I am upgrading a no-name basket case six string, and I found out that the hardware on it is for skin heads. I'm game, I hear they sound great.
I have some questions about sizing. Are 11" rims really EXACTLY 11" across? My tension hoop is 10 15/16" across on the inside. The new rim is just about exactly the same, so the tension hoop almost fits over it, and needs to go on a slight diet. How much space do I need between the tension hoop and the rim for the skin? Or would it be better to get a bigger hoop, if one exists?
I'm on the fence about either getting a pre-mounted head from Mr. Balch (if my hardware is standard) or getting a hide and doing it myself. If do I decide to go DIY, what's a source of good unmounted hides?
I do not have a flesh hoop, yet. I'm still mulling over what to do there, too, there are so many options.
I have plenty of time to sit around and chat, the rim hasn't even been drilled yet for, well, anything. I have to set up the neck, drill 17 little holes and one big hole, fix the dowel stick for an adjustable mount.... So much to do.
12 Comments |
 | John Gribble says:
9/18/2015 9:49:26 PM
You should probably ask John Balch directly. He's the man who knows and he'll sell you a head either mounted or unmounted.
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 | thumbdropper says:
9/18/2015 11:35:39 PM
I agree that it would be wise to get John Balch's advice.
Personally, I have mounted a couple of hides with flesh and/or tension hoops that were really too tight. I was successful, but with considerable difficulty and frustration. My intuition is that the flesh hoop and tension hoop both should have the inside diameter greater than the outside diameter of the rim by four times the thickness of the hide, plus a tiny bit more.
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 | Lil Stinkpot says:
9/18/2015 11:47:21 PM
Doing...
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| Lil Stinkpot says:
9/19/2015 12:06:00 AM
Actually, it pays for me to go back through my mail and double check some things. The fellow I bought the rim from made it to fit the newer 11" hardware. I'll buy a new tension hoop, and give John a call.
What are your thoughts on the parts sold by Stewart Macdonald? The grooved rim would be just right. I think.
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| John Gribble says:
9/19/2015 3:18:24 AM
Stewart Macdonald has good stuff.
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| Lil Stinkpot says:
9/19/2015 11:27:45 AM
Quick math question. I got an answer from Stewart Macdonald, their tension hoops are 11-1/16" inside diameter. My rim is 10 15/16, and so if I put them together, I'll have a 1/8" gap between the two. Is this all right?
I don't know how thick the hides are, so maybe I'm jumping at shadows here. I just want to be sure it's all OK.
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| John Gribble says:
9/19/2015 2:54:32 PM
Should be ok. Two thicknesses of hide plus the flesh hoop will surely be more than 1/8" thick. If it is, use a thicker flesh hoop.
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| Lil Stinkpot says:
9/19/2015 3:13:06 PM
How thick is the average hide?
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| John Gribble says:
9/19/2015 4:35:26 PM
Depends on the hide.
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| thumbdropper says:
9/21/2015 1:00:57 PM
I have mounted Kalfo hides on two of my banjos, one with an 11" rim and one with a 12" rim. Both were very consistent in thickness, about 0.01" (0.25mm), intended for use on snare drums. I know that John Balch gets hides from Stern Tanning. I sent Jeff Stern a query about his products, and received this response:
"We use US domestic hides, and are
located in Milwaukee, WI. Are you sure the 18" Kalfo calf head is .025" or
.25mm? Kalfo is more geared for orchestral percussion, which is thinner
material than the old vintage banjo heads. We also produce heads for
orchestral percussion, in addition to making thicker vellum heads for drum
kit and banjo. We can make goat or calf in any thickness. I think calf is
warmer than goat. In terms of strength, I think calf is stronger in
comparable thicknesses."
My inference is that Stern Tanning can furnish hides of consistent thickness to specification. The trick is to get Jeff's attention. I wanted to buy one his hides for my 12" rim, but didn't get a response to my next email. Stern's skins for banjo heads cost much less than Kalfo, if you can get one; see sterntanning.com/RETAIL_DRUM_P..._adj.pdf, bottom of page two.
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| Lil Stinkpot says:
9/21/2015 5:10:56 PM
Thanks,Thumbdropper.
I e-mailed two, John Balch, and a couple days later, Bob Smakula. Bob answered first, so.... :)
I'm just a budding banjician, so I opted for the economy grade hide. I'll swap it out for something nicer when I can't stand it any more.
.
.
What is thumb dropping?
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| thumbdropper says:
11/20/2015 2:48:46 PM
Reading this thread after a two month absence, I find two questions that may have been answered:
"What is thumb dropping?"
Thumb dropping is a technique used in clawhammer (down picking) banjo playing in which the thumb is dropped from the Short (5th) string to play one of the other strings, often to get a melody note.
"How thick is the average hide?"
I haven't measured the half dozen or so hides that I've used up to now, but have noticed that they varied drastically in thickness. When given the chance to handle a hide before buying I've felt some that so thin that I eliminated them from consideration. As I stated above, the two Kalfo hides were very consistent in thickness. They were also very costly. And Jeff Stern wrote, "We can make goat or calf in any thickness." I infer that if you specify the desired thickness that Stern will match to a close tolerance, and will set price accordingly.
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