Greetings! I'm new to this group, just purchased a used 12" Walnut Dobson from the original owner (Ragtimejoe here on the BHO), and am already falling hard for this banjo after only 2 days with it. The banjo is still getting acclimated after being shipped from Tennessee to cold/dry New Jersey so the sound is still in the process of opening up I would assume. That said, I'm looking for some setup suggestions.
10 Comments |
Page47 says:
3/14/2014 6:09:27 AM
I prefer a warm/rich sound over bright/crisp. My cherry dobson is set up with a calf skin head and nylgut strings. After trying several bridges, I've settled on Kat Eyz Spice Bridge as allowing for the most clarity through the "plunk" of everything else. Between the head and strings, my set up is very different, so this probably doesn't help.
For what it is worth, I find that my Pisgah prefers a tighter head than my Enoch Tradesman or other banjos I've played. I don't have a drum dial to tell you exactly how it is tuned, but I will say if the head gets loosened with humidity, I start to get some overtones that I don't care for. I just keep it tight.
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 | MarkTwain84 says:
3/14/2014 7:25:46 AM
I'm just not a fan of the plunky/tubby sound, that's the biggest thing. I started playing about a year ago and began with some clawhammer, but as of right now I'm experimenting more with old time 2-finger thumb lead. I'll keep the Kat Eyze in mind though, the price is a little steeper on them but I guess they're worth it...
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| MarkTwain84 says:
3/18/2014 3:22:34 AM
Ok, forget about bright. As this banjo begins to really open up I've noticed two things: (1) the banjo has allot of warmth and is very rich in tone, (2) the banjo has a ton of sustain. I wish to capitalize on the rich/warm tone but at the same time kill some of the sustain. From what I hear, there's just too much sustain to allow for clarity and note separation, everything just seems to run together. How can I get the best out of this banjo?
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| MarkTwain84 says:
3/19/2014 2:14:56 PM
Page47, after some research and other advice, I'm actually now seriously considering replacing the renaissance with one of John Balch's goat hide heads. The head is premounted so it shouldn't be that difficult of a task to do.
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Page47 says:
3/22/2014 7:32:14 AM
I chose the calf skin option from Partick on my Dobson. I have a goatskin on my fretless Tradesman. And a synthetic head on my gold tone before that. I wanted something richer, deeper, mellower for playing with just a fiddle player to give contrast and separation (think Aaron Jonah Lewis' Phil's Patio record and the way Matt Ball's banjo sounds on that). So skin heads and Nylgut strings and good bridges made that happen for me.
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Page47 says:
3/24/2014 11:55:00 AM
I finally got around to recording something ... youtube.com/watch?v=T9lUCsCDIL8
I'm sitting in my echo-y dining room and recording off my laptop, so it probably isn't a great audio demo, but hopefully it gives at least an idea of how my banjo sounds.
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| MarkTwain84 says:
3/24/2014 5:15:30 PM
Jason, that banjo sounds awesome and your playing is great too! Thanks for the inspiration.
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 | erikforgod says:
3/30/2014 11:39:50 AM
Tighten ip the head. The Ren heads are really designed for a bit more plunky type sound..
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| erikforgod says:
3/30/2014 11:40:39 AM
Also, its a 12" inch rim and head, you get a tighter sound with an 11" rim and head
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| erikforgod says:
3/30/2014 11:41:52 AM
Well, if you go with any type of animal hide, its going to be plunkier with a loss of clarity volume...just so you know
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