u/PKCE_Dust

Hey all, wondering if there are well known bluegrass jams around town.

And if not, is there interest if one were to get started up?

I have a decently nice sounding banjo that I really love. I love the sound and feel of it, plus it’s kind of sentimental to me.

However it is really horribly rusty and disgusting. The J hooks are completely rusted and the flange has green rust, etc…

I am going to go about cleaning and refurbishing it as much as I can. The important parts to me are the tone ring and the neck. But the less important things will be replaced with what I can find online.

I wanted to ask what elements of the instrument truly define the sound, tone, and feel? Would replacing the head dramatically change it? If so how? While I like this instrument I am also comfortable with customizing it to fit a playing style I’m after. But as I said before, there’s some sentimentality to it. Plus I find it a fun summer project and I think cleaning her up and making her shine will bring me a lot of joy.

Also, is a project like this manageable for an absolute beginner and banjo repair? I can change strings but that’s about it. If I’m gonna dig myself a grave here I’d rather just take to a professional