Nice looking example

Tone ring slipped a little on head install, neck was testy on the way out
If I had a dime for everyone I have done this way Id have ........1.00

Head is bottomed out already, one reason I do not like these performed skins.

Grover 2:1s  all working fine

No issues to speak of, original plating, logo in  VGC
Early models all have that cutout for the heel to clear, sort of a factory afterthought.

Oettinger all correct and working well

Early models had perforated tone ring
Earlier than this, both sides were perf'ed

Mute actuates well

I will reposition these hooks, they are off quite a bit
I thought this may be an original but its a reproduction, but the correct brass stock was used.

After machine buffing and polishing, rim is waxed as well

I picked up a nice vintage Bacon stamped Joe Rogers ( on the left) calfskin for this job, and let me tell you, the musician that was in charge of maintaining this head proved very well that it was 99 percent the person maintaining, and not the head when it came to failures.
I have seen musicians work on instruments, I want to gag most times.
80 percent of them have no business with a tensioning wrench.
This 70+ year old head is still a 3/8 crown with no tears or holes, just playing time.
 Nowadays a player has a real excuse, the quality of skin has dropped to all time lows and there is no quality hides available that are not vintage
Some would argue this, but buying 20 to get 1 good one, is not a great argument so stow that Sailor!
These heads are acoustically superior to any synthetic's or modern skins and they need to be cherished, not shunned.

I am using a premium 220 grit paper to remove the top layer of dead skin and stains, etc.
I start with the edge, that makes the sidewall look clean on reinstallation
Its alot creamier looking now

You can see with me going cross the grain, just how much can be removed and not hurt a thing.
Its already dead, then double dead and has nothing to do with holding tension.
Get with it, you won't sand thru the damn thing.
You cannot get every single discoloration but you can do alot for appearance.

I will stop here and mount it, then fine sand it

This is under full tension.
Notice the crown is perfect, plenty of tension hoop still above the rim, and if Andrew watches over it as I know he will, it will provide no teling how many more years of service
Or........it could pop like a gunshot behind me at any moment, thats the fun of it.
 
 
 

Jus' a look at a mo  recent flange from da Katrina2
(Nawleans inflection)

You can see the Fholes were smaller on the older version, and the sidewall was deeper on the more modern.
There are many reasons for Silverbells to have a different voice based on design changes , if nothing else
 

I like o drill a small hole in the tuner base to allow oil to go directly onto the drive  and driven gear
They seal them at the factory and usually no one lubes them over time.
you can feel the difference when they are lubed tho.

ready to go back together

Fingerboard has been nourished with tung oil, and has been buffed

Ready to assemble to the rim

Mute is functon well, this is one of the better ones.

The Bacon Banjo stamp is still legible below the Rogers brand.

Im using my favorite plectrum set, the 26-18 bronze wound and the 14-11 steel
This will give the best volume and th wound G is much warmer.
 
 

Testing with an original Bacon bridge, I have several of them as well

What I see, is that this neck is very low in its neckset and it is level with the plane of the head.
The neck action is still slightly high even with the 1/2" reduced bridge that was on it when it arrived.
The dowel is fine, there is nothing wrong with this neck.
The issue all of these necks is that the dowel was set into the neck a tad higher than optimum, and this creates an effect that cannot be changed without either major work, or creative shimming or dowel modification without removing it from the neck
I will discuss this with Andrew.
I can do the easy thing, and set it on a reduced bridge but you lose volume that way

I like to relube a fresh scuffed head with wax paper, burnishing it down and closing up the pores

We will let it all settle in since we have time, and get the fine tuning done
 Sounds VG in CGBD tuning, Ilove these in plectrum on skin, like Perry Bechtel.
 

I make it a little long because I will place a spacer to make up the new gap, and you need room to pull on th neck to remove it if need be.
 

New spacer in place, now neck is pushed upwards

And now there is sufficient clearance

With the bridge that was on it, the action is now flat against the strings, thats good.
 
 

And with a 5/8,  it is back to a nic playable action
Tremendous change in volume and bass.