Quote:
Originally Posted by SpruceTop
Nice Photo & Banjos!
My reason for acquiring the five banjos I now have is that I wanted good examples of the different pots and the tone they can generate. With the addition of the in-shipment Vega Old Tyme Wonder, with its all-wood rim, I'll have that woody tone and with the other banjos with their tone rings, I have what they offer in tone. Now having a wood-rim, Tubaphone, Whyte Laydie, Dobson and a Flathead banjo I've got the most popular pot configurations. Can you or any of our AGFers make a good case for acquiring a Bacophone and a Silver Bell tone-ring banjo? I've read that the Bacophone tone-ring can add weird overtones and, to my knowledge, I've never heard a Silver Bell tone-ringed banjo. Thanks.
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The Ome banjo I'm playing in that picture has a Silver Bell tone ring in it...or it was their version of one, they call it a "Silverspun" ring. That was my favorite tone ring for nice, warm fat sounds. It had a warm, sweet, human quality to the voice - really a spectacular and versatile banjo. I also had one in a 12" pot size - though I preferred the 11" pot for that particular rim.
Ome makes some incredibly nice banjos. They're not big with the Old Timey set, at least they weren't when I was in my banjo phase, but they really make excellent quality instruments.
I was doing much that same thing as you are. I tried a Vega Tubaphone.... liked the Vega Tubaphone ...I wonder how a 12" pot tubby will sound? I liked the Whyte Ladye...hmmm, there's a 12 inch pot WL conversion on Ebay!! Little Wonders - gotta try both.
A scales? Hook me up.
I liked pretty much all of them - but yeah, the Baco-phone ring banjos, especially with an internal resonator, all seemed to have some overtones that I didn't like too much, though they were BRILLIANT at clucking over the scoop.
The Vega Old Tyme Wonder has an all wood rim? The original Vega Wonders had a rolled hoop under a spun over bit that extended about halfway down the outside of the pot. That was a great ring for clawhammer as well.
I only had a few all wood-rimmed banjos, my favorite of which was a Huss & Dalton Singletree. Nice banjo, but I didn't keep it long.