The

tone ring is the most discussed — and debated — element of bluegrass

banjo sound. Banjos can sound great with no tone ring at all, and some banjos
utilize a brass tension hoop in place of a ring. Most banjo players agree that
the volume and brilliance associated with the characteristic sound of
bluegrass banjo is in large part the result of the tone ring.
Tone rings come in two types: flathead and arch-top. The flathead ring
creates a larger vibrating surface for the head and generally lends the banjo a
deeper sound than the arch-top ring. Most players choose flathead tone rings
for their banjos, but if you’re in love with the bright, piercing tone of Ralph
Stanley’s banjo playing, the arch-top ring is just the ticket for you.
Liquid metal alloys are poured into a mold, and after cooling, the ring is
machined to fit securely onto the rim. As with the rim, a higher-quality banjo
should come equipped with a well-made tone ring. In the last two decades, a
cottage industry has sprung up around the manufacture of tone rings using the
same or similar metal formulas as used by Gibson on their prized banjos from
the 1930s. These “prewar formula” rings are found on many professional-
grade instruments today. However, because there was no single formula used
in the 1930s, many varieties of prewar rings are available, and each ring does
indeed sound just a bit different on a quality banjo.

Bluegrass banjo players sometimes swap out both the rim and tone
ring on their instruments, replacing them with higher-quality parts or
parts that will change the sound of their banjos. It’s in the nature of the
instrument and its players to experiment in this way, but these kinds of
changes are usually only worth making on a professional-grade
instrument.

Head
The head is the stretched plastic or (more rarely) skin membrane that is the
top vibrating surface of the banjo. The head is stretched tightly across the top
of the tone ring (or the rim if there is no tone ring) and held in place by the
stretcher band and tightened via brackets. Heads dramatically affect banjo
sound. (Find out more by heading over to the setup tips in Chapter 13.)

Bridge