The Tension Hoop
The Tension Hoop is designed to hold the head of the banjo onto the rim, or the shell as it is
sometimes called. They are normally made from Chrome plated brass/bronze, and have a standard 24 notches
to accomodate the brackets . If they are badly adjusted they can twist and cause uneven tension on the
Banjo Head, which can affect the tone.
Adjusting or re-tightening the Tension Hoop
This is the way i tighten my own tension hoop and the sequence i use for tightening the brackets.
If your banjo has more or less brackets, just make sure you tighten each bracket and its diagonal counterpart in turn.
The most important thing when tightening the tension hoop is to ensure an even fit and tension across the head.
the first 4 brackets should be placed on the tension hoop as shown above left. Do NOT tighten the first four
bracket nuts all the way, finger tight is sufficient until you have all the brackets in place.
When you have all the brackets finger tight, then you can start to tighten the bracket nuts, starting with 1 and working
your way up to the final bracket...24 in this case. A quarter turn on each bracket nut in turn will ensure an even tension across
the head and stop you from pulling the Tension Hoop out of shape, keep checking the tension hoop as you tighten, to ensure
that the hoop is tightening evenly, and not being pulled down to one side or the other.
