jlarkins - Posted - 12/18/2023:  13:50:52

Bought this Harmony Reso-Tone from few pics on the Internet for $69.95. neck looks straight. Check out that high bridge and string height. Going to take it apart and start cleaning - it's pretty dirty. Hopefully there's not too much wrong with it. Can I patch the split in the head with fiberglass cloth and wood glue from the back side? Don't see any cracks in the rim or resonator. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

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aaronoble - Posted - 12/18/2023:  14:17:06

This banjo isn't worth more than you paid for it (neither financially nor musically), so don't put too much time into getting it in shape. I used one just like it to learn finger rolls, but that's where it's utility ended.

tonygo - Posted - 12/18/2023:  14:19:54

quote:

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Originally posted by aaronoble

This banjo isn't worth more than you paid for it (neither financially nor musically), so don't put too much time into getting it in shape. I used one just like it to learn finger rolls, but that's where it's utility ended.

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I just sold an open back for $100 to a fella who saying he can get almost $300 for it. I of course did not argue. 

Edited by - tonygo on 12/18/2023 14:21:11

Bob Smakula - Posted - 12/18/2023:  14:25:50

jlarkins



you will need to install a new head. The size of a Remo head you need is 10-7/8", medium crown. I personally like inside frosted on those Harmony banjos, but you can go to the banjo head page of my website the read about the tonal differences of the various films.



With your banjo having a thin tension hoop, you will also need to have the aluminum removed from the head. Being made before plastic heads were common, the thin tension hoop was not made to accommodate the width of the aluminum flesh hoop. To allow the hooks to grab the tension hoop, we always remove the aluminum from the Remo head when we are installing a new plastic head on a similar banjo. We charge $5 for that service. We do not have that service available on our web site, so if you would like to purchase a replacement head from my shop, best to call to order the head.

Bob Smakula

smakulafrettedinstruments.com

Edited by - Bob Smakula on 12/18/2023 14:28:41

jlarkins - Posted - 12/18/2023:  14:42:00

Thanks Bob. I will be getting in touch before long.

aaronoble - Posted - 12/18/2023:  14:45:19

quote:

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Originally posted by tonygo

quote:

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Originally posted by aaronoble

This banjo isn't worth more than you paid for it (neither financially nor musically), so don't put too much time into getting it in shape. I used one just like it to learn finger rolls, but that's where it's utility ended.

---

I just sold an open back for $100 to a fella who saying he can get almost $300 for it. I of course did not argue. 

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Very happy to be wrong

(I just tossed my Regal/Harmony pot in the trash yesterday and planted the neck in a flower pot as yard art in order to avoid somebody wasting their time on it if I had given it away)

35planar - Posted - 12/18/2023:  15:51:06

The coolest low end banjo ever! Chicago's own Harmony found one of the most creative uses for Bakelite, tied with nicer 30s-50s Rickenbacker lap steels. Every banjo has its own unique sound. And frankly, a $75,000 prewar schmancy pants is never going to make the sound of the Harmony. Have fun tweaking it to bring out that Bakelite resonance. Remember, Rickenbacker's top lap steels were Bakelite, not aluminum or wood. And player still love them for that! Cheers!

Old Hickory - Posted - 12/18/2023:  18:07:11

quote:

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Originally posted by Bob Smakula

With your banjo having a thin tension hoop, you will also need to have the aluminum removed from the head. 

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Educate me, please.

Are you talking about removing the entire aluminum epoxy channel, which I guess is a synthetic head's "flesh" hoop?

If so, what remains to put up resistance against the tension hoop? A big bead of epoxy hanging onto the head without benefit of the U-channel?

Very curious to learn and understand.

Bob Smakula - Posted - 12/18/2023:  18:27:19

quote:

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Originally posted by Old Hickory

quote:

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Originally posted by Bob Smakula

With your banjo having a thin tension hoop, you will also need to have the aluminum removed from the head. 

---

Educate me, please.

Are you talking about removing the entire aluminum epoxy channel, which I guess is a synthetic head's "flesh" hoop?

If so, what remains to put up resistance against the tension hoop? A big bead of epoxy hanging onto the head without benefit of the U-channel?

Very curious to learn and understand.

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Ken,

You are correct. When banjo tension hoops are really thin, like all Harmonys that came from the factory with a skin head with a tiny flesh hoop, the aluminum will not allow the hooks to grab the tension hoop without some sort of modification. Bending the hooks is one alternative, but it offends my eyeballs. Filing a slot in the aluminum at every hook is time consuming and the aluminum dust is as bad as glitter coming out of a holiday card. So pealing off the aluminum is my preferred method of fitting a modern head on an obsolete banjo.

Of course i prefer not doing it as I feel the heads are stronger with the aluminum still on, but I have not had any heads disintegrate when the tension hoop does it's job.

