Using my Head

This was just a little test that I couldn’t try until the low power settings were enabled. Nothing fancy, but the results were interesting. Took a calf skin banjo head from a 1921 open back banjo. Threw it in the GF and engraved an image. (Thought that Munch’s Scream would be appropriate.)

The camera flash washed out the image on the full banjo shot. Backlit through a window makes the image pop. It’s interesting that white in the image comes out more white than the original skin due to a dithered low power blistering effect. If you have ever burned your own skin you know the look. The dark areas came out as expected, a light burned brown.

The integrity of the skin and the sound did not seem to be affected. That was important because it’s under a great deal of stress. Installing a skin head is an art. The slightest nick and the head will rip when tightened.

All in all, not quite as much contrast as I had hoped but still a conversation piece for the next jam.



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Impressive! I like seeing musical instrument applications.

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Holy smokes, @rpegg. What a great idea!
Neat, really, really, neat.

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This is wonderful to see! I’ve been waiting to see you do something like this ever since the ‘beginning’ of the long wait for Glowforge.

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Had plans to try this from way back in Nov 2015 but forgot about it because of the low power limits on the early units.

Next instrument project is far more ambitious and requires the Pro.

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I swear, you think of the most interesting things to do with your PRU! That’s just awesome! :sunglasses:

(And is the scream a reaction to all the banjo jokes?) :smile:

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Pretty much. It’s my girlfriends face decades ago when I first started playing.

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Personally, I love banjo music…but I’m afraid that banjo players have ended up in the same musical category with accordionists and bagpipers. :roll_eyes::slightly_smiling_face:

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My first instrument was a full sized accordion about the time of puberty. Was great at playing Beer Barrel Polka. Then I became fascinated with math and later the banjo. I’m a regular chick magnet.

OK, one banjo joke. “What do you say when you see a good looking woman on the arm of a guy banjo player?” … nice Tatoo.

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Good one!

Okay, you started it.

What do you call a banjo buried up to its neck in sand?

Not enough sand.

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:grin:

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Bagpiper here :japanese_ogre:

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No kidding? I know I sound like I’m really schmoozing here…but I also happen to love bagpipe music. Only one I’m not wild about is accordion…but even then, with a talented player it makes all the difference. I am truly fascinated watching both the accordion and the bagpipe being played…like how could anyone do that many things simultaneously and make it sound halfway good.

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The breathing and squeezing the bag become mostly automatic :japanese_ogre:

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So does an accordion going through puberty sound different than a mature accordion? Maybe the sound kinda breaks up and bit? :notes: :upside_down_face::stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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…but with the kilt, the bagpipers are much better ventilated!

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That is really cool! I like the sound of a well played bagpipe. But the cats are another story…

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Very cool application Rick!

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The subtlety of The Scream is charming. This project strikes a chord, literally. :slight_smile:

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