of the banjo-y resonance that adds depth and character to the sound. Definitely need to strike a balance without choking off a particular instrument's sound.