Mounting a Skin Banjo Head

Banjo Heritage 👉 / cliftonhicks
How to mount a goat skin head on your banjo.
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Oldtime banjo close ups and demonstrations of overhand, clawhammer, two finger, thumb lead, 2 finger, frailing and stroke styles plus traditional southern Appalachian mountain hoedown and early minstrel show techniques. Pisgah banjo company history, anthropology, folklore, research and musicology including breakdowns, blues, waltz pieces, tin pan alley, some Afro-Caribbean and West African history, occasional Cajun and zydeco references, also Métis, Creole, Melungeon and indigenous North American music traditions. Mountain music, southern culture. George Gibson, Ernie Williams, Cousin Emmy, Dock Boggs, Rufus Crisp, Virgil Anderson, Lily May Ledford, Roscoe Holcomb, Tab Ward, Frank Proffitt, Tommy Jarrell, Kyle Creed, Lee Sexton, Morgan Sexton, Lead Belly, Pete Steele, Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, JD Crowe, Clarence Ashley, Fred Cockerham, Dwight Diller, Gaither Carlton, John Snipes, Dink Roberts, Clifford Essex, Joe Sweeney, Archibald Ferguson, Dan Emmett, John Hartford, Picayune Butler, Gus Cannon, Art Rosenbaum, Grandpa Jones, Snuffy Jenkins, Buell Kazee, Bascam Lamar Lunsford, Uncle Dave Macon, Tommy Makem, Luke Kelly, Charlie Poole, Ola Belle Reed, BF Shelton, Hobart Smith, Samantha Bumgarner, Peggy Seeger, Mike Seeger, Jean Ritchie, Ralph Stanley, Odell Thompson, Wade Ward, Hedy West, Fred McDowell, Uncle Homer Walker, Mississippi John Hurt old time, folk, trad roots pickers songsters. #banjo #oldtimemusic #history Riley Baugus, Dirk Powell, Gillian Welch, Maybelle Carter Family. Morgan Sexton, Black Banjo Songsters, Lee Sexton, Clyde Troxell, Blanche Coldiron, Banjo Bill Cornett.

[@ryosaebamoi]

Hello, I would like to mount my banjo head too, but I start with a banjo with a Remo head. I don't have a straining hoop like you, mine is fixed on my head. Do you know where I can buy just this hoop? Or if you have any advices to build it by myself ? Thanks a lot.

[@CliftonHicksbanjo]

What you're looking for is called a "flesh hoop," and I actually don't know where to buy just a flesh hoop. My first suggestion to you is to leave the Remo head on there. Remo heads are perfectly fine (that's what I use on most of my banjos). If you absolutely _must_ use a skin head, then you can cut the plastic away from the aluminum hoop on your Remo head, and use that as a flesh hoop for your new skin head. I have done this in the past, and it works fine.

[@ryosaebamoi]

@@CliftonHicksbanjo Thanks for your aswer. I may keep my Remo Weatherking head. I was looking for something else because I want a warmer sound, I thought a skin head may be a good choice, don't you think?

[@woodbut1]

@@ryosaebamoi Matey I just tried what you wanted to do.....(on a friends suggestion that skin sounds better)....I too had the Weatherking Remo head...I cut the synthetic head off the ring....and then got some pliers and managed to remove to outer flimsy metal profile off the inner ring as it felt sharp and might tear the skin......however....this is where it sort of worked but then made me change my mind...The ring was fine once striped of the outer profile (like a sideways "U" type section that held the synthetic bit...the soaked supple skin fitted well and it went on ok....but my tuning (heavy) ring/band wouldn't fit with the "upfold" of the skin as the inner diameter wouldn't seem to allow it?? (unless I am doing something wrong???)...so ALAS I am now having to source an 11" Remo Weatherking head here in the UK...as although i like the sound of skin banjo heads I think I should have just left it alone......I guess I got too bored in lockdown and wanted to have something to work on.. but good luck with what you want to do...hope this helped? :O)

[@ryosaebamoi]

@@woodbut1 thank you for your feedbacks. I am still looking for something but I tried first to add different strings and accessories.

[@woodbut1]

@@ryosaebamoi I thought exactly the same......If I find a solution I will message back......Can always try a synthetic fibre coated head...From what I can find they are supposed to sound a bit warmer? (It would need to be pre-mounted type I think? Good luck.

[@NoQuestions4sked]

dude, your channel has everything. you are my *favorite* banjo person. i have a feeling your channel will explode in popularity here soon enough.

[@greenrumour]

Thanks for the video. I watched it about a month ago. I got ahold of Jeff Menzies on his face book page. He is a very cool dude and had good things to say about you. He showed me quite a few hides and I picked out a very cool one. He was great to work with. I got the skin in its little home made triangle shaped cardboard box covered with Jamaican stamps and installed it a couple of days ago. It looks and sounds awesome. Thanks again and stay safe brother.

