LMGTFY: "DrumDial banjo demo video"

DrumDial company.

Warren Yates.

It's just a tool and five people can use a tool in different five ways and each can get good results. In other words, even if you gather some ideas here, you will still learn as you go. Ultimately, you'll have your own way.

A couple of starter tips:

Until tension gets to about 85 or so, forget the drum dial (DD) and try to pull the tension hoop down evenly. At lower tensions, the DD doesn't help much and it's important to get the hoop level. Some people measure from the tension hoop bottom to the top of the flange as a gauge of levelness. You can look around the head where the tension hoop is just above the tone ring as an indicator too.

When you start using the DD, think in terms of zones or regions. Maybe six hooks on one side are "slack" (low reading) and 4 hooks nearby that are "tight" (high reading). In other words, don't fixate on one hook, trying to get it perfect. If you find several consecutive hooks to tighten or loosen.

The little metal gauge they include with the DD is not bad, but I like to be just a little closer to the hoop than than. After you sit it down a thousand times, it gets easier to eye-ball that distant.

When you're getting near your target tension, you want to become more precise. I like to thump the head beside the DD to cause it to "settle". I seem to get a more reliable number that way. Just a little tap will do it. I switch to only making a one nut facet adjustment or even 1/2 facet adjustments.

If you have the digital DD, you'll start to notice how the display changes when you are in-between two readings.

Lastly, some people just test a few spots (like Warren Yates). I measure all the hooks I can (you can't reach #1, #12, #13 and #24 hooks due to string and tailpiece interference). I find it faster to start a voice recording and speak my readings, then rewind and write them down on a piece of paper. Then, I circle the loose regions and circle the tight regions.

If we're talking about a flathead resonator banjo for bluegrass, make your first attempt for either 89.5 or 90. Don't forget to calibrate every time you take it out of the case.

Good luck!

I’ve kind of developed another kind of “spin” using my drum dial. As a career jet engine mechanic who used dial indicators to measure all manner of rotating things… it was only natural for me to slide the drum dial along the outer diameter of the head, and watch for needle movement. I set the head to 90 using normal procedures, then my final check is to slide it along the head surface, just inside the tension hoop, from the tailpiece to the neck and back. The needle will move with any inconsistencies, and will show you right where, and for how many hooks, there is a difference. I’ll tweak things until I can go all the way around with little to no needle movement. The only draw back to this rather anal method, is you can see needle tracks in the head coating, when looking just right in the light. Maybe this is why I like banjos so much… I’m retired, but still get my mechanical fix. And on some days, banjos are more complex than jet engines.

Remember: DrumDial is desriptive, not prescriptive. It tells you what your head tension is, not what it should be.

While most DrumDial users seem to like tension in the range of 88 to 92, or maybe more narrowly 89 to 91, It's up to you to decide what tension produces the sound you like best. DrumDial helps you obtain that tension evenly all around the head, check your head from time-to-time to keep it at the same tension, set any new head to the tension you like, or return to tension a head that's been removed for some reason.

When I use one for head tension adjustment, I remove the strings, the bridge, and the armrest. I also use the procedure described by Dean T.

quote:

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Originally posted by Old Hickory

Remember: DrumDial is desriptive, not prescriptive.

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descriptive

I set mine to 89. It’s worked so far. I’ll test in about a dozen spots. It really does make a difference, and if any of your hooks were loose, you’ll find out.