How is your Ramsey set up?

Premier Sponsors

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue, we will assume that you agree to our privacy policy which includes details of cookie usage. Hide this notice

Ramsey Banjo Owners

Join This Group

A group for those who own one of Mike Ramsey's wonderful banjos!

165 Members, Created 10/28/2011 -

Administrators: Castania (owner)

< Back to Home

From roadkingjimmy on 2/3/2016 6:02:08 PM

I have a 12" special and have a renaissance head with what I think is the original bridge it's not as plunky old time sounding as I would like it,any suggestions would be welcome,Thanks Jimmy

11 Comments
	johnny Rawls says: 2/3/2016 7:18:28 PM A do rag stuffed in the back could cut out a lot of the overtones. If that don't do it, I'd go with a fiber skin head that could plunk it up a bit . I have a 12 inch Maple Special with a renaissance head and the rag in the back really helped out
	roadkingjimmy says: 2/3/2016 9:11:57 PM Thank you,Johnny I will give it a try,mine is also maple😀
	hubbanjo says: 2/3/2016 11:44:58 PM Change the head for a skin head; I changed the Renaissance on my Ramsey Student 12 inch for a John Balch 4 star hide head and it did wonders for the sound. I also use some foam stuffing between dowel stick and head on the neck side and a strip of felt under the strings where they leave the no-knot tailpiece to dampen the overtones of the strings between tailpiece and bridge. I'm very satisfied with its sound now.
	R.D. Lunceford says: 2/4/2016 8:06:45 AM If the skin head isn't enough, try some NylGut strings, or my favorite, Chris Sands strings. BTW, what serial# is your banjo?
	roadkingjimmy says: 2/4/2016 11:55:57 AM Hey RD the serial #2209 I've thought about that,a real skin head or a fyberskin?
	guywolff says: 2/5/2016 6:22:37 AM I seem to go back and forth with mine.. She is a Dobson wider neck on a wood pot (a deeper 12 "pot with a bress tube TR .(pictures here ) . I love this banjo set up with most of what has been metioned above.. Balch head no knot tail piece nylgut strings (Red fourth mediums) and a Rickard mohagany taller wider bridge .. At the moment I am back to the Renaisannce Head modern tail peice steel strings but still the Rickard bridge .I also use two hight density foam blocks (one under the neck join & one under just behind the bridge ..
	guywolff says: 2/5/2016 6:35:56 AM Here is the Ramsey set up with the Balch head and nylgut strings.. I am using a home made bridge at this point : youtube.com/watch?v=4LtyTBgML_A
	guywolff says: 2/5/2016 6:38:28 AM ANd here she is set up like a modern banjo ..I did this clip when Mike had his house fire .. Nice pastural English meody youtube.com/watch?v=RX30weMj93Q
	guywolff says: 2/5/2016 6:51:27 AM And with the Nylgut set up and Bill Rickard's wonderful bridge .. Great bridge youtube.com/watch?v=Z7khwNvlHKI
	roadkingjimmy says: 2/5/2016 12:55:57 PM Hey Guy,that banjo sounds great with nylons way better than I would have thought think I am going to get a skin head from John Balch and try some nylons,how do they do tuning up to double D,thanks Jimmy
	guywolff says: 2/5/2016 8:38:43 PM The string length is 26.5 so I couldnt get to aDADE without a capo ... Otherwise no extra work going over to Nylgut .I did have a sharp edge on the side of the hole on my fifth string peg that I had to soft out with a round jewleler's file .. Then no more problems
Post a Comment
You must be logged in and a member of this group to post a comment.

Forum Post: (untitled) Linked by bcorwin 2 years ago
Tablature: Crossing The Little Doe River Linked by eandreucci 2 years ago
	Ramsey190 Linked by Bum Ditty Brendan 6 years ago: Ramsey #190 made in Lebanon Ohio. It has a one of a kind aluminum Stelling tone ring. Geoff Stelling confirmed he made the tone ring and does not recall how it left his workshop.
	Ramsey Woody 12” (walnut) Linked by davidwigal 8 years ago
	Ramsey Electric Whyte Lady Style Banjo Brand New Linked by dobrodoc 9 years ago
	NEW RAMSEY CUSTOM SPECIAL ELECTRIC / WHITE LADYE (SOLD) Linked by fiberflex 10 years ago: New Ramsey Custom Electric just listed...
Classified: BACON FF TONE RING. Linked by John Bowlin 10 years ago
Forum Post: (untitled) Linked by John Bowlin 10 years ago
	VEGA 5-String NEW LOW PRICE UNTIL XMAS $550.00 Folklore model 1964-5 w/Case Linked by John Bowlin 11 years ago
	Gaudy Amos Igatur: a 1998 Ramsey "Fancy" Fretless Maple Special Linked by ZEPP 11 years ago