Here's what I wrote not long after they first came out. I eventually
changed it for a Renaissance head, which I like even better. The
Goatskin one is just too thick, IMO, after playing it for a while.
And it's not well designed, as I note. But if you like "plunk" and not
"crack" for the sound of your banjo, it's probably a "go" for you. I
would also point out that I got mine at dealer cost in order to give
my opinion to the dealer also. I doubt I'd want to play close to list
for one.
Bill
Here's one of my periodic product commentaries--I installed a new
Gold Tone
"GTS" skin head today--on my Clifford Essex Concert Grand (see at
http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Museum/Banjo/Essex/EssexCG/essexcg.html
),
replacing the Fiberskyn 2 on it. The GTS head comes with a low crown;
Gold
Tone says it fits all crown sizes by wetting & stretching it as
needed. GT
includes directions for that. Although my banjo takes a
medium-to-high
crown, I wanted to avoid wetting the new head, so...putting it on
took a
while; because of the low crown, I had to tighten, stretch; tighten,
stretch....but I got it on okay and pulled down without wetting it;
that
won't be true for all banjos though.
Gold Tone claims that "Since the design of this head requires a
slightly
thicker aluminum rim, it is possible you may need to do a bit of
filing..."
so your hooks will catch the tension hoop properly. Yes, I had to
file
(for five hooks only). But not because of the thicker rim. The "flesh
hoop" is simply too big in diameter. It extended from 1/32-3/32"
beyond the
tone ring all around. If plastic heads had similarly overly large
diameters, you'd have to file their aluminum hoops too.
If GT had any kind of design sense & quality control, it would be
within
1/32" all around. That would
eliminate the need to file. In fact, the one I got was so big that I
think
GT's 10 15/16" head might well fit an 11" shell--and thus eliminate
the
filing. Although GT says few banjos will require filing the "flesh
hoop," I
disagree. If all those heads are as sloppily oversize as the one I
have,
MOST banjos will require flesh hoop filing. I remember seeing a 50s
bow-tie
archtop MT that had been filed for every hook. Further, although GT's
instructions say to stop filing when you see the head peeking through
the
aluminum where you're filing, "1/8"-1/16"," I hit head at less than
1/16"--not close to 1/8". I had not cleared enough room for my hooks
yet,
so I filed on. Then I put a drop of thin cyanoacrylate on the head in
each
spot where I'd filed into it. No immediate problems from that. Time
will
tell.
I really like the sound of my banjo now; loud, with minimum ring &
sustain,
which is what I sought. IMO, the heads would be even better if GT
could
make them thinner.
Even with the caveats, I'd sure recommend these heads to those who
are used
to installing heads and comfortable with disassembling their banjos,
and who
want a skin head but are, like me, unwilling to track one down & set
it on
their own.<<<
I saw the article in the Banjo Newsletter about these pre-mounted goatskin
banjo heads (Gold Tone), however, I'd like your opinion. I have only seen
one . . . and it wasn't on a banjo. How do you like it? How does it sound?
How difficult is it to put on?
Thanks in advance.
Rick
Rochester NY