I innovated that technique about 10 years ago. I had tried grinding off the aluminum, but the glitter effect was annoying. After one partial  grind, I realized you could pry away the outside edge of the channel and the other two sides would peal off  with little or no resistance.

Warning; Occasionally a batch of Remo epoxy is exceptionally strong and breaks when you try to pry the aluminum  

Bob Smakula

Edited by - Bob Smakula on 12/18/2023 18:35:09

Helix - Posted - 12/19/2023:  02:54:45

Can I patch the split in the head with fiberglass cloth and wood glue from the back side?

Yes, you may do such a thing.  It might last for quite a long time or at least, it will get youda going.

I'm sorry to see somebody dump something where other people would enjoy the project.

thisoldman - Posted - 12/19/2023:  11:10:55

Several years ago I bought an $80 tenor off ebay to play Irish tunes. Has a steel reinforced neck. Action WAY too high. Got a 1/2 inch bridge and that brought it down to the point where it was playable. Hooks were too long, so I put some plastic bolt end caps on the hooks so it wasn't so uncomfortable to hold on my lap. Was a cheap intro into playing tenor.

Edited by - thisoldman on 12/19/2023 11:12:02

Gallaher - Posted - 12/19/2023:  12:02:31

I agree with Mark, Reso-Tones are the bomb, great use of Bakelite. Why else would Gold-Tone reproduce them?
Just wish they had wider necks. I have a pot in my shop now waiting for a new neck. Fortunately, I can build my own. My plan is to stash the finished banjo in my van for travel fun and self defense.

jlarkins - Posted - 12/19/2023:  14:43:30

I did patch the split in the head with a small swatch of fiberglass cloth. Brushed wood glue on both sides of the patch and brushed it in place. Going to post a pic of the patch.

Will see how well that holds while I save up for a head from Bob.
Been cleaning the banjo up and it's cleaning up real nice. Used a generic Murphy's Oil Soap mixed with three parts warm water to clean the frets and the bakelite. Then I used car wax on the bakelite. Wondered if Lexal leather cleaner wood be bad to use on the feet board?

Alex Z - Posted - 12/19/2023:  16:43:42

If you've cleaned the frets , the the fretboard should be clean by now also. 

 

Best not to put any more water based liquids on the fretboard.  Instead, put a tiny drop of 3-in-1 oil, or mineral oil, or sewing machine oil, or boiled linseed oil, or other light oil on each fret area.  Then rub in a bit, and then rub off as much as possible with a cloth. A little bit of the oil will remain in the pores of the unfinished wood fretboard, and it will look really nice. 

Maurice McMurry - Posted - 12/20/2023:  04:32:00

I managed to get a regular head on ours by carefully bending the hooks.

Vintage Harmony +

Vintage Harmony

jlarkins - Posted - 12/20/2023:  13:56:24

Can you post a close-up photo of the bend in the hooks?
Does anyone have a pic where they have cut a slot for the hooks without bending.
It would be great to have those pics in this thread.

I read in an older thread it would ruin the bakelite to store the bakelite banjo in a plastic case. Is this only a myth? Mine did come in the original pressed board case but it is in poor shape.

Maurice McMurry - Posted - 12/20/2023:  14:15:44

Hooks image

 

jlarkins - Posted - 12/20/2023:  15:10:42

That's a great close-up pic showing the hook bend. Not sure if this before and after was in a thread before but It's interesting to see my original pic with the modified bend pic in the same thread.

Maurice McMurry - Posted - 12/20/2023:  15:18:58

These are cool banjos despite their lowly status. Ours has a Strat pickup near the neck and a wood biscuit with a pizeo transducer under the bridge. Patient Pending (ha ha).

Ours was a Seger long neck when I won it on eBay. The neck was shortened  with a scarf joint and a new fret board was made.

Edited by - Maurice McMurry on 12/20/2023 15:26:57

Maurice McMurry - Posted - 12/20/2023:  15:41:21

I shortened the case too and added Resophonic Formica in Boomerang and Vomit.

mikehalloran - Posted - 12/20/2023:  16:01:26

quote:

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Originally posted by Gallaher

I agree with Mark, Reso-Tones are the bomb, great use of Bakelite. Why else would Gold-Tone reproduce them?

Just wish they had wider necks. I have a pot in my shop now waiting for a new neck. Fortunately, I can build my own. My plan is to stash the finished banjo in my van for travel fun and self defense.

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Those rims on the GoldTone, Rover and many other low end banjos are not Bakelite like Harmony and others used. 

Not saying that those banjos aren't ok for beginners—they are but the plastic is softer and they aren't the same.

My favorite of that rim design was the Rover RB-30/35, imported and sold by Saga. That version had the same rim but made of cast aluminum. I sold quite a few before they were discontinued. I kept one for myself but let my daughter have it when she asked. 

This Rover RB-30 on Reverb in in the Netherlands but it shows you what they look like in case you ever run across one. The RB-35 has a resonator.

