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I think the heading of Nonsense applies to the final paragraph. I have played banjos with natural vellums that were mounted on the hoop 80 and even 100 years ago that have been played regularly and often and which show no sign of needing a vellum replacement. In fact, I find that plastic heads of all kinds wear out quicker than vellums that have not been sweated upon or otherwise mistreated. 

I agree with you, the regular replacing of the vellum was just to keep the CE Co. in business, likewise I'm sure that composers of banjo music were encouraged to put plenty of 4th string slides into their work to promote the sales of 4th strings.



Jody Stecher said:

I think the heading of Nonsense applies to the final paragraph. I have played banjos with natural vellums that were mounted on the hoop 80 and even 100 years ago that have been played regularly and often and which show no sign of needing a vellum replacement. In fact, I find that plastic heads of all kinds wear out quicker than vellums that have not been sweated upon or otherwise mistreated. 

I find it interesting that he suggests that the banjo neck should be slightly bowed upwards ( ie. NOT straight)  I have always said this for the very same reason that he points out, yet banjos are still proudly sold as having a "perfectly straight neck".

Tone too is a tricky one, and I am sure that what he says about the player rather than the instrument is very valid. I can guarantee that players like Rob Mackillop (remember him?) would get a completely different tone from me, with my cast iron finger tips, on the same banjo!

I don't know who is right or wrong.

Most stringed instruments benefit from a little 'relief' in the neck/fretboard. It is typical for fiddles to have just a few tenths of a mm or a few thousandths of an inch of 'relief' and my guitars are always set between 0.010" and 0.012" of relief. If my banjo has a truss rod, it will have a similar amount of relief cranked in.

Tone is simply how your brain perceives input. My brain perceives it differently, as does each individual. For instance, I think can hear and feel tone from my CE Special that only one or two of my other banjos duplicate (and that I really like). Nobody else can hear it... Therefore, I no longer consider it "tone" it is "MOJO". CE gots it!

If I opine in the woods where Miz Diane cannot hear...am I still wrong? ;-)

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