I have history with Perkins - and it is not good.

The head is vellum. I like that sound better.

It seems that the skin does have to be attached to the ring - so if it gets buggered I'll just have to find out how. Careful with that axe Eugene.

This instrument is truly crap - I just wanted something to plunk really loudly at morris dancers with. No truss rod. No means to true the neck to the body. Non-matching machine heads (one side back to front). Headstock had been split up the middle and when I got it the machine heads were nailed on(!).

A Perkins solution is likely to be unaffordable (I was talking to someone else who used to use Perkins the other day). I expect Perkins is good if you have a really good banjo and want an expert on banjos.

Perkins site seems to charge a considerable amount for the tensioners too - and I see his tailpieces are three to four times the price on ebay and his bridges much more than the one I got in my local shop.

So what about putting a foot under the bridge to raise it and spread the load? I could try that later tonight when I have re-cut the nut that I was "rebuilding" yesterday with superglue gel.