Maurice McMurry - Posted - 12/20/2023:  16:14:52

quote:

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Originally posted by mikehalloran

quote:

---

Originally posted by Gallaher

I agree with Mark, Reso-Tones are the bomb, great use of Bakelite. Why else would Gold-Tone reproduce them?

Just wish they had wider necks. I have a pot in my shop now waiting for a new neck. Fortunately, I can build my own. My plan is to stash the finished banjo in my van for travel fun and self defense.

---

Those rims on the GoldTone, Rover and many other low end banjos are not Bakelite like Harmony and others used. 

Not saying that those banjos aren't ok for beginners—they are but the plastic is softer and they aren't the same.

My favorite of that rim design was the Rover RB-30/35, imported and sold by Saga. That version had the same rim but made of cast aluminum. I sold quite a few before they were discontinued. I kept one for myself but let my daughter have it when she asked. 

This Rover RB-30 on Reverb in in the Netherlands but it shows you what they look like in case you ever run across one. The RB-35 has a resonator.

I love the bound fret board. Fantastic history lesson too!

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Helix - Posted - 12/21/2023:  02:41:02

Just to clarify. The new Gold Tone Ac's are a different plastic, that's why they sound so good.
I have the greasy Rover rim in my shop after a changeout. The flange is way thicker. The Rover has a better neck..

Mudrock - Posted - 12/21/2023:  19:55:36

I found this thread to be very interesting, being fond of the historic, uncommon, & obscure.
I remembered reading about the Bakelite Banjos.

 

Maurice McMurry - Posted - 12/22/2023:  03:44:44

I have sworn off of Banjo jokes. Mr. Larson sure does have an interesting, dark, sense of humor!

 

jlarkins - Posted - 12/22/2023:  06:09:27

Here is the patched head. The split was at the top of the head close to the neck.
I loosened the hooks just enough to remove the head prior to the repair. The repair looks ok, especially from the top side. I used fiberglass cloth and thin coats of Dollar Tree wood glue-thinly brushed on.
What concerns me is when I went to install the head back, I had to loosen the hooks some more to get them to grip the chrome rim. I did not tighten the hooks down more than finger tight. After studying it for a day, I decided not to tighten it anymore for fear of cracking the bakelite. So I removed the head and did some careful hand sanding on the glue coated fiberglass cloth to get it thinner. Going to reinstall the head and see how that goes.

Patch front

jlarkins - Posted - 12/22/2023:  08:12:25

Wouldn't using a thin washer on the hooks between the bakelite rim and the hook nut help spread out pressure on the rim? Not necessarily a metal washer, maybe a plastic or fiber type washer?

Lou Linden - Posted - 12/23/2023:  10:18:06

My first banjo was a Harmony Resophonic that a neighbor gave me. It was my gateway drug into banjoland. I played it for two years with the South Baltimore Sheiks until I replaced it with a early Crafters Tennessee model. Five years later I was preparing to make a solo trans-Atlantic voyage to celebrate my 65th birthday, and I was hunting for a travel banjo to take along. I didn't want to hazard my Crafters for a year on a 35 ft. sailboat. My banjo teacher, Mike Munford, suggested I take the old Harmony. Of course! I had Mike do a set up/overhaul on the old puppy and it sounded great when he played it. If it doesn't sound great when I play it I can't fault the old banjo. I spent several months on the south coast of England and played open mics in various pubs around Portsmouth and no one else complained either.  Since then the bakelite wonder has been to Africa and Central America and has survived all manner of assaults and still works.

Edited by - Lou Linden on 12/23/2023 10:22:50

jlarkins - Posted - 12/23/2023:  11:23:47

quote:

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Originally posted by Lou Linden

My first banjo was a Harmony Resophonic that a neighbor gave me. It was my gateway drug into banjoland. I played it for two years with the South Baltimore Sheiks until I replaced it with a early Crafters Tennessee model. Five years later I was preparing to make a solo trans-Atlantic voyage to celebrate my 65th birthday, and I was hunting for a travel banjo to take along. I didn't want to hazard my Crafters for a year on a 35 ft. sailboat. My banjo teacher, Mike Munford, suggested I take the old Harmony. Of course! I had Mike do a set up/overhaul on the old puppy and it sounded great when he played it. If it doesn't sound great when I play it I can't fault the old banjo. I spent several months on the south coast of England and played open mics in various pubs around Portsmouth and no one else complained either.  Since then the bakelite wonder has been to Africa and Central America and has survived all manner of assaults and still works.

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That is pretty awesome! 

jlarkins - Posted - 12/23/2023:  11:28:06

Has anyone seen Jake Wildwood's fix for the turning dowel rod in a Harmony Reso-Tone? He drills two screws from the rim into the heel of the neck and then hides those screws with the factory brace. Jake has a great blog and website. It's called the Country Guitar Doctor or something like that.