In 2018, I bought a 2008 Huber Lancaster that had its original head, and for half a year or longer I had felt that in a subtle way, the banjo was holding back on tone, especially regarding the 1st string, regardless of whichever bridge I tried. My gauges are (1st to 5th) .0095, ,.011, .013, .020, .010. I thought it must be in the pot, until I read up on Huber heads a couple of days ago and learned that they are not identical to Remos. So, I replaced the Huber with the U.S.A. made / no wagon wheel Remo I had, and bingo, that 1st string came to life, and the overall tone and volume improved, with better balance up the neck against the 5th string!
Sure, it's all subjective and cannot be generalized. I'm just glad I tried.
So many factors that influence a banjo's performance. Glad you hit upon the right one. Once I get a banjo dialed in, I won't mess with it until it obviously needs some adjustment. My Gold Tone is sitting in front of me, and I haven't touched it in six months because there's a buzzing sound somewhere. Once I start tinkering, I'm pretty sure I'd better have a couple days time to deal with it. Plus there's the waiting for parts. Good thing I have two working banjos that are sounding good right now.
The Huber head is also made by Remo, according to Huber's frosting specifications. The new USA-made Remo heads are thicker frosted than they used to be, pretty much like the Huber heads.
Your Remo head has no wagon wheel, could be older or newer than the ones with the wagon wheel. Does it say "Weatherking" or "Weather King" somewhere? The newest Remo only have
"REMO
BANJO
MADE IN U.S.A"
Edited by - Emiel on 11/27/2022 05:42:51
This head just has this:
REMO Banjo Made in U.S.A.
As far as I know, it is the newest version. I once had a thicker Remo head that was literally unusable on any banjo. I could not get a decent tone with it.
quote:
Originally posted by EmielThe Huber head is also made by Remo, according to Huber's frosting specifications. The new USA-made Remo heads are thicker frosted than they used to be, pretty much like the Huber heads.
Your Remo head has no wagon wheel, could be older or newer than the ones with the wagon wheel. Does it say "Weatherking" or "Weather King" somewhere? The newest Remo only have"REMO
BANJO
MADE IN U.S.A"
Yes, that's the newest version. Solid frosting, good heads, well thought of. Not the same as the Huber-Remo, so the sound will be different too.
I replaced the Huber head on my Huber Kalamazoo with a Weatherking. I think Huber is trying to duplicate his heads to match a calfskin head, since he tries to be so Period Correct. I replaced some other components too, including the neck.
Edited by - jan dupree on 11/27/2022 11:44:55
Just taking a head off and re-installing it can make a difference. The tensioning can be subtle.
Huber head logo:
I too am about to change out a smooth top 5 star for a remo frosted on my arch top. That’s really not important. What I did notice on this topic is all the people from different region/ Countries. I think that is awesome and it done me ole heart good . Long live the banjo!!
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