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| Moderated by: Richard Hefner | Page:   1 2 3   |
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| What's yer banjo? - General Banjo Topics - Banjo - ezFolk Forums | |||||||||||||||
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Philj200 Approved 
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Is that all there is? The paeon of praise over at Banjo Hangout was over the top then? Anyone have an dea of the price difference? I assume it costs more. I've no plans to retrofit a banjo skin until I absolutely have to. Just thinking ahead.
____________________ My MP3 Section: http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/1143/ My Myspace area: http://myspace.com/philj200 |
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vrteach Approved 
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Yup, that's all it is--just another option from Remo. Elderly has them for $17 versus $14 for a fyberskin. Some Banjo Hangouters get a bit religious about their opinions on "parts" and setup. The Renaissance head is nice. If you have a fyberskin that you wish was a little bit brighter, or a normal frosted head that you wish was a bit warmer, give a Ren a try. I'd be interested in hearing what one sounded like on my bicentennial, but then it wouldn't be a bicentennial. Or maybe on my aluminium banjo, but what's the point--I like it as it is. And after all, I don't want my banjos to all sound alike. I like the variety, as long as they are all pretty easy to play.
____________________ Erich -- http://www.ezfolk.com/audio/bands/956/ http://vrteach.freepgs.com/banjo/ |
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Philj200 Approved
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"I don't want my banjos to all sound alike." --Excellent point. Three of mine have plastic something or others. They are there because I broke a banjo skin on my oldest instrument back in the sixties... broke the replacement (too much tension) and in the decades since had another break in the case during a decade when it was just a neckless pot. They were all natural skins. Basically, they are the same type of instrument with similar sound and playing characteristics. I play them as the whim moves me and where I happen to be because they are scattered all over the place. In truth, I prefer the warmer sound of a natural skin. But I really like knowing that when I open the case I won't have a nasty surprise. My tenor has a natural skin and I suspect it might be the original since the instrument wallowed in cellars for at least forty years before it came to me. It has a lot of wear on it and I think, the first sign that it is beginning to rip. It is on low side of tension but as tight as I dare crank it up. And the difference in tone between it and the synthetics is palpable. Even with a resonator, it has a warmer more sustaining sound. This is not to say synthetic skins give a poor sound. Far from it. Just a different sound. Crisper. And one that is not subject to moisture and humidity. One of the reasons, beside volume, that I built the plate-resoator for my Vega LN was to gain tonal variation. On course the fifth banjo has a metal skin. But with a wink towards purity, no more cookie crumbs. Last edited on Mon Dec 18th, 2006 05:19 pm by Philj200 ____________________ My MP3 Section: http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/1143/ My Myspace area: http://myspace.com/philj200 |
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beeconk Approved
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Philj200 wrote: Is that all there is? The paeon of praise over at Banjo Hangout was over the top then? Anyone have an dea of the price difference? I assume it costs more. Maybe not over the top as much as represented by more people with greater enthusiasm?? or is that the same thing as over the top? I've got at least a dozen 5 string open back banjos at present and have owned and monkeyed around and sold off more than that. I've tried Fiberskyn heads, Renaissance heads, Remo frosted, Remo clear, Remo bottom frosted, 5 Star frosted, Gold Tone premounted calfskin, I've rolled my own calfksin heads at least a dozen times and I've swapped out 1920's Roger's 3 Star calfskin heads onto other banjos that they'd fit on... After all this experimentation I can't say any given 5 string openback banjo will sound better with a Renaissance head, but in my experience the vast majority do. They are senstitive to overtightening, and they take a few days to settle in and then a few weeks to stretch but when they're set up right and settled in - they're wonderful - I do think that in general, they're the best head available today. In descending order of preference I'd say my next favorite head is a well mounted whisper-thin high quality calfskin head - but they're notoriously difficult to live with and whatever I do they always sound their best in the middle of winter which, here in New England, means humidity levels below 50%. Next would be the 5 Star top frosted...a great head for openbacks IMO Next would be Remo Clear...not the look I'm after but I do like that head - I've got one on a Vega Whyte Laydie and it sounds great Next is the standard Remo top frosted...but I don't use many of them.. Last, and least in my book, is the Fiberskyn head. Again IMO - Some banjos that suffer from chronic overtone problems might benefit from these - but I've only owned one banjo that came with one on it that I took off and ended up putting back on because it sounded better than its replacement. I've also got a pile of Fiberskyn heads that I removed from other banjos. I think they take too much out of the voice of a banjo, they look like house wrap, and I don't like the way they feel under my thumb and fingers when I'm clawhammering over the head. Obviously tone preference is wholly subjective - but when I get a banjo that I think can sound better and then set out to make it so - I usually end up fitting it with a Renaissance head. Last edited on Sun Dec 24th, 2006 12:48 pm by beeconk |
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beeconk Approved
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But- back to the original topic...Man I love those Ome openback banjos! Right now I've got an 11" Sweetgrass openback with a Silverspun tone ring and a 12" Jubilee custom with a Silverspun tone ring (Ome's version of the Bacon & Day Silver Bell tone ring) From what I've seen of them their quality is top notch. They sound magical and play like butter..fit and finish are excellent - they're beautiful...They really are special banjos. The one thing they have going against them (depending on your perspective) is that they do not fetch premium prices on the second hand market. I think this is true of any open back that is not equipped with a dowel stick but when I see an Ome with a silverspun tone ring failing to fetch $1500 on Ebay it rubs me the wrong way. These are EXCELLENT banjos. After that I'm very partial to vintage Vega conversions. I've got several Whyte Laydies and Tu-Ba-Phones with Wyatt Fawley and Bart Reiter 5 string necks. I also have a Little Wonder with a Bart Reiter neck and a Style N with a Wyatt Fawley flush fret neck. These are all great sounding and playing banjos. After that I've got to say Bart Reiter's banjos are next in line as my favorites - consistently high quality banjos - I've had 4 so far and I think my favorite is his copy of a Bacon Professional with internal resonator. Mike Ramsey's banjos all seem to sound great but IMO fit and finish is a gamble with them. Some are gorgeous...some are plagued with cosmetic problems first year woodworking students would know to avoid.... file marks all over fretboards...grain tearouts all over pegheads...sanding scratches, finish drip marks and blemishes left from leaning a newly-finished neck against a rack. Then other problems you might excuse in a medium grade luthier like sloppy even childish-looking inlay work, a clumsy club-like neck, poor neck alignment, poor neck to pot fit, poor alignment of neck to dowel..But then you'll get one, like my Ramsey Student - the least expensive of the three Ramseys I've owned - and it's perfect! Wonderful neck carving and finish, beautiful inlays...just a dream. Go figure! My favorite knock around banjo is my Ramsey Student. Last edited on Sun Dec 24th, 2006 01:32 pm by beeconk |
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Jimbonova Approved
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Hey Lyle..I just bought an old Supertone from the 1920s...plan to restore it. I'm interested why you say you "destroyed" it? It came with fiddle-style pegs..impossible to tune it. One of the first things I plan to do is put in geared pegs..should I not do that?? Thanks
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Philj200 Approved
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Some people will tell you to leave it as it is. That makes sense if you never plan to play it. In the '20's, friction pegs (what you described) was nominally what was used. Not even the best then since geared tuners were already being used on guitars. I had friction pegs on one of mine banjos, drove me batty. I put 8-to-1 machines on the four full lenght strings and a 4-to-1 on the 5th string. Traditional? Sure. My traditional being abke to play the critter. Go ahead. And use the best you can afford.
____________________ My MP3 Section: http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/1143/ My Myspace area: http://myspace.com/philj200 |
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Lyle Konigsberg Approved 
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Jimbonova wrote: Hey Lyle..I just bought an old Supertone from the 1920s...plan to restore it. I'm interested why you say you "destroyed" it? It came with fiddle-style pegs..impossible to tune it. One of the first things I plan to do is put in geared pegs..should I not do that?? Yeah, what Phil said. See http://www.billsbanjos.com/maintaining_and_restoring.htm , but on the other hand Supertones were Sears banjos that sold for less than $10 (mine was $7.45 in the 1927 catalog). So one's ability to play the instrument probably outstrips the antique value. All the same, I very nearly did "destroy" my Supertone when drilling the peghead for the larger pegs. The wood was dry and brittle and so I had to spend a tense evening glueing a shattered peghead back together. To avoid that you might want to look at the narrower shaft planetary pegs (http://elderly.com/accessories/items/BP32.htm). I've had good luck with Sta-tite pegs (http://elderly.com/accessories/items/BP1A.htm) when restoring old banjos. They are friction pegs, but have a tightening screw, and will blend well with that graceful Supertone peghead.
____________________ ezFolk page: http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/1084/ Some Tabs at: http://lylewk.home.comcast.net/ |
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carlos2 Approved 
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Curently own a 1934 Windsor Zither 5 string, and a Barnes and Mullins 5 string.   
____________________ Carlos http://ezfolk.com/audio/Carl Silvers |
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banjo brad Super Moderator 
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Humph! This one must have passed while I was in the throes of computer pergatory. My banjo is, and always has been (to paraphrase Mr. Spock), a Deering Goodtime openback. The original, with the wood tone ring. For a while in 2003 I also had a no-name (probably a Rogue), aluminum pot resonator-style banjo that I kept at work, but I sold it to a guy I worked with when I retired. I have nothing bad to say about the Goodtime, and would (and do) recommend it as a beginner's instrument, as well as allowing that it can become your only instrument (until BAS). I have played several instruments that I have liked, but still prefer my Goodtime over the $$$ I would have to spend for another banjo. All of my recordings are done with the Goodtime. I did make 2 modifications last August, I replaced the original mylar head with a Fyberskin head, and put on a No-Knot tailpiece. I have always used Martin Vega medium strings, except for a brief foray into nylon strings. Brad Oh, yeah, I keep a pair of socks stuffed between the dowel rod and the head up against the neck.
____________________ ezFolk Help Brad Prickly Pear Music Banjo Brad's ezFolk page TOTMC |
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Franz Still Approved
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I am the proud new owner of a 1920's Sears Supertone.
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banjo brad Super Moderator
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Time to update this thread. I still sing the praises of the Deering Goodtime Openback Banjo, but. . . . I recently played a Chuck Lee banjo at The Folk Shop here in Tucson, and it sang to my soul that old tune "Take Me Home, I'm Yours! I Am The One You Want!" I am now the proud owner of a Walnut Pot Chuck Lee Lone Star banjo. I had to trade the Goodtime to help cover the cost, but still. . . Brad
____________________ ezFolk Help Brad Prickly Pear Music Banjo Brad's ezFolk page TOTMC |
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Franz Still Approved
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Hey there's no shame in that. That's a hard song to ignore.
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klackamas Approved
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I'm new to the banjo, so I wanted something I could afford... I bought a Deering Goodtime openback. Sounds great! I love it! But I was curios about what I was missing by buying the least expensive Deering, so... I bought a Goodtime 2. To my novice ears, it sounds the same. Sooo... I bought a Deering Sierra. Other than the obvious weight from the tone ring, the color of the finish, it seems the same to me. I guess I just don't have enough experience to know the difference. Now my wife says "Keep one, the others have to go!"  What to do, what to do? I really like the open back for it's weight and ease of taking it from place to place. But shouldn't I keep the Sierra since it is the better of the lot?
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banjo brad Super Moderator
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Question 1: What type of banjo music do you play; Bluegrass, Clawhammer, both? Personally, I play OT clawhammer and a little OT 2-finger style, and found the openback to fit me perfectly. I hadn't even considered the possibility of upgrading until I made the mistake of playing that Chuck Lee! It was a siren song that enchanted me and "made me leave my wife and children", so to speak. I admit that the weight difference is something I have had to get used to, but at least it has a wooden tone ring (like the openback Goodtime), so the extra metal weight isn't there. Question 2: Which one do you find yourself playing the most? Which one seems to fit your ear and hands and lap best? One of them is "the" one that owns you right now - I'd keep that one. Brad
____________________ ezFolk Help Brad Prickly Pear Music Banjo Brad's ezFolk page TOTMC |
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klackamas Approved
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I am learning to play 3 finger bluegrass style I guess it is called. Just starting out. I play the openback mostly because it is out and the others are in cases. But I find that the Sierra stays put, while the openback's neck is constantly slipping lower and lower, causing me to hold it up with my left hand all the while trying to make my chords. I have a cradle strap on it, but it just slides around with the banjo. Any suggestions?
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banjo brad Super Moderator
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klackamas wrote:I play the openback mostly because it is out and the others are in cases. But I find that the Sierra stays put, while the openback's neck is constantly slipping lower and lower, causing me to hold it up with my left hand all the while trying to make my chords. I have a cradle strap on it, but it just slides around with the banjo. Any suggestions? Actually, the openback is more of a seated instrument, where you can support it in your lap. The lightness is nice for standing, but if I were to add a strap to it (which I did), I would get one that clips onto the tension hooks. I made mine from 3/4 nylon webbing and plastic clips, so as not to mar the banjo. Does the Sierra have a resonator on it? I haven't looked at them. For Bluegrass you will eventually want to look for a resonatored banjo. You need the added volume to go with the brightness of the fingerpicked banjo, especially if you get into jamming or a group. The Sierra does have (I believe) a heavier tone ring, so it probably sits better in the cradle strap. You also need to concentrate some on using the forearm of your picking hand to help hold the banjo in position. Hope this helps. Brad
____________________ ezFolk Help Brad Prickly Pear Music Banjo Brad's ezFolk page TOTMC |
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1four5 Approved 
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If you are serious about bluegrass banjo, and have a strong back (because it's 12 1/2 pounds as opposed to 6 1/2 pounds for the Goodtime), keep the Sierra, it's as good as it gets. With fingerpicks, it will hollor louder and stronger than the Goodtimes ever dreamed of. I owned a Sierra for about 4 months...and I loved it. Only trouble was I don't have a good back and could only last about 20 minutes with it...not good when our sets sometimes go for longer than an hour and a half. I sold it. I now play a Deering built Vega Bluegrass Wonder. It's got a resonator, and has good volume, yet is also only 6 3/4 pounds.
____________________ These are the good times! |
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debonnaire Approved
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I have an old Harmony Reso-Tone I bought about 4 years ago but only played for a few months. I've just picked it up again the last few days. I think 'm going to make a go of it this time.
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Jimbonova Approved
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good luck on the banjo! I've been trying to learn more guitar recently. Its all fun! 
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