Hi Folks,
about a month ago I bought a Paramount Artcraft and I am extremely proud of my new Banjo. The thing is, a friend of mine also owns a Paramount Artcraft but his banjo doesn't sound nearly as good as mine does. I volunteered to try to change the head of his banjo. I have now tried two Clareen 11" heads, both of them didn't fit. One not at all and the other one sits far too high. Does anybody know which banjo head to use on the Artcraft (it's an Archtop, that's probably important to mention).
use high crown
I assume your Paramount is a tenor or plectrum model. I don't play four string banjos, but I have had the opportunity to spend some time playing two of the rather rare original 5-string "leader" examples. To be honest, I felt they were decent sounding banjos for bluegrass, but not exceptional. Their tone rings are a complex delight to look at, but as I recall they were fairly light weight and just didn't have as much snap and projection as I was used to. I believe the necks and rims were made of rosewood, which might have also defined the sound quality.
Paramount made some gorgeous banjos, and I'm sure some of them are probably great sounding instruments. I know that tenor/plectrum players seem to value them highly. If yours sounds and plays well and is in good condition, it was probably a fine investment.
And yes, a high crown head will usually lower the tension hoop about 1/16" to 1/8" when replacing a medium or low crown head.
DD
Edited by - Dan Drabek on 11/26/2020 12:13:16
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