Ozark Thunder® Tone Rings
An option on all of our Bradford & Company Hawthorn® banjo models is our Ozark Thunder® "No Hole" flat head tone ring. These bell bronze tone rings were designed, cast, and machined in Kansas City, Missouri. These rings are sand cast using a time-proven Gibson pre-war bronze formulation and CNC machined to our specifications. These are "No Hole" tone rings based on the much sought-after tone rings produced by the Gibson Company in the period 1929-30. The legendary J.D. Crowe's famous "Banger" banjo is a "no hole" banjo from this era. The profile for these rings is our own design, which provides a heavy bass response for a teeth-rattling 4th string. These rings also provide a clear and powerful up-the-neck response. CNC computerized machining provides a consistency from one ring to another that hand-machined tone rings cannot match. Our rings tend to be on the heavy side, weighing in at approximately 3 pounds, 8 ounces or 56 ounces. (Earl Scruggs' tone ring in his famous Gibson Granada banjo reportedly weighed 53-54 ounces). We believe that the extra mass contributes to the ringing tone and projection of these rings. We believe that the Ozark Thunder® tone ring lives up to its name and to our high standards for our Hawthorn instruments. The Ozark Thunder® "No Hole" tone ring is an option on all of our Hawthorn banjos and is the tone ring of choice in our walnut Style 4 No Hole, "Fat Rim," "Hollywood Hills" banjo.
An option on all of our Bradford & Company Hawthorn® banjo models is our Ozark Thunder® "No Hole" flat head tone ring. These bell bronze tone rings were designed, cast, and machined in Kansas City, Missouri. These rings are sand cast using a time-proven Gibson pre-war bronze formulation and CNC machined to our specifications. These are "No Hole" tone rings based on the much sought-after tone rings produced by the Gibson Company in the period 1929-30. The legendary J.D. Crowe's famous "Banger" banjo is a "no hole" banjo from this era. The profile for these rings is our own design, which provides a heavy bass response for a teeth-rattling 4th string. These rings also provide a clear and powerful up-the-neck response. CNC computerized machining provides a consistency from one ring to another that hand-machined tone rings cannot match. Our rings tend to be on the heavy side, weighing in at approximately 3 pounds, 8 ounces or 56 ounces. (Earl Scruggs' tone ring in his famous Gibson Granada banjo reportedly weighed 53-54 ounces). We believe that the extra mass contributes to the ringing tone and projection of these rings. We believe that the Ozark Thunder® tone ring lives up to its name and to our high standards for our Hawthorn instruments. The Ozark Thunder® "No Hole" tone ring is an option on all of our Hawthorn banjos and is the tone ring of choice in our walnut Style 4 No Hole, "Fat Rim," "Hollywood Hills" banjo.
Bradford & Company Fine Instruments
4448 Belleview | Kansas City, MO 64111 | 816-283-0400
[email protected]
11-6, Tues-Fri, 12-4 Sat, Closed Sun and Mon
4448 Belleview | Kansas City, MO 64111 | 816-283-0400
[email protected]
11-6, Tues-Fri, 12-4 Sat, Closed Sun and Mon