Banjo Hangout - Collector's Corner Forum Feed

Aluminum in the 20s?

eric@banjohangout.org — Wed, 8 Feb 2012 15:53:07 CST

I totally stripped down my 1925 Paramount Leader for cleaning and polishing while I wait for my new head to arrive and I was surprised to find a strip of aluminum used to support the flange, I know that in the late 1800s, aluminum was the same price as silver. Was it still a rare metal when the banjo was built? Is this standard for Paramounts? Was aluminum used in any other banjos of that era.

Cya!

Bob

Gull inlay question

eric@banjohangout.org — Wed, 8 Feb 2012 11:08:58 CST

Did any other model gibson other than the RB 1 come with the gull inlay?

Steve

ebay '64 bowtie

eric@banjohangout.org — Wed, 8 Feb 2012 06:20:13 CST

what does the jury think to this one?
290667479314

Any idea what this banjo is?

eric@banjohangout.org — Wed, 8 Feb 2012 04:45:39 CST

Saw this banjo hanging in a music shop. Was told that it came from the UK but no idea what it might be worth. Can anyone tell what it is from these pictures and maybe what it is worth? He wants $550 for it.

It has 5 strings with the 5th in the middle of the peg head. The design on it looks to be some kind of brass thing attached. Sorry for the poor photos. Iphone.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/55997728@N08/6840873615/in/photostream

http://www.flickr.com/photos/55997728@N08/6840874241/in/photostream

Eagle Banjo Head

eric@banjohangout.org — Tue, 7 Feb 2012 21:56:13 CST

Anybody familiar with this? It was on an old banjo I bought

Anyone familiar with MATAO banjos?

eric@banjohangout.org — Tue, 7 Feb 2012 20:32:33 CST

Here's a prime example....all I know is Japanese made in same factory with Alvarez,Ibanez,etc. This one looks really cool! If I were a bit closer to Palo Alto, I'd probably give it a try myself.

http://www.gryphonstrings.com/instpix/38083/38083.php#

Mystery banjo looking to find out what it is and how much its worth?

eric@banjohangout.org — Tue, 7 Feb 2012 17:58:50 CST

Mystery instrument

eric@banjohangout.org — Tue, 7 Feb 2012 16:43:40 CST

What is this?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vega-Tenor-Banjo-/230742487585?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Sting_Instruments&hash=item35b952f221&x=36&y=8

The description and the photos seem to be in conflict. Would anyone care to postulate as to what it is and how it came to be this way..

Patent Pending Nationals

eric@banjohangout.org — Tue, 7 Feb 2012 11:47:39 CST

I don't feel so bad for paying $30 for my Shelor picks now. These cats are serious http://www.ebay.com/itm/National-Patent-Pending-Fingerpicks-Gibson-Banjo-Stelling-Huber-Deering-NR-/150751243399?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2319796c87

Tone ring question

eric@banjohangout.org — Tue, 7 Feb 2012 10:09:03 CST

I was sittin here wonderin and thinkin and, as I am on a quest for an older banjo I keep reading about folks who get a pre-war or a fifties/sixties banjo and they put a different tone ring in them. Then other folks say a pre-war or older banjo without it's original tone ring is a "red flag" when shopping. How is that I might ask. Your thoughts

Steve

Tone ring question

eric@banjohangout.org — Tue, 7 Feb 2012 09:