My Tone Ring Test Project |
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Much has been attributed to the tone rings found in the Gibson banjos produced between 1927 and about 1941. Some people claim that the wonderful tone of the classic bluegrass recordings can only be produced by a pre-war, flat-top tone ring. Since only a few hundred of these were ever produced, that would make these some very desirable pieces of metal to have!! In response to the popularity and escalating prices of these few old banjos, many companies and individuals have gone on the quest to reproduce the same tonal qualities found in those old Gibsons. Have they succeeded? After all the years of research and experimentation with the latest technologies, it is still widely held that the "Pre War" tone (whatever that is) has NOT been re-created. In order to look into this sticky debate objectively, I have set off on a project to compare tone rings, complete with sound files for you to listen and judge for yourself. Here is my approach: Start with a raw, well-aged maple rim, built to the exact specifications of the good pre-war Gibsons. Beginning with the largest dimensioned-ring, put each ring in the same banjo and try it out with the same set-up variables. The sequence will be: - Pre-war TB-11 simple brass hoop - Pre-war 40-hole Archtop - Modern rings with high skirt offset - Pre-War Flathead Ring - Modern rings with 3/8" skirt offset The idea here is to keep as many variables constant as possible. Since the wooden rim is believed to be very influential on the tone of a banjo, this approach is designed to use the exact same rim through all the different tone rings, even though they are of different dimensions. |