![John hartford stelling](https://kumkoniak.com/7.jpg)
So then, I was really knocked out with this idea, I thought that somebody ought to do something with it. It had almost as much effect on the tone as the difference between a raised head and a flat head. We found out that it had an incredible amount to do with wether it sounds high or low. Then we built another one and we started experimenting with the bevel. So Tom Ventris and I built a Mastertone pot but instead of putting the tone ring in it we made it all wood and put a neck on it and it was wonderful. I forget what year that was, but George had a guy working for him named Tom Ventris. Farland wood rim and it had a wonderful tone! About that time I got to thinking that it would be nice to have this with a resonator on it, like a Mastertone size but a wood rim. So I played that on stage for a long time. (album) And I loved the tone of it, the tone was so good for tuning low. It's the banjo I picked "Morning Bugle" with. Farland wood rim banjo, made in 1905 with a 12" pot and I got to playing on it. John: It goes back to George Gruhn, when I started tuning the banjo low George found an A.A. I interviewed John Hartford to get a more in depth view of the source of this change in tone ring design.ĭyanne: When did you become interested in the idea of making a wooden tone ring banjo? The outside appearance of the banjo is the same with the Hartford tone ring or with the Mastertone style ring, but with the Hartford tone ring the sound is significantly warmer and fuller. Now it has grown into a phenomenon where many banjo players changing away from the brass tone ring design and over to the Hartford tone ring, Not only does John Hartford prefer the new sound, but he has been joined by many opinion leaders such as Pat Cloud, Elmer Bird, Tom Chapin, and David Holt, all of whom play Deering banjos with the Hartford tone ring. The new Hartford tone ring, made of wood, began with an idea inspired by John Hartford.
![john hartford stelling john hartford stelling](https://guitars.com/sites/default/features-archive/hartfords/JA5635bc.jpg)
It was written on a typewriter, complete with typos, edits, red ink and a sense of history that was too fun not to share with everybody.
![john hartford stelling john hartford stelling](https://www.hangoutstorage.com/banjohangout.org/storage/cphotos/large/82/82825-41776-3-5123187.jpg)
![john hartford stelling john hartford stelling](https://www.hangoutstorage.com/banjohangout.org/storage/cphotos/large/61/61781-19731-5-563106.jpg)
![john hartford stelling john hartford stelling](https://guitars.com/sites/default/features-archive/hartfords/VF2512thumb.jpg)
During the process, we spent some time digging through old files, papers, images and slides and stumbled across this interview with John from 1989, about his Deering Hartford Model. John Hartford has been the topic of much conversation around the Deering offices of late, as we prepare to introduce a very special model later this year.
![John hartford stelling](https://kumkoniak.com/7.jpg)