Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Rand Moore on January 31, 2014 at 5:16am

I don't think the tin has enough structural strength to it to allow a Mylar head to be installed and tightened enough to play without crushing the tin. If you have ever examined a banjo, the rim is quite strong and there are maybe 24 or 32 or so hook-and-nut do-ma-jiggies that tighten the Mylar head down evenly across the drum. I can't see how you could tighten down the Mylar head without destroying the tin unless you added a lot of support structure inside the tin to handle the tensioning.

I think if you build a regular tin guitar, use banjo strings and tune it like a banjo, it will sound enough like one that you can use it to study how to play a banjo until such time as you can afford to buy a real one. You will want to search for a good banjo neck design, especially if you want to build a 5-stringer. A 4-string banjo isn't different from a 4-string guitar except the string length (VSL) which you will want to make the same as a banjo. The problem with a 5-stringer is making the extra wide neck to hold the short 5th string as it terminates around the 4th fret and must have some space for the 5th string tuner. The banjo 5th string tuner is unlike a standard guitar tuner and sell for like $20 or more for one.

There is a banjo discussion group on CBN and there is another website called "banjo hangout" which also is a good place to go for information and get questions answered.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Rand Moore on January 31, 2014 at 5:28am

Reviewing your question and viewing the photos of your tins, I'd have to conclude that the Mylar inserts for the tops of the tin are worthless. I would flip the tin over and yes that side as the sound board.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jim Morris on January 31, 2014 at 5:27am

Here's a cookie tin banjo that I used a wooden salad bowl inserted with calfskin streched over it. The advantage to calfskin is that it tightens as it dries and you don't have to try to tension it as you would with mylar. It's attached with staples while still damp after soaking for about 20 min.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Rand Moore on January 31, 2014 at 5:41am

If you live in a constantly dry climate skin drum heads are okay. If the place where you live has mixed humid and dry spells, then the skin head will drive you crazy trying to either re-tensioning the head, or by adjusting the height of the bridge (add shims under it) and re-tuning. The popularity of man-made materials like Mylar for banjo drum heads is that they don't expand and contract with changes in humidity. Another workaround might be to add a lamp inside the drum to warm and dry the skin head on humid days.

But I like the idea of stretching the head over another stronger structure (the wooden salad bowl) and inserting that into the weaker tin structure. A great work around!

In Jim's photo, you can see how the tuner for the 5th string is located between the 4th and 5th frets. Also, notice how the neck and fretboard narrows between there and the headstock. This is how the neck of a 5-string banjo differs from that of a guitar or 4-string banjo. They are a bit more complicated to build.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jerome Hess on January 31, 2014 at 5:49am

Yeah Im basically looking at a tin can banjo, just to see if I like it.

My actual question was whther anyone thought that the "mylar" thats in place now would have any positive effect over flipping it over and using the tin side.

I plan on making the 5 sring neck myself, thats not a challenge, and I've actually seen enough examples that the 5th tune wont be a huge issue.

I LOVE the calfskin idea, but unfortunately Central FL is too wet for it to EVER dry out its been 50 degrees and raining for 5 days now and THIS is the best whether weve had (most consistent anyway) in a LONG time

j

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by PKB on January 31, 2014 at 5:55am

This was the first tin stick dulcimer build that I did and I got a little carried away with the 'sound holes'. My wife rescued the tin from the recycle bin. The neck is some scrap Luan and the "tail piece" is just a bottle cap that I screwed into the neck that sticks out of the bottom. The bridge is just another scrap piece of wood and jumbo fret wire and the nut is also jumbo fret wire.

It has a very tinny banjoish sound. I believe this is due to the fret wire nut and bridge.

I cannot stress this enough: If you go with the tin face don't cut sound holes. They rattle and sound terrible.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jerome Hess on January 31, 2014 at 8:04am

Thanks for the pic and the info

GREAT advice on the soundholes

look good

sound bad!

j

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by David McQueen on January 31, 2014 at 10:37am

I use a fret wire bridge and a zero fret/string guide nut assembly on my guitars. They sound like guitars. The banjo'ish sound would be from the tin.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by PKB on January 31, 2014 at 5:38pm

You are correct, what I meant to say was that I believe that the metal nut/bridge contributes to a brighter, more banjo like sound.

Another consideration: I am waiting to find one of those youth or toy snare drums to surface somewhere. You can tighten/loosen the top on some of them and I think those could make an awesome starting place for a banjo.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by David McQueen on January 31, 2014 at 11:46pm

Wonder if it might be easier to find a tambourine and use that for a base... Just thinkin

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by PKB on February 1, 2014 at 4:44am

I considered that as well but I would want something with a top, head, or skin that I can adjust. I haven't seen a tambourine that has proper brackets that can be adjusted.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jim Morris on January 31, 2014 at 6:33am

You are so correct about skin heads driving you crazy Rand. A lot of fluctuations. Oh, I did use a tin with a built in mylar top but didn't think it would be strong enough for a banjo so it became a nylon string uke. I kept it for about a year before I would sell it just because I wasn't confident about it but it held pretty well under the lower uke pressure! I'm with Rand - just use the tin top and it will sound like a banjo!

• ▶ Reply

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• Next ›
• Page