I s'pose it wouldn't hurt. Another clawhammer banjo player suggested I loosen the head quite a bit. I neglected to tell him that I played the thing for years with a loose head, and I still didn't care for the sound much. So why the heck did I buy the thang anyways? Well, at the time, I wanted any old open back banjo for accompanying my voice so I could sing all those Appalachian Darlin' Corey ballads I liked so well in this loud college bar I used to play in. The price of the banjo was right, and it was about the only quality instrument available in my area at the time, ca. 1980. Maybe the vellum head would help.