Banjo ukulele head question

[Freeman Keller]

Slightly off topic but I trust the opinion of folks on this forum.   I'm in the process of replacing the head on a very old banjo ukulele.    The old head is torn, but has some signatures and drawings from members of the family that owned it.    It will be kept for its historical and sentimental value.

I can get either goat or calf skins for the new head and I have instructions on how to install it.   Does anyone have experience with which material would be better and why?   They are approximately the same cost, apparently calf skins are slightly more transparent and people describe a "mellow" tone (I've never heard that word associated with a banjo LOL).    Anyway, I need to order a head soon - what should it be?

[Tony Burns]

Ive done this a couple of times -im not a banjo fan , but sometimes

they fall from the sky, or so it seems . i think they were both calf skins .

one lesson i learned was to be careful when you stretch them over anything steel -

the steel obviously rusts and stains the skins badly - maybe use a piece of plastic

under the skin so it doesnt come in contact with steel - they look like chrome

but rust does develop

 

. Kinda screwy how someone who doesnt like banjos

has 4 or 5 of the darn things - but people keep giving them to me - My favorites

are the banjo mandolin - I have 3 of them . They are almost impossible to keep tuned.

Plus i have two banjo ukes .

 

Freeman , if you want me to -i have a friend who is a big banjo guy -

I can ask him which one he likes , and why . he might have a good source for heads,

he also makes primative banjos and repairs banjos -hes a nice guy

[Graeca]

1at choice is Fibreskyn heads, goat comes in 2nd, calf as last.

Fibreskyn has no reaction to humifity changes, so rarely tears.

Assuming it has an 8" head, like most banjo-ukes, here's a list of order #s from Remo:

[bJ-0800-H2]- Banjo Head, Coated (Bottom), 8" Diameter, High Collar
[bJ-0800-H5]- Banjo Head, FIBERSKYN

[Freeman Keller]

Tony, I would appreciate any input I can get if it isn't too much trouble to ask your friend.

Terry, I knew you would know.   I think I want to use skin instead of mylar just because this thing is so old and the owner wants to keep it as "stock" as possible.  The head seems to be 7 inches at the rim ring, however that shouldn't matter with an oversized skin head - I'll just trim to fit.

Calf skin is the easiest for me to get (one of my regular suppliers) but I have found goat skins too and I'm leaning that direction unless someone says calf would be better.

If people are interested in how to skin a banjo I'll take a couple of pics and post them.