Dowel - Posted - 10/18/2025:  01:03:33

do banjos with skin heads often require tension hooks to differ in tightness?

why might some hooks be torqued up more than others (making the ring not sit perfectly level - a subtle Pringle-like shape)

(the banjo sounds perfect btw)

Spudwheat - Posted - 10/18/2025:  02:52:46

There's only two things I can think of, and I am no expert. First, is there an area where the skin is pinched or thicker due to an additional fold? Second, when you tightened it, did you do it like you put a tire on a car? What I mean is that you partially tighten each lug in the order like this (using a clock face for reference): 12 --> 6, 1--> 7, 2--> 8, etc. Each time, you go across the head to the opposing lug directly opposite. You don't tighten all the way, it make take several passes. If you have a drum dial, you can check the head tension. Or, you can check the bridge tension. The bridge should make a slight impression that you can feel on the back of the head. I would think if your have the tension ring not sitting evenly, it might make for future issues because the tension seems like it might be uneven. The fallout from that could be warping, but I don't know for sure. Good luck.

 

banjoboyd - Posted - 10/18/2025:  03:30:25

If it's a vintage banjo, my first assumption would be that the rim/hoop are a bit out-of-round.

Otherwise, what Spudwheat said. You should loosen then retighten the head. Check visually that the hoop is sitting evenly. Do certain spots on the head feel noticeably looser/tighter than others?

aaronoble - Posted - 10/18/2025:  06:49:05

I find hooks often differ in tension. I used to use equal torque to tighten my heads and the results were poor. Using a drum dial lead to unequal tension and better sound. Constant tension assumes a frictionless system (or at least consistent friction), and it just isn't.

Dan Gellert - Posted - 10/18/2025:  09:49:37

Different torque at the nuts isn't the same thing as having your tension hoop out of level.

Skin heads stretch, and can do so unevenly. They also can slip out of position around the flesh hoop, or come completely loose in one area. If the banjo has a lightweight rim and tension hoop, you can do damage to both by trying to keep the head tight when it's crooked and/or over-stretched.

If the head is bottoming out on the heel of the neck (or the bracket shoes!), you probably need a new head.

If you've still got a little room for further tightening, you still need to first get the rim and hoop round and plane. I've fixed a (slightly!) potato-chipped rim using a couple of spreader clamps (neck and head removed)-- pushing it outward so the diameter was equal all around also took the saddle distortion out. Bent the tension hoop back reasonably close to round and plane, and put the head back on, tightening slowly so the hoop stayed level and the rim stayed round when I took the tension off the spreaders. The idea was to get the tension of the head holding the rim in its proper shape, rather than pulling it out of shape, and it worked. That was a modern drum-shell rim, though, and I imagine some older ones might not be as easily coaxed back into original shape.