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Originally posted by Surfbanjosurf

Hello everyone,

Has anyone experience with a fiberskyn head and a dobson tone ring found on more modern banjos like a Pisgah or Rickard ?
Limited options to hear one myself and respect and appreciate everyones views here, in the knowledge it is a subjective pursuit !
I love a mellow sounding banjo that haunts and chimes like the mountains rather than bright and bluegrassy.
This is for 2 finger thumb lead and 3 finger melodic stuff. Thanks a bunch again, god bless

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Hello and welcome to the hangoout,

Dobson tone rings are not bright or bluegrassy with any head at any tension.  Consistently pleasant and maybe, a little perky sometimes... 

Fiberskyn heads are thick and act as a powerful mute (band-pass filter) on any banjo and should be carefully evaluated for the use case (ex: amplified with processing).  Haunting, maybe; there will be no, "chiming".

I like my banjos to have a good vocal range with note clarity and prefer a renaissance/amber head on my dobson.   note: the 'baseline' top-frosted head would meet my needs too.

Suede heads are the next step thicker and offer controlled attenuation that could be considered 'mellow'.  These are nice on open back bronze tone ring banjos (strong loud banjos that have plenty of high range to spare).

https://www.banjohangout.org/blog/37155

I don't have experience with Fiberskyn on a Dobson ... but on the sound sample below both parts (clawhammer & 3-finger) were recorded on a Wayne Sagmoen banjo (walnut, ashborn-style, block rim + Rickard Dobson tone ring). The head was a Remo Renaissance.

I think Dobson-ringed banjos are awesome for picking styles.

I also think fiberskyn heads get a bad rap sometimes. I used them for many years. Both of the cds I released (long ago) were recorded on Bart Reiter banjos with their original fiberskin heads.

I now definitely prefer natural goat or calf hide heads ... but that is another story ;<).

Here is a Dobson tonering with the Renaissance head:
youtube.com/watch?v=s5-WVVIot_M

Here is a Dobson tonering with the Fiberskyn head:
youtube.com/watch?v=lDKrYqKMA_4

Different banjos though…

Great feedback thanks!
I purchased a Pisgah Dobson 12" walnut but can't collect it yet, I mostly play just for my self so I always find myself muting and dampening my current banjo as I feel it can be a little shrill at times (I understand the picker plays the predominant role here!).
John I did email you regarding one of your skin heads and humidity queries. Where can I listen to your album, you're playing in the link was delightful!