Replacing the Banjo Head by Cliff Fitch

(this article was posted in the July 2007 issue of Silver Strings by Cliff Fitch)

Sooner or later, all banjos will need to have the head replaced. Plastic heads, although very strong, do wear out and break eventually. I feel that every banjo player should learn to replace the head themselves. It is a really easy process and it gives you a chance to clean up the hardware on your banjo. I like to take my banjo completely apart annually to clean it. I always take advantage of having it disassembled by installing a new head. I tend to wear the frosting off of a head where my fingers rub against it from sliding from the X to the Y position while playing. Being a fanatic about having a "new" looking banjo, a new head can really freshen things up.

First, remove the resonator if applicable, strings, bridge, and tailpiece. In order to replace the head, the neck does not need to be removed. Next, turn the banjo face down in your lap or on a workbench and begin loosening the nuts that hold the tension hooks on. I always start at the hook to the right of the neck heel and work may way around the flange in a clockwise motion. You want to gradually loosen each nut, not all at once. I usually turn each nut about ¼ turn at a time, continuing around the flange several times until I can loosen the nuts with my fingers. You can loosen the nuts until the tension hooks are no longer fastened to the tension hoop but, I like to completely remove them in order to clean things up a bit.

Once all of the hook and nuts are removed, gently lift the tension hoop and head off of the top of the tone ring as one unit. Now, separate the old head form the tension hoop. This is a good time to clean the crud that collects on the inside of the tension hoop. I like to take this time to examine the old head to see if there are any separations along the edges where it it either glued or crimped to the mounting hoop. I also like to place to the tension hoop on a flat surface to see if it is warped. If you see a slight gap between the hoop and the flat surface, that is OK.

To install the new head, simply reverse the above procedure. If the new head has a logo stamped on it, you need to decide if you want the logo to be visible to if you want to hide it under the tailpiece. If the head has no logo, look for the seam on the mounting hoop and line it up with the center of the fingerboard.

Using only your fingers, install the tension hooks and nuts. Make sure that the notch on the tension hoop is perfectly centered with the fingerboard on the neck. Also, make sure that all of the hooks and nuts are perpendicular to the flange. Sometimes, some of the hooks will end up at a slight angle because the notches on the hoop may not line-up exactly with the holes in the flange. That's OK.

The most important thing to check at this point is to see that the tension hoop is level with the head. Holding the banjo at an angle, you want to see the same distance between the top of the head and the top of the tension hoop. If one side is higher than the other, pull that side down with a turn of two of the nuts. Even pressure of the tension hoop is not important at this time. The hoop has to be level at this point. You can use a ruler to measure this distance also.

Once the hoop is level, begin tightening each nut about ¼ turn at a time, starting at the right side of the heel and continuing in a clockwise direction. As the tension become tight, you will hear some creaking and popping noises. Do not be concerned about this as it is the plastic stretching.

Take it slow at this point giving time for the head to relax a little before making another round with your head tensioning wrench or nut driver. I like to press down along the edges of the head on the top side to help stretch the new head as I install it. I have discussed my procedure for tap-tuning the head in a past article that you can refer too or, if you are using a Neary drum torque wrench, you can now torque the nuts to your favorite setting.

Re-install the tailpiece, strings, bridge and resonator, and you are done. New heads have a tendency to stretch for a few days after installation so, you may need to tighten the head a little more after a day or so and then again after a couple of weeks.

Be sure to install your bridge in the proper position for correct intonation.

One final note. If your banjo has two coordinator rods, be sure to check the nut that is mounted on the rod at the tailpiece end of the rod closest to the head to see if is tight or loose. I have found that this nut will tighten up sometimes when the head is replaced. This nut should be finger-tight only. Feel free to email or call me if you have any problems or questions concerning this repair. Take it slow and you should have no problems installing your new head.

Keep on Pickin!
Angie's Banjo.com