[@Popcorn_Kernel]

Hides are an easy thing for me but some banjos are just rough!!

[@Sean13114]

I really like this style of video! Would love to see others like it

[@DavidD6969]

This something I want to learn to do

[@tholmichael6032]

Hide sounds way better than plastic heads to my ears and allows to get the full tone from the inistrument. For me goat is the fucking best but unfortunately very sensible to weather changes... that goat head just fits perfectly to the color of the woods of the instrument. Looking forward to hear how it sounds !!! Nice job.

[@rcg5317]

Good tutorial! It is scary the fist time bu after you learn is sorta fun. I use pliers to pul the skin taut and even out stress and creases. I’ve been thinking of trying Gore-tex. It is super strong and immune to weather.

[@d.ericblaylock5894]

I have successfully completed two heads now following your instructions. One Calf and one goat. Both sound amazing! Nevertheless, I've purchased two Old Leather Stocking shirts and one sticker as a form of returning the favor. Thanks for all you do and share friend.

[@shanejwolfe]

I appreciate your content! It is refreshing and I enjoy your down-to-earth approach. After much waiting, I picked up my first banjo last week. I'm classically trained on wind instruments but always struggled picking up string instruments. Looking forward to learning!

[@simonolsen9995]

Looks great. Really looking forward to hearing it.

[@JohnyG29]

Excellent tutorial, very useful. More banjo construction\set-up vids please! Thanks!

[@TomFredericks187]

I ordered 6 of the 3" mounting hooks from Balsam Banjo Works on the 12th and received them today, the 15th. They shipped quickly after I ordered them. The package came with a hand-written note. Hard to beat that transaction.

[@mikeedwards2384]

Man that looks absolutely amazing

[@WildwoodT]

I took the easy way and got a Balch pre-mounted goatskin head from Balsam Banjoworks. It's a good alternative for someone who doesn't have the technical skill to do what you did. Just pop it on and you're good to go. I'm really happy with the way it makes my Pisgah Possum sound. I gave it a shot of leather waterproof spray before putting it on so the head isn't affected too much by humidity. Can't wait to hear how your banjo sounds with the goatskin head. That black walnut looks really nice.

[@CliftonHicksbanjo]

Yeah, Balch is the way to go if you want to save all the hassle.

[@michaelhoman7748]

Later you rotated the head to put the spine under the fifth? Nice stuff man! Thanks!

[@woodbut1]

That is a thing of beauty matey.......looks great...

[@daveyjoweaver6282]

A great lesson Clifton, I learn a great deal! Kind Thanks! It looks beautiful! DaveyJO in Pennsylvania

[@gazgf]

Hi Clifton thanks for the great vids and inspiration to learn more. This might be helpful for someone…..There is a tool used in leatherwork called an edger or edging tool which is designed to just cut the corners off firm leather but it would work well(if properly sharp) to evenly run around the head to cut off the excess without risk of slipping and ruining the skin….they come in different sizes so you would need to make sure it is wide enough for the thickness of the leather.

[@ronaldnickell6110]

You can place a piece of plastic from a 2 liter soda bottle ( flattened out ) on top of the hide to protect the skin from the exacto knife. The 3 liter bottle makes a good top as well. Just use a heat gun to shrink the head for tensioning after epoxying and tacking the head. Of course the head will be clear showing the internals of the banjo.

[@krisfiskle]

Killer ,thats gunna go great. Beats those drum heads by a long shot.

[@moptop7575]

I used this video for my first mount and it worked out great. My bakelite never sounded so good.

[@CliftonHicksbanjo]

Glad to hear it.

[@AshInTrees]

I love the darker heads, would be interesting to see different types of animal skins that can be used.

[@CliftonHicksbanjo]

Pure white calfskin works/sounds the best. Goat and deer are indistinguishable, and not as good. Don't know much about other hides.

[@jeetray11]

Loved it. Thank you so much! How do you make the notches on the brass tension hoop (where the hooks rest)?

[@markh9875]

At Balsam, there are no "mounting hooks", at least not by that name. They do have 3" hooks, however, while the standard length appears to be 2.5".

[@markh9875]

Are the "mounting" the 3" hooks? The "normal" hooks appear to be 2.5", so I assume the "mounting" hooks are the 3". At Balsam they simply call them a tension hook, but with a different length.

