A friend of mine is selling a Slingerland Maybell tenor banjo
It has a resonator fitted.
He says it has a reverse pancake tone ring.
Does anyone here know about this type of tone ring ?
I think he's referring to this kind of ring, which is commonly called a "donut" ring. It has a curved flange that protrudes inward from the rim. Makes for a very nice banjo with a deep sound.
quote:
Originally posted by OldFretsI think he's referring to this kind of ring, which is commonly called a "donut" ring. It has a curved flange that protrudes inward from the rim. Makes for a very nice banjo with a deep sound.
I concur. I had a Slingerland 5 string with that pot assembly in the 1980's that sounded perfect for CH.
There was a post a few years ago with pictures of one of these disassembled. As well as the bit you can see it also had a metal hoop inside sitting on metal studs driven into the rim. I've got 2 of these (5 string). If it wasn't for the narrow neck the fancier one would be my go-to banjo.
Edited by - AndrewD on 06/22/2026 16:01:03
Thanks for the information regarding the tonering.
Yes, the ring in your pictures looks exactly the same as my friends banjo. So it's called a donut, or Dobson tone ring.
Not a Dobson. Dobsons are a bit different. The donut curls inward and upward whereas the Dobsons curl downwards towards the rim.
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