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Hey ya'll, I've been a lurker on this site for a while but I finally have something worth sharing, as well as a few questions to ask. I'm very proud to say that I recently acquired my first professional grade banjo, a 1986 Goldstar GF-85. I'm currently in the process of setting it up to achieve it's full potential. It currently has a Five Star head installed, and I am not a fan. I am shooting for a sound reminiscent of Ron Stewart or Russ Carson, and I think the head is too thick to produce that tone. From what I can tell, the consensus is that Remo heads are thinner, but there's so many different variations depending on the date and place of manufacture that I am having trouble choosing the best head to buy. I read in an interview with Ron Stewart that some Remo heads that are too thick for his liking, but he doesn't elaborate any further. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Ron Stewart Interview:
banjonews.com/2013-02/ron_stew...view.html
Congrats! In terms of new frosted top Remo heads there are basically 2 options. The standard American version is on the thinner side but still thick enough for good tone. This head would be a noticeable difference from the 5 star.
The other version is from Taiwan and has a crimped bead (instead of glued). This head is thicker, not just in the frosting but in the mylar. Many people like these but for me they dampen the tone a bit too much.
I usually buy from Smakula fretted instruments because they come unlabeled.
Personally I would prefer the 5 Star head if it was in my banjo. I currently have a Stelling head made by Remo and it's the closest I've found to the old 5Star sound. I'm south of you near Pinehurst. We have a bluegrass jam circle M City in Sanford NC every Monday evening at 6:30-9:00 pm . Your are welcome to come jam with us.
Edited by - trackers on 01/18/2025 16:17:57
Vintage Goldstar?! 1986?
Excuse me, but that means I've made vintage banjos!
If you measure head thickness you will find them (other than specialty heads) to be .007" thick. Differences in frosting can make a difference in sound, but that is not the thickness of the mylar itself. You will probably have to experiment and see what head you like the sound of.
I've owned 3 Goldies.I've never left a 5 Star head on for very long and always end up with a standard Remo for the tone I prefer.
The 5 Star was thicker and sounded its best at a very tight tension without much variance.
I like a G# head tension for a full spectrum of tones.
The 5 Star seems to have only one tension and tone.
There was a thread in September 2024 titled "1981 Gold Star JD Crowe variations".
Toshi Tsuchida posted to that thread about the setup that Chris Warner did to
Gold Star banjos belonging to Tom Adams and Russ Carson. Mr Tsuchida said that
the Chris Warner setup improved the sound of the banjos over the original setup.
Mr. Tsuschida said that he would post on BHO what Chris Warner did with the banjo
setup, but if he ever posted it, I missed it. I'm still curious as to what was done!
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