wfawley - Posted - 09/19/2008:  10:21:39

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These 7 instruments just came in this morning, along with 14 pots, more wood bindings, a bag of pegs that has some real good sets in it. This stuff will be added to the Banjo Loft website, but it's been a long time since we've had anyhing in the way of vintage stuff....and I wanted to share a picture of the better stuff.

On the loveseat....on either end of the back row are 2 Vega style M tubaphones in the 11 13/16" size, while the banjo in the center is a Bacon FF Professional No 3. The banjos in the front row on the loveseat are both Vega banjos too. The one on the left is a style X No 9, and the other is a 10 3/4" style M tubaphone.

Other names in the collection....Weymann, Fairbanks, Slingerland, Merlin, and several nondescript pots ca 1900-1920. Of special interest to me is the 10 inch Fairbanks Regent pot ca 1908. I need to find 5 sghoes for it, but it's pretty clean otherwise.

Now I have to go stuff all this back under the bench

Wyatt



If you happen to be down at Wall Street....pick me up a dozen eggs.

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Edited by - wfawley on 09/19/2008 10:22:33

Cottonmouth - Posted - 09/19/2008:  12:58:13

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OMG, what a treasure trove! Under the workbench? I have a vault here you might consider (ha, ha) for those beauties!

"Look upward; He IS coming back!"

"If clawhammer were easy to learn, there would be no challenge."

Ericthenorse - Posted - 09/19/2008:  13:35:33

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Are these things that are going to be for sale on the website?? Or just personal museum???

wfawley - Posted - 09/19/2008:  13:51:06

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They'll be offered eventually. Most likely scenario....is converting them to 5 string and selling them with both necks. Now, before anybody has appoplexy....reallize that this is what I do for a living. I'll not molest the original necks and dowel sticks, so no fair becrying the criminality and general unethical manner of my enterprise, converting 4 string banjos to 5 string banjos.

I may sell them as tenors....for something closer to "Staten Island prices". That way I'm not supplying tenor pots to a bunch of other neck builders.

Wyatt

If you happen to be down at Wall Street....pick me up a dozen eggs.

Couchie - Posted - 09/19/2008:  14:00:05

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Oh yeah baby! I see some happy clawhammer players in the future.

Don.

O==''=#

http://www.doncouchie.com

wfawley - Posted - 09/19/2008:  14:07:18

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I posted a thread for this pot at the oldtime/other forum...but I think this pot is so cool. It's stamped F C Wilkes.

Wyatt



If you happen to be down at Wall Street....pick me up a dozen eggs.

mainejohn - Posted - 09/19/2008:  14:53:26

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quote:

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Originally posted by wfawley

They'll be offered eventually. Most likely scenario....is converting them to 5 string and selling them with both necks. Now, before anybody has appoplexy....reallize that this is what I do for a living. I'll not molest the original necks and dowel sticks, so no fair becrying the criminality and general unethical manner of my enterprise, converting 4 string banjos to 5 string banjos.

I may sell them as tenors....for something closer to "Staten Island prices". That way I'm not supplying tenor pots to a bunch of other neck builders.

Wyatt

If you happen to be down at Wall Street....pick me up a dozen eggs.

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No need to apologize...I like the way you make a new dowel stick, and stamp the matching serial number and your own brand on it. I suspect in years to come Fawley-necked-vintage-Vegas will be quite collectible.

Cheers,
John
Scarborough, Maine

Bill Rogers - Posted - 09/19/2008:  16:50:06

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Keep us posted on any renecked shells you're offering. I bet they'll sell very quickly.

Bill

mralston - Posted - 09/20/2008:  03:47:33

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Hey Wyatt -

What a beautiful group of banjos, and they all appear to be in great shape ! ! ! If the 14 pots are anything like the Lange (?) pot you discuss on another thread, you've got some nice material to work with. Bet you'll have fun.

"no fair becrying the criminality and general unethical manner of my enterprise, converting 4 string banjos to 5 string banjos."

I recently had an e-mail exchange with a person who talked about the time period when tenor banjos were becoming the new rage. He said that quite a few 5-strings (and these would have been some of the wonderful, late 1800's, Boston-area-maker banjos) were converted to tenors circa ~1920's. Anyone else have any observations on this aspect of banjo history ???

By the way, it's 100% OK with me if you fit your excellent 5-string necks to tenor banjo pots to bring them back into play.

Mark Ralston

A man comes to this world naked and bare; He goes through life with troubles and care; He departs this life and goes we don’t know where; But he’ll be all right there if he lives all right here ............................................... Uncle Dave Macon

www.yellowstone-jewelry.com

Mumble Peg - Posted - 09/20/2008:  05:35:38

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>>>I may sell them as tenors....for something closer to "Staten Island prices". That way I'm not >>>supplying tenor pots to a bunch of other neck builders.

>>>Wyatt

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What are "Staten Island prices"?

Mumble Peg in Staten Island

wfawley - Posted - 09/20/2008:  05:56:51

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Higher than elsewhere......

Wyatt

If you happen to be down at Wall Street....pick me up a dozen eggs.

pgroff - Posted - 09/20/2008:  07:39:46

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Hi Wyatt,

Congratulations. I'm sure those banjos will be put into top playing shape for the enjoyment of players who will use them and treasure them, whether they are set up as tenors or whether you can be convinced to honor them with one of your own 5 string necks. As you say, the way you "convert" them (really you are adding a finely crafted part to the item) they are not harmed. If some day there are ever more tenor players than 5-string players willing to invest in such an instrument, they can go back into service as tenors with their originality unimpaired.

Do you think prices are higher in general in the NY city area? It must be expensive to run a business there and my hat is off to anyone who can pull it off. They must have happy customers to keep a business going. But is there such a thing as a "Fairbanks/Vega tubaphone with a Whyte Laydie tone ring?" :-)

(see below):

78-7293 Fairbanks by Vega (used, 1922) Style R tenor banjo, #48949, with original hard shell case.
This banjo, which bears the illustrious Whyte Laydie tone ring, has a generous head diameter of 11 7/8". This is the perfect head size for conversion to a Round Peak old time clawhammer banjo, and this is easily obtained by simply adding a 5-string replica neck. This example has the pie plate flat resonator with one screw at the center inside back; said resonator shows a few normal scratches. The back of the neck is golden maple with a central laminated stripe for strength (and vigor) and a pearwood heel cap with walnut/maple purfling. The grained ivoroid bound fretboard is likewise bordered in a black line (the binding on the treble side was expertly replaced and color matched). The ebony fingerboard shows virtually no wear, the frets are round and level, and said board is inlaid with 6 pearl dotmarkers and a large star at the fifth, and a slightly smaller star on the pearwood headplate. Tuners are the original friction machines with grained ivoroid buttons. This is a 30-bracket banjo with a Kirschner Unique/Lyon & Healy, Pat. 12/29/14 and 5/9/16 nickel plated tailpiece that is 2 5/8” long. The skin is old and handsome, and the bridge is correct to the period. The nut is bone, the original slim tubular armrest survives, and the rim is not drilled for nuts and lugs as it has the much desired “bracket band” The worn but original hard case is fitted with a replacement handle. The serial number on the rim matches the serial number on the square dowel, which is stamped with 2 Vegas-in-a-star, a “Fairbanks Banjo made by The Vega Company, Boston, Mass” stamp, “Style R,” and three more patents dated 1890, 1893 and 1909. The sides of the rim, which is largely intact except for missing its metal tensioner at the neck connection, and having paint over the nickel plated guide at the tailpiece side of the rim, has tortoise shell celluloid trim on each side and an ebonized pearwood cap. In the interests of full disclosure, the screw that holds the tailpiece to main lug seems replaced and there is no adjustment screw at the back of the Kirschner. The resonator may, itself be oversprayed but on the inside remain stamped two manufacturer’s logos. We have set-up this banjo nicely and it sings with the voice of the pure and purposeful. It’s best and highest use is as a conversion to 5-string and we are right now interviewing people on the street to see if any passing pedestrian might be a neck maker. So far, none have raised their hand. Remember, this is a 11 7/8” diameter head Fairbanks/Vega Tubaphone. It would make one fine old time 5-string banjo. We’re asking $3087 discount price, $2995 cash discount price, but, knowing that we may not find anybody to make the neck, we may be moved to offering it to you (yes, you) for a thousand dollars less.

wfawley - Posted - 09/20/2008:  08:25:10

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I think that was a slip of the tongue when they said tubaphone later in the listing. All indications otherwise point to it being just a normal Style R whyte laydie tenor banjo.

The taxes in NY must make it awfully expensive to operate a business there. I wouldn't want to even try.

Looks to me like they're saying they'll sell the tenor for 2 grand....or converted to 5 string for 3 grand. I'll sell a 11 13/16" tubaphone with a flowerpot neck for 2 grand......and it won't sell easily in today's market. That's a very good example of Staten Island pricing, Paul. I expect that sales of new instruments, where they are much more competitive, is what keeps the doors open.

Wyatt

If you happen to be down at Wall Street....pick me up a dozen eggs.

pgroff - Posted - 09/20/2008:  09:21:03

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Wyatt,

That listing has been up for quite a while. The fact that the error in it has not been corrected suggests to me that there have been few if any inquiries about it. Obviously they don't mind spending a few words writing up their descriptions.... but the difference between a tubaphone and a Whyte Laydie would seem important enough to fix if anyone else had noticed it.

PG