The Heavier the Better

There are many myths surrounding the banjo that are repeated on line, in conversations and even in magazines. Some of these myths have been repeated so often that they have become “folklore” or “legends” or what is worse, “assumed to be fact.”   Some myths are purely false, some are “not the whole story” and some reflect a subjective opinion, but are not fact and some…well, you can be the judge.  

Myth: The Heavier the banjo the better

FALSE:
This worn out idea was wrong when it was propagated years ago.  This is like saying the more salt in your soup the better…. How absurd.  The weight of a banjo is relevant to what kind of sound is desired. 

Modern bluegrass banjos tend to have a fairly heavy bronze tone ring mounted to maple rim with a fairly heavy one piece flange.  However, some bluegrass pickers prefer the Vega Tubaphone tone ring or John Hartford’s wood tone ring…both of which are much lighter.   Open back banjos are often made with thinner rims and are extremely light in weight and preferred for certain styles of music. 

Beautifully made, light-weight banjos have “a sound”, just like heavier resonator banjos.  They are different, not better or worse.

John Hartford 5-String Banjo with Grenadillo Tone Ring

Vega #2 5-String Banjo with a Tubaphone Tone Ring

We will address many more "myths" in future emails. Stay tuned....