MIMF

Hello,

I have a small zither-banjo that could do with a new head. Not urgent - it's not split, it's just that the previous owner re-headed it rather untidily. It sounds OK.

However, I recently had to replace a split head on an open-back banjo, and kept the old vellum. It split at the tone ring, so I've now got a circular piece of vellum 10 1/2" in diameter left over. The head of my zither-banjo is only 7 3/4", so from a size point of view, I could put the old head on it.

Question is, is it wise to re-use a vellum that has been on a banjo for 25 years? Would there be enough "stretch" left in it, and would that make any difference? And would the difference be in the tone of the instrument, or only in the procedure for fitting the head, or both?

Anyone out there had experience of this? Or, failing that, a theory about it?

Cheers,
John

Hi, John. I'm sure you'll get some help here (I wish I could provide it, but I haven't worked with that kind of head). You might also post an inquiry over at banjohangout.org. You'll get tons of responses there. It's a very active community and there are numerous professionals who contribute daily. You'll probably have to sort through the responses to separate the pros from the enthusiastic tinkerers, but it's well worth a visit over there.
Please let us know how it goes.

There is only one way to find out and you won't be out anything, except some time, give it a go.

In all likely-hood, the skin will work just fine but skin banjo heads can dry rot over time. Soak it in water and see how supple and stretchy it feels. You can let it dry after the experiment and re-wet it again later if your not prepared to mount it after determining it's useable (or not).

Thanks for the advice, folks!

@Patrick (Happy Name Day, by the way - I'll be out playing an Irish gig this evening with two banjos et al.):
Sure, you can't cast your nets too wide if you're looking for something as specific as this.

@Paul:
Good idea - a sort of "dry run" (but with water) to determine the residual suppleness! I'll try that - as you say, it'll cost me nothing. If the suppleness returns with wetting, the fitting process should work.

Cheers,
John