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The Resonator
In my previous topics I have been describing to you pieces of the banjo,
and what role they play in the instrument's construction, and what they
have to do in reference to sound projections. The resonator was the one
big thing that came into play as Dance Halls got larger, and bands added
more instrumentation. The sound needed to be projected forward, so the
rhythm could be felt and heard above the din of the dancers, and the
band itself.
I will use Gibson for my example, but
all other major companies were all moving in this direction as well. At
first, they were all open-backed, and then Lloyd Loar came up with the
"Trap door" Gibson, that had a back, which could be open or closed for
different tones, and then later Gibson came with the full resonator,
which bolted onto the rim assembly, but was open to the front so that
sound could bounce off the back, and out to the audience. You must
remember that the sound equipment at the time was not what we have
today, and every little bit helped. The resonator was a big help and as
it developed, a flange, or flanges were used to make a nicer appearance.
This added weight to the assembly and gave individual banjos distinctive
looks such as the F hole flange found on a Bacon Silver Bell.
The resonator created a tone chamber
and the styles were very diverse, as they continued the search for
the best way to bounce sound. Many studies have been done but the most
technical ones are by
Roger Siminoff. These can be viewed on his website, and in
publications he has written over the years. It is a lot of technical
talk, but you will get a picture of how a resonator can be tuned and
altered in many ways to change the pitch and tone.
Some are heavy, others are thin, some
are deep, others are shallow, some are concave but most are convex or
flat backed. The resonator is a very diverse part of the instrument and
probably has more variations than any other banjo part.
The Gibson design is still a very
popular design. I myself mimic it to a large extent in the
building of my
Accutone line of banjos and a large number of other builders
worldwide agree. But there are a multitude of styles, many are
fantastic, and others are merely attempts at ideas to see if they would
create a better sound. Some actually sound worse which can happen if not
"Dialed in" to the design it is applied to. It is far from an exact
science, but the resonator continues to be an important part of 98
percent of all banjos manufactured today.
Keep Strumming!
Vinnie Mondello
www.4stringbanjos.com
14902 SH 322 N
Longview ,TX, 75603
Phone: 903-643-2959
mrvintagebanjo@aol.com
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