banjonz - Posted - 03/08/2026:  14:41:20

My knowledge of how the drum/banjo head went from vellum to synthetic (mylar) was somewhat sketchy so I asked aunty Google. I am unsure just how accurate this info uis, but I post it for your reading pleasure.

remo.com/stories/history-of-the-drumhead

tdennis - Posted - 03/08/2026:  15:14:13

Thanks for uploading this story. However, every tale has some subplots. I became good friends with Roy Harte in the early 90's when Drum City was a defunct ghost of a drum shop that was only open sporadically at the whim of Roy. There were no contracts with any manufacturers, & it had become an obscure hangout for drummers needing parts & repairs. Backrooms were full of vintage drums in different stages of disrepair. Roy told me many times about the efforts he & Remo Belli made to create a mylar head. In the end Roy felt betrayed & screwed by Remo when a successful formula was found & Roy was cut out of the credits & the $$ empire that was built.

desert rose - Posted - 03/09/2026:  07:19:27

Good solid industry facts, yes small details will always be viewed with personal interest slant but these details are recognized.
During my time as Masterbuilder of fender, I also did prototype and masterbuilding on Rogers drums so got to know the inside of the drum world from drum heads to wood rims to cymbals etc

The Old Timer - Posted - 03/09/2026:  10:13:19

Very interesting history. Thanks.

Were any of these drum head companies also making skin banjo heads? Was it a big conceptual leap (or not) to use Mylar in banjo heads?

tdennis - Posted - 03/09/2026:  14:18:54

In the drum world, the switch to accepting mylar heads was immediate, in the late 50's. Skinhead production limped into the 60's & faded fast. I suspect the banjo world followed suit. (One can see in each company's catalogs over the years, the transition in types of heads).

Emiel - Posted - 03/09/2026:  15:55:03

Musical instruments retail shops weren't happy with these mylar head. They could sell skin heads all the time, which frequently busted. Mylar heads lasted forever.

The Old Timer - Posted - 03/09/2026:  19:58:08

I don't know much about the history of the Rogers skin head company. Were they active all through the 1950s such that they got confronted by the early Mylar banjo heads? Did plastic heads put Rogers out of business?

tdennis - Posted - 03/09/2026:  20:28:51

Rogers ceased production of skin heads soon after the introduction of mylar heads. However, they continued to be one of the most prestigious drum companies of the next few decades.

desert rose - Posted - 03/16/2026:  00:43:34

Correct Rogers drum heads and banjo heads was founded in 1849, they introduced drums in 1930 and became a powerhouse drum maker eventually joining Ludwig drums as the number one and two brand, depending on who you ask, as far as which was number one.

banjonz - Posted - 03/18/2026:  15:50:04

quote:

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Originally posted by tdennis

Rogers ceased production of skin heads soon after the introduction of mylar heads. However, they continued to be one of the most prestigious drum companies of the next few decades.

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I have just replied to the post... banjohangout.org/topic/407796/#5134442  re Rogers Mylar heads. It appears (if not a fake one), they may have made Mylar heads for a time.