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This particular page was created 28/11/2004 and last updated 17/05/2005
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| | The head of a banjo is what a guitarist would call the top, while the part called the head of other stringed instruments are called peghead on the banjo. Confusing, isn't it? Today the head is nearly always synthetic, but some banjoists still value the gentler sound of a natural skin head enough to be willing to deal with the extra hassle. Synthetic skins come in a variety of flavours, from the good old-fashioned Remo Weatherking (still the benchmark standard) to fancy modern attempts to reproduce the sound and feel of natural skin. Natural skin heads are usually made from calfskin or goatskin, but other materials can also be found, even exotic stuff like fishskin (gives a very brilliant sound but, perversely enough, doesn't handle humidity very well) and - believe it or not: snakeskin!
The head picks up the sound from the strings and amplifies, shapes it. It's by far the part of the banjo that affects the sound the most. Many a cheap, lousy-sounding banjo can be greatly improved simply by replacing the head.It's absolutely vital that the head is in good shape and set up correctly. Broken or dented heads should be replaced immediately.
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