Tone rings play an integral role in shaping the overall sound of your banjo and changing them can dramatically alter its tone.
Tone rings have an impactful sound due to their shape, rigidity, and weight; some designs have been around for some time while others may be newer designs.
Flat Top
Banjo tone rings are essential components to the sound quality of any resonator or open back banjo, increasing volume while improving sound quality by reflecting and reverberating head vibrations, creating powerful full tones enhanced by different types of tone rings that reflect and reverberate vibrations from its head and neck. Tone ring types vary widely and their effects on overall banjo sound quality vary accordingly; such factors as alloy type, thickness, spacing/number of holes as well as type of wood are all factors affecting its sound properties.
One of the most widely used and well-recognized types of tone rings is a flat top or flathead tone ring. This type of ring differs from an arch top in that its 11″ head features a flat plane without an arch to support. Flathead tones rings have long been associated with Earl Scruggs and other bluegrass players’ style of playing.
This flathead tone ring offers an exceptional tonal response with sparkling highs, solid rich basses, and an immersive midrange that is both sweet and full. This tone ring is often chosen by fingerpicking banjoists as well as some 4 string jazz and clawhammer players.
Deering first introduced the Deering-06 tone ring into its resonator banjos in 2006 and this flathead boasts the tonal characteristics most desired by today’s top pickers, particularly bluegrass players and tenor banjoists.
Greg Deering created the granadillo tone ring specifically for John Hartford (deceased). This unique tone ring produces a deeper and rounder sound with great clarity at all tunings and string gauges, making it popularly found on open back banjos for old time styles, as well as on resonator banjos with Fiberskyn heads.
Tubaphone Ton Rings are handmade, providing greater tonal flexibility than mass produced flatheads and archtops. Perfect for bluegrass and ragtime banjo playing but suitable for use across any genre that requires warm crisp tones; modification to the rim must be carried out professionally to ensure a proper fit.
Arch Top
Tone rings are essential components that play a significant role in defining and shaping the acoustic properties and tonal qualities of banjos, from their sound production and vibration through to timbre changes that dramatically alter timbre characteristics. By altering fundamental frequencies and overtones balance, different tone rings produce unique tonal signatures; altering alloy, weight or dimension can dramatically transform its tonal characteristics resulting in distinctive tonal traits for different instruments.
Tubaphone tone rings are often chosen by clawhammer banjo players who favor an engaging and full tone, without metallic sharpness of heavy cast tone rings. Their warm golden sound combines well with dixieland style playing. Whyte Laydie vintage-style tone rings also prove popular choices when looking to enhance bass into their banjo sound.
Arch top tone rings feature raised outer surfaces and flat inner surfaces, creating an arch shape. This configuration enables a very focused sound with great sustain suited for plectrum banjos as well as 5-string banjos; Ralph Stanley was known to use such tone rings during early bluegrass music performances.
This nickel plated, sand-cast brass 40-hole archtop tone ring is an exact reproduction of Gibson’s 1920’s archtop tone ring and offers a penetrating tone suitable for high or medium crown banjo heads, or upgrading an existing Gibson banjo with standard flathead tone rings without changing its body structure.
This new patent-pending Deering tone ring represents a substantial upgrade over the original Goodtime Special tone ring introduced in 1987. With increased volume and clarity of tone, this device enhances any tenor or plectrum banjo. It can be combined with either flathead tone rings or archtop ones and works equally well with either high crown heads or medium crown heads for use with either high crown heads. With its combination of features which produce an exceptionally full sound comparable to banjos costing three times as much, producing an acoustic quality rivaling those produced by banjos costing three times over.
Tubaphone
Tubaphone tone rings are among the most sought-after components for old time banjos, offering an especially powerful full sound. Ideal for clawhammer playing and bluegrass picking styles alike, while still producing loud noise when played with flathead or Vega White Ladye-type necks.
This Wildwood Heirloom traditional open back banjo features a turned rock maple block rim fitted with a tubaphone tone ring and vintage-themed inlays, plus it comes with an upgraded Waverly tailpiece and classic Vega-style bracket band upgrade.
Tone wood selection is also an important element in adding “color” to the sound, with maple producing bright tones while mahogany produces warmer tones; walnut provides some contrast. Although its effect isn’t as dramatic, changing tone wood does have a distinct impactful on tone color – some players also alter its hue using various stringing arrangements, where more strings create brighter, harder sounds while less strings produce warmer, rounder sounds.
Goodtime Special
Deering’s Goodtime line of banjos began with one open-back model that looked classic while costing less than many imported “bargain” Chinese banjos (but even less when accounting for paying an expert to set up such instruments). It quickly found favor among those looking for an American made, playable starter banjo that is excellent at staying in tune compared with similar instruments in its price range.
The Goodtime Special by Deering is a low-cost Deering banjo equipped with a steel tone ring – this patented design provides much greater volume and brightness than standard tension hoops on other banjos and helps it stay in tune better – essential components if playing Bluegrass or similar styles that require high volumes and sustain.
A geared 5th string tuner is installed adjacent to the fifth fret on the peghead for easier tuning changes, particularly G and C tunings. Furthermore, its nut is carefully cut and filed for comfortable string action at first position.
Many folks enjoyed the sound of a Goodtime Special without resonator (known as backless in Deering-speak) but desired louder and more “Bluegrassy” instruments. Deering “heard their cries” and developed two versions: Goodtime Special 2 with resonator, as well as Black Grass Special with tone ring.
Both models feature a 3-ply violin grade maple pot for superior tone and resonance, featuring a traditional Deering fiddle shape neck finished in natural satin maple with “Goodtime” engraved on its headstock facing. Furthermore, its fingerboard boasts new Midnight Maple with Pearloid vintage-artisan inlays for maximum playability.
The Black Grass Special features the same tone as its counterpart, yet with a darker aesthetic. The pot is stained rich black and paired with matte black hardware. As with its predecessor, the three-ply violin grade maple rim remains. Furthermore, Deering offers dark brown as an additional color choice and has added sleeves on their planetary tuners for additional flair.