Newbie Seeks Restoration Advice

[Paul]

Hello all... This is my very first post, so let me introduce myself. I am a guitar / mandolin player and also a part-time antique dealer. Over the years I have accumulated some interesting early/primitive banjos that are still as-found and I would like to get them restored. Some of the stuff I can do myself, but my best banjo is without a head. It is a nice early minstrel era banjo that still has its original tension hoop and the thin iron wire that holds the skin. My banjo playing friend tells me that installing a calfskin head is quite tricky and suggests I seek out someone experienced. Being an antique dealer/collector, I hate new looking repairs, so does anyone have any suggestions for someone that can not only install the proper head, but also realistically age it and give it player wear? Thanks! Paul Murphy

[Trapdoor2]

Hi Paul, welcome to the site!

Best person I know for what you want is Mr. Dan Knowles of Paris, TN. He is a great luthier and well versed in making restorations 'look right'...and making replicas that are good enough to prank the experts with (which is a great story in itself).

http://www.danknowles.net/

[Dave Culgan]

Its your banjo of course, and it sounds like a nice one, but here are my thoughts on a replacement head. A banjo head is a "wear item", and replacing it doesn't really constitute a repair, same as putting on a new set of strings. I've seen rare mint condition antique banjos with heads that looked like new. Either they were never played or the head was replaced shortly before the instrument had a century long sleep in its case. Depending on what type head you choose, they don't all look pristine white, most of mine have a mottled translucent look to them so that they look somewhat old once mounted. I've heard of folks coloring or staining skin heads with coffee or tea to make them appear more aged, but I always thought those looked fake. I think any attempt to fake the wear on the head from playing would also look faked. This from someone who doesn't appreciate the whole relic'd guitar business, so take it for what its worth. :)

Also, its pretty easy to mount a head yourself, and if things go wrong (stretched too tight or too loose) its not such a loss, I usually order two heads in case of having to do it over. They're not that expensive. What is expensive though is restoration work. I suspect the trickiest part of the job would be the disassembly and reassembly of the banjo, making sure hardware or wood isn't knicked or scratched. So if as you said you are able to do some work on your instruments, I would just point out that replacing a head is a lot easier than say making a new nut, or bridge, or replacing missing tuning pegs.

Dave Culgan

PS Let me borrow it for the summer. I'll put a new head on it and when I send it back in the fall it will have lots of wear on the head! :)