Harmony Reso-tone banjo
Jim Bunch
good condition. It plays great, and is fairly loud. However, it has a plastic
head, and doesn't have the bass response, and olt-timey sound I am coming to
like. It's just to bright. Would putting a fibre-skin, or skin head on it make
a difference? Would it be worth it?
Also does anyone know where I can find out more about this banjo? When it was
made? How much it might be worth if I every decide to upgrade to my dream banjo?
JAB
Mike Stanger
the same stuff they used for old telephones (forgot the name) and seems
to have stood the test of time so far, but I personally think that the
pressure from the brackets will break the plastic rim down eventually.
As a playing instrument, they are fine, especially for a beginner, but I
doubt that they will ever be worth a lot of money.
That yours has a very bright tone is unusual- the Plastic rimmed
Harmonies tend to be somewhat muted, usually. I suspect the head is
super tight. Try loosening it all the way, the retighten it very
gradually until you get the sound you like. If that doesn't do the
trick, you could replace the head with a Fyberskin, which will damp down
the brightness somewhat, but try the free fix first and give the banjo
some time to adjust before you spend the money.
Stanger
Sean Barry
: Your Harmony was probably made in the 60s. The plastic rim is made from
: the same stuff they used for old telephones (forgot the name) and seems
: to have stood the test of time so far, but I personally think that the
: pressure from the brackets will break the plastic rim down eventually.
Bakelite. I have one of those '60's Harmonies (it was my first banjo),
and despite continuous tight brackets for 35 years it has yet to crack,
and I've seen many similar Harmony banjos, also free of that kind of
damage. What does happen is the bracket nuts tend to erode the plastic a
bit, but not generally enough to cause a problem (the good Harmonies had
28 brackets, which distributes the head tension a long way). The 1964-68
Harmony Reso-Tone was actually one of the most intelligently-designed and
produced banjos ever.
: As a playing instrument, they are fine, especially for a beginner, but I
: doubt that they will ever be worth a lot of money.
Probably not, but for old-time music they have a nice tone and an
increasing circle of interested players.
: That yours has a very bright tone is unusual- the Plastic rimmed
: Harmonies tend to be somewhat muted, usually. I suspect the head is
: super tight. Try loosening it all the way, the retighten it very
: gradually until you get the sound you like. If that doesn't do the
: trick, you could replace the head with a Fyberskin, which will damp down
: the brightness somewhat, but try the free fix first and give the banjo
: some time to adjust before you spend the money.
Will a Fyberskin flesh hoop clear the brackets? The Remo Weather King
heads have the large square flesh hoop that won't allow the brackets to
insert on the tension hoop, so for a long time the original skin head was
about all that would work on the Harmonies. I suggest that if you have the
original skin head that you do everything in your power to keep it alive
and happy, and like Mike says, not over-tensioned.
Sean Barry
Ray Webb
Sometimes you can tightly roll up an old sock (clean) and stuff it between
the rods that attach the neck to the rim and the head of the banjo. This
will dampen the sound a little. -Ray
Jim Bunch wrote in message <393D0BBD...@mitretek.org>...
Sharon Wilhite
aren't so far off the mark! Just kidding, just kidding! ; )
Sharon
Ray Webb <we...@cruzio.com> wrote in message
news:8i3d2...@enews3.newsguy.com...
Rex Hunt
Sharon Wilhite <brmt...@mediaone.net> wrote:
>Ya know, if it's necessary to specify clean, maybe all those banjo jokes
>aren't so far off the mark! Just kidding, just kidding! ; )
>
>Sharon
>
Not to mention the tightly rolled part. ;>
Ken Miner
"Rex Hunt" <r...@cris.bus.indiana.edu> wrote in message
news:8i5bn9$q...@cris.bus.indiana.edu...
> In article <Dff15.2309$nP2....@typhoon.southeast.rr.com>,
> Sharon Wilhite <brmt...@mediaone.net> wrote:
> >Ya know, if it's necessary to specify clean, maybe all those banjo jokes
> >aren't so far off the mark! Just kidding, just kidding! ; )
> >
> >Sharon
> >
> No, really, a dirty sock is just too stiff to deaden the sound.
> Not to mention the tightly rolled part. ;>
The *authentic* object was a cloth diaper - but that was before you guys'
time *grin*... the late Art Thieme (God rest his soul) was known to use a
rubber chicken.
C*O*N*A*N
The Grammarian.