depscribe's photos with the keyword: banjo parts

The new head, one of the premium ones from Bernunzio, was soaked to soften it, and draped over the pot. Then the Vega flesh hoop (that brass ring in back) was put on.

. . . so the original hole for the dowel stick had to be plugged, then redrilled elsewhere. Here's the plug in place and the location for the new hole marked.

It was sheer luck that the neck is so figured and pretty -- most of them aren't. I very soon replaced the tuner buttons with ebony ones from StewMac, just because they're pretty on this banjo.

At left is the original banjolin neck, just for comparison purposes. Next to it is the replacement neck, from a long-neck tenor banjo that had probably gotten converted to five-string. At top is the new calfskin head; below that is the Whyte Laydie pot and next to it the tension hoop. Below them is the dowel stick (it's important that the serial number on it match the serial number of the pot), and, in the bag, hooks, nuts, and other hardware.

This is entirely unnecessary, but I do it to make sure that there's nothing obviously wrong. All was well. The pot was then put aside to dry. I've found that a good way to dry a new head is to do a load of laundry -- socks and underwear -- and dry it in the dryer, then put the pot in a drawer with the still-warm, very dry laundry. Only after it is thoroughly dry can the head be tightened. This takes at least a day, but two or three days is better. Master banjowright Vinnie Mondello recommends lightly spraying the head with water and redrying it many times before tightening it; I took his advice with this instrument and was pleased with the results.

This neck was wonderfully figured under that old brown stain. The masking tape is to keep the lacquer I was applying from getting onto the fretboard.

This instrument put up a fight. The screw that fits in the end of the dowel stick, holding that end to the pot, had broken. So I had to drill down to it, then saw across it so as to make a slot in the end of the broken piece. This let me use a thin screwdriver to unscrew it. Then I could plug the whole hole with a piece of dowel, and fill in the slot with fine sawdust and glue.

The edges of the new head are pulled inside the tension hoop and carefully pulled to make sure there are no wrinkles. Then a few long tension hooks are added to hold it all in place.

The reason to glue up the dowel stick first is now obvious -- the dowel stick makes a good handle.

. . . to trim away the excess head material. A single-edge razor blade (actually, a couple of them -- they get dull fast) is used. The excess is in back. The ragged edge will disappear as the head dries.

The Whyte Laydie was so called because it wasn't stained in the traditional dark brown. But Whyte Laydie banjos had something more -- the Fairbanks "Electric" tone ring. Electricity had nothing to do with it -- nowadays, the inventor might call it the "digital" tone ring -- but the heavy brass ring, scalloped as it is, produces a beautiful, bell-like tone, which is why these instruments are highly sought after. Vega put tortoise-shell binding even where it would seldom be seen.

Getting the angles just right is critical. The new hole having been drilled in the replacement neck and dry-fitted, it was time to glue the dowel stick to the neck. This is the makeshift jig I used. Then I let it stay put for 24 hours, and removed the neck and dowel stick from the pot.

I would soon replace the bridge with a wonderful old Grover with bone inserts, and the tailpiece with a reproduction Oettinger one.