Reader Spencer Thury sent this note:
Before i could find a left handed 6 string banjo, i built one out of spare parts with a lot of help. its sounds better than any I've heard personally, but i have a specific goal in mind: more volume than an acoustic guitar but still warm... more below ..
I know , crazy, but ... I put a 12" pot on (homemade from a leftover tom), shortened an electric neck for better placement of bridge and added a tone ring. I ended up with a resonatorish high mid rasp. Terrible when flat picked but ok when finger picked. my question.
What about a fyberskyn head? 12" what happens then? no one has mentioned it. Do you gain sustain? i want it for travel and volume at outdoor gigs like mardi gras, NOLA.
Ill try and respond with a short video of me playing it.
-------Our response ------Feel free to add your own, but be nice.
------------------Spencer,
I'd love to see photos of this thing. And hear it in action, for sure.
On drums, the fiberskyn is supposed to provide a warmer, deeper tone like calfskin. It's also being recommended for ethnic instruments. I haven't tried one, but I suspect it would give your banjo a more mellow tone, which may not be what you want.
A fellow on AcousticGuitarCommunity's 6-string banjo blog used to make what he called "tele-joes," banjo pots attached to Fender-style necks.
http://www.acousticguitarcommunity.com/ ... banjogroup
Do you mind if I copy your comments to the 6-string banjo forum at:
viewforum.php?f=14
Paul