[@jeetray11]

Hi Clifton. Thank you so much for putting out this video. I have installed a gourd banjo skin head and that was easy. I mounted one for a banjo I am trying to build few days ago. That had some issues. First issue was that I pressed the flesh hoop and the tension hoop quite a bit lower than the skin head surface so getting the skin edges through the tension hoop gap was immensely diffiuclt. From your video I see that you barely place it on top of the skin and do not push it down with hand. I will for sure go this approach next time. I also cut the extra edges after the skin was dry. The jagged edges are sticking out 1/8" or more. I have a question. What is the benefit of cutting the skin excess when they are moist (i.e. at the time of installation) rather than after it is dry. secondly - let's say I cut the excess with perhaps a 1/16" or 1/8" of excess when it is moist. When the skin dries will this 1/8" excess going to shrink and go hide under the tension hoop giving a super clean look? If so - that must be the most important reason for cutting the excess when it is moist.

[@bennyblanko3]

Jeff lives in Jamaica? ... damn ...

[@liamkeating1115]

do you sell these banjos?

[@markh9875]

This isn't done yet, is it? Is there a part 2?

[@StayEvilRecordsLT]

Hey Clifton! Great content, watched whole bunch of your videos and they're great. A little question, after you cut the excess hide, do you leave it to dry and then tune the drum? Do you have to tighten it more after some time? Thanks in advice

[@CliftonHicksbanjo]

Cut the excess hide as soon as possible, that way, if you did everything correctly, the edges will shrink slightly behind the straining hoop, and will be barely visible. That's how they came from the factory.

[@mfeds1779]

What is the tune playing in the beginning? Also thanks for the tutorial!

[@ProfesserLuigi]

I cant find the mounting hooks at that balsam banjo works. Are there alternatives?

[@dcdc139]

Very cool. In terms of sound, how would you rate the other banjo heads that you tried out?

[@CliftonHicksbanjo]

Fiberskyn is probably the worst; hate to say it. I like the concept, so I've actually tried them on several different banjos. All they accomplish is muting the sound. I would much rather use a Renaissance, Weatherking or even a cheap frosted head. I think the biggest problem with Fiberskyn is the coarse texture preventing the bridge from getting an even grip. A cheap frosty with a rag stuffed behind sounds better to me. I need to film a q&a on this...

[@TheRamsberg]

@@CliftonHicksbanjo Can't help but wonder what effect a sacrificial bridge glued to a fiberskyn head would have.

[@Marylegz_1]

Where in Jamaica 🇯🇲 did you get the goat hide?

[@CliftonHicksbanjo]

Jeff Menzies in Kingston: www.jeffmenziesinstruments.com/

[@PLINKER]

do you have an address for the the goat skin provider? Also would like to know about your walnut water stain.Thanks Tom!

[@thomasparker4787]

Clifton, Cumberland Gap sounds great! Are you playing it on the pisgah with this hide head? Cool video too!

[@CliftonHicksbanjo]

Thanks. That's actually an old recording (2013) I did with Jake Book acc. on guitar. The banjo I played there was my longtime ax, a c. 1910 Weymann with cheap goat hide and cheap med gauge steel strings. I'd say the Pisgah now sounds as good or better than it did.

[@thomasparker4787]

Clifton Hicks Guess you’ll have to show me 😉!

[@DunkMasterDewey]

So if I were going through this process, I wouldn't pull it all the way down until the skin has dried? It was the one part you left out of this tutorial so I just wanted to make absolutely sure.

[@CliftonHicksbanjo]

Yes, just get it on there and then let it dry completely before fully tightening.

[@DunkMasterDewey]

@@CliftonHicksbanjo So could I let it dry before cutting off the excess with the X-acto knife?

[@markh9875]

Can a skin head I have wetted/moistened, but not used, be remoistened? Is there any permanent change when it dries?

[@CliftonHicksbanjo]

You can wet them as many times as you want.

[@josephm5493]

When you cut the excess off, are you pressing your blade against the metal rim? When I did this I was worried about scraping with the knife.

[@CliftonHicksbanjo]

It does scar the inside of the tension hoop some, but once the hide is mounted nobody can see the inside of the hoop. Of course I try _not_ to scar the metal, but it's tricky. The whole process is tricky.

[@josephm5493]

@@CliftonHicksbanjo I feel bad every time I make a little mark or dink on my old Stewart banjo but it's a working instrument so i suppose it's inevitable. Better than it sitting in an attic. And better that is has a skin head on it. Thanks for the reply.

[@TobiasC-mg4zk]

You can slide a small shim of copper sheet in to protect the tension hoop. As long as the metal is soft it won’t dull the blade.

[@kentuckyproproductions1624]

What is the name of the tune at the opening?

[@CliftonHicksbanjo]

"Cumberland Gap" fDGCD.

[@Mo11y666]

About how long do you soak a skin for before installing it?

[@CliftonHicksbanjo]

Early on, I was told to only soak a hide for about 15 minutes tops. But lately I've been soaking them for 30 min to an hour and that works, too.

[@Mo11y666]

What would be general drying/curing time before I tighten and restrung ?

[@TomFredericks187]

Is Balsam Banjo Works still doing business?

[@CliftonHicksbanjo]

balsambanjoworks.com/