Open Back

 

Clawhammer or just a lighter banjo for 3-finger?  This may be the way to go. You can still do a frosted head and tighten it up for bluegrass or renaissance head a little looser to get an old time sound.  These have shoes (usually 24) around the rim and we prefer the round end nuts to make it smoother on the legs. Open backs look pretty sharp with a rim cap on the bottom.