I've seen gourd banjos with and without sound holes cut into them. I recently made a banjo out of an old copper ice bucket, which is sort of like a metal gourd banjo. I did not cut any sound holes and the tone seems great.
I'm about to make my first gourd banjo but I don't know whether to cut sound holes or not. Perhaps I'll just make one with and one without and compare the two. Anyone have an opinion?
9 Comments |
 | rabena12 says:
12/15/2012 5:05:46 AM
I think the gourd needs a sound hole. Same reason other instruments have them. The air needs to be able to move inside the gourd to help the skin vibrate. When I cover the sound hole with my hand, there's a noticeable difference in the sound. There's probably an optimal size too, but I haven't figured that out yet!
Glen
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 | TD_Frailin says:
12/15/2012 7:20:42 AM
Thanks Glen. My next question was going to be related to the size and location of the hole. I know some folks get fancy and cut shapes like stars and f-holes. I wonder how much the different sized shapes and their location might affect the tone and volume?
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| rabena12 says:
12/15/2012 7:55:23 AM
Don't know about the different shapes, but I made one with the hole at the bottom and it got covered up when on my lap. Now I put a 1-1/2" dia. hole a few inches from the neck, top side.
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 | SoundsGoodToMe says:
12/15/2012 8:33:32 AM
Larger holes will emphasize lower tones a bit more. Going much over 1.5 inches risks weakening the gourd though. Depends on the gourd you used.
Most folks place theirs about where rabena said. On top facing you gives you the best sound from the hole, and is also the most convenient place to mic.
If you're not planning on playing out or recording, you can do without one altogether too. A gourd with no hole will be a bit quieter and have a slightly darker, more low-end sound.
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 | Gordy Ohliger says:
12/17/2012 2:02:26 PM
I have three gourd banjos ...none of which have a hole in 'm. I perform with a mic.
I LOVE the sound these!
I also perform with a fellow from Mali that plays a Kora. It has a 5" hole on the bottom side by the neck... he put a contact mic in there. Many of the Kora have holes in 'um... but then again, they are about 30" across.
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 | CA Banjer says:
12/17/2012 7:57:28 PM
My Menzies gourd has a hole pointed in my direction when I play (see pics on my page). I think it helps for it to be louder in my general direction when I play. When I cover it up it gets really muted. When I uncover it, it gets much louder, and seems to benifit the player (me) that he cut it where he did. Hope that helps (and makes sence lol).
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| TD_Frailin says:
12/17/2012 8:19:51 PM
Thanks for all of your responses. I've decided to cut a sound hole in my first gourd banjo. I recently finished carving the neck. I'll share more photos of the build as it progresses.
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 | ploafman says:
1/13/2013 10:21:43 PM
I've made gourd banjos with and without sound holes and have played them side by side to fellow musicians. I've found that the sound holes bring out more of the bass but at the cost of the higher tones and those that heard them believe the same. With the gourd banjos I make the bass is already very strong and does not need a boost. I'm kinda sold on leaving them without holes.
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 | Strumelia says:
2/3/2013 8:45:35 AM
I drilled a sound hole in my early Menzies gourd banjo that he made before he started routinely adding sound holes. It improved the tone and volume by about 25%- I owuld always have gourd sound holes now.
Be sure to drill a small pilot hole first, so the drill bit doesn't skitter around as you start.
Here is the little gourd banjer before I added the hole:
banjohangout.org/myhangout/pho...albumid=0
and here it is after the hole:
banjohangout.org/myhangout/pho...albumid=0
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