Which head for your banjo.

You have a choice of  two  traditional vellums, goat or calf and five upstart plastic heads.

The plastic head sound has become the norm for banjos  but in the period after its introduction arguments raged about the quality of the sound produced by plastic and vellum, many thought and still think that the gain in stability was not worth the loss in quality. 

You need to consider the drawbacks of having a real vellum head related to its ability to absorb moisture, either from the humid atmospher in a venue, rain when your playing outside or spillage of drinks anywhere, all of which affect the tuning of your banjo.This instability is the main reason vellum has been superseded by plastic heads. 

Which you choose depends on what banjo sound you prefer, do you want the “real” or traditional banjo sound you get from a real skin head and are you prepared to put up with the possible problems  or do you want a modern banjo sound you get with a plastic head and stability.  If you  like old tyme, minstral style or classic banjo you may prefer a vellum, if you play jazz  bluegrass or irish you  will probably go for plastic. There are no rules so have a go on as many banjos as you can get your hands on and choose a head to gives you the sound you want.

For most banjos with heads smaller than ten inches there is only the choiceof vellum. Only  8” medium crown plastic head under 10” is available.

REMO Weatherking coated Remo Weatherking coated or frosted top, lightly textured, white, weather resistant synthetic banjo head.	REMO Weatherking smooth Remo Weatherking, coated bottom, smooth top, white, weather resistant synthetic banjo head.
REMO Weatherking clear Remo Weatherking clear, tansparent weather resistant synthetic banjo heads.	REMO Fibreskyn Remo Fibreskyn simulated vellum, weather resistant synthetic banjo head.
REMO Renaissance Remo Renaissance transluscent simulated calf vellum, water resistant synthetic banjo heads	Calf vellum Calf skin natural vellum was traditionally used for banjo heads many players prefer it for its authentic banjo sound.
Goat vellum Natural Goat skin vellum is used as a more econimical option for banjo heads many players prefer vellum for its authentic banjo sound.