I know of quite a few archtop —> flathead conversion rings, but who’s currently making no-cut rings for a TB-2?
I believe Blaylock did at one point, but I’d assume hard to find… nothing on Huber’s or Sullivan’s site…
Along those lines — what are the typical setup changes that would go along with something like that? I assume it may raise the head relative to the neck surface slightly (though this banjo is currently setup with an 11/16” bridge and I'd be fine going down to a 5/8” if need be)?
Most of all, I’d want to be able to refit the hoop without compromise — not sure if the conversion rings alter the hoop-to-rim contact in some way, malforming the wood surfaces due to pressure over time etc… ?
Just kicking the tires at this point, and trying to understand the nuances of how these work out in the long run.
Edited by - TimFoster on 06/22/2026 19:30:13
Mitch Meadors has made a couple different versions - one of which is a very subtle angled brass ring that sits atop a wooden rim. I quite like the sound and it does not increase the weight too intensely.
There were a number of different rings used on the 2 over a few years.
I wasn’t able to find any conversion rings for a TB-2 on Mitch’s site (just an arch top conversion, his standard flathead rings and the platemate)… will try giving him a call on Friday.
(I forgot to mention initially -- this is a 1932 OPF)
Edited by - TimFoster on 06/24/2026 16:18:43
Give Mitch a call .... 330-898-7438.
He is very helpful.
quote:
Originally posted by starrettGive Mitch a call ....
Indeed! I wound up chatting with him a bit today, super nice guy!
Think I’m going to give one of his full-weight no-cut conversion tone rings a shot. I appreciate the original configuration for what it is and definitely want to be able to return back to it at some point… but I’m curious and only one way to cure that ailment!
Will try to do a before/after comparison clip in further pursuit
of poorly executed banjo science. ;-)
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