joshjones - Posted - 04/13/2011:  21:41:25

I just went to order a calf skin head from Elderly and noticed there's different thicknesses, I'm looking for more volume since I've put nylguts on. Maybe a little more low end tone too. Just guessing I'm thinking I'll want a thicker skin? Any particular brand I'm looking for? I like the look of the mottled skin for my old banjo, is there any cons to the mottled or do they work just like the bleached skins?

John Gribble - Posted - 04/13/2011:  22:21:41

My own feeling is you want a thinner head, not thicker. But I would contact Bill Miller and get whatever he recommends. He's The Man! banjoseen.us/Store/index.html

But before I would change heads, I'd  try a heavier string and/or a lighter bridge.

jbalch - Posted - 04/14/2011:  05:29:16

The un-bleached hides I've ordered from Elderly tend to be very translucent (not much white at all).  I use thin or medium.

I agree with the recommendation for Bill Miller for advice and supplies (hides & hoops). banjoseen.us/Store/index.html When I order ffrom Bill, I always ask for medium or medium-thin hides.  Some of his thinnest skins are just too thin for me.

Since you are in Canada, I also recommend Jeff Menzies. He has supplied me some great mottled calf skin heads in the past: jeffreymenzies.com/  Jeff also has a source for awesome bleached hides (if you want a white color skin).

Attached are some photos of various hides i've mounted...for comparison. The "calfskin on an Excelsior tenor" and "calfskin on an un-marked tenor" hides were from Elderly. Others are from Jeff Menzies & Bill Miller.   Note that the is a big range of variation form all sources...each hide is different after all.

The Mottled or translucent hides work fine. I like the look and feel of them on old (or old looking) banjos too. They generally seem strong and reliable and can take plenty of tension. 

Some bleached hides (epcecially the expensive machine sanded kinds) are more even thichness.   They are generally softer and may stretch more in the mounting. I prefer these for high-end or fancy banjos. 

I'm linking this thread to the Hide Heads group...check it out for more photos and discussion. banjohangout.org/group/hideheads

Best wishes!

Edited by - jbalch on 04/14/2011 05:43:38

Compare skin heads	bleached calfskin from Menzies Instruments	Bill Miller vellum precessed skin head	calfskin on an Exclesior tenor conversion
calfskin on an unmarked tenor	Menzies Calfskin head on banjo Uke	Menzies non-bleached calfskin on Sagmoen banjo

carlb - Posted - 04/14/2011:  06:26:22

I'm of the thinner the better school; 1 -2 mm thick.