Open back banjos offer a more soothing tone and weight reduction compared to their resonator counterparts, making them suitable for Old-Timey, Folk and Clawhammer styles of playing.
Singer-songwriters also favor them for use with backing tracks, so if you intend on picking with others it may be worth your while to consider investing in one.
The Pot
A pot is the main part of an open back banjo which connects its other parts together and is responsible for its unique tone.
The rim of your banjo is typically composed of laminates or blocks of wood. For optimal sound production, ensuring its construction is sound is crucial – any errors could compromise its sound.
Tone rings are metal circular rings made specifically to fit on top of wooden rims, designed to help uniformly expand across its top outer circumference when tightened brackets tighten down on them. While tone rings aren’t found on all banjos and don’t necessarily guarantee great-sounding banjos.
Tailpieces serve to secure the ends of strings, keeping them from vibrating against components that could disrupt their sound and altering tone. Some tailpieces are even adjustable so you can customize how much front pressure is applied on individual strings – thus changing their tone accordingly.
The Head
Your banjo’s head can have an enormous influence on its sound. This process can be extremely subjective and heavily dependent upon personal preference; such as using picks or your fingers when picking, the type of bridge used and gauge of strings.
There are a wide range of heads available, but certain are more popular than others. A skin head is an especially good option for clawhammer banjo players and many bluegrass banjoists; its deadening properties considerably lessen noise when playing bluegrass music. It weighs slightly more than standard heads but provides significant sound deadening benefits.
An open back banjo with a skin head has a more soothing and pleasing sound than its resonator counterpart, making it the ideal choice for players seeking a subtle, warm sound suitable for traditional Appalachian music. Of course, dedicated clawhammer banjoists may choose otherwise depending on what’s most important at that point in time.
The Tone Ring
Tone rings give banjos their distinctive sound. Constructed of metal (typically brass), tone rings typically take the form of a doughnut-shaped object with an attached hoop for even tension across its head – essential in maintaining true tone over time and not becoming out-of-tune.
Old time banjo players often prefer a tone ring made of natural skin; however, its susceptibility to humidity has led many players to opt for more durable materials like Fiberskyn instead – this option can be found on our OME 11″ and 12″ open back banjos for those wanting an upgrade from their stock natural skin tone ring.
As with wood, tone rings have an enormous influence on your banjo’s sound. We’ve discovered that open back banjos featuring tone rings made of hard wood generally produce greater sustain, clarity and volume than their counterparts featuring tone rings made of softer woods.
The Hardware
Banjo beginners often lack an understanding of why certain 5-string banjos come equipped with something known as a resonator and its purpose, or that switching between one of two distinct types would limit them to only playing clawhammer style of playing (and vice versa).
Resonator banjos are preferred by bluegrass players as their louder tones project more volume when played with fingerpicks or plectra. Open back banjos have a mellower tone better suited for old timey and folk styles; their sound chamber rests against the player’s body to reduce overall volume and weigh less than their counterparts.
And for dorm residents, taking this extra step allows loud practice without disturbing roommates or neighbors – it takes less than one minute to remove the 3 or 4 screws (very big ones that you can’t see) that secure it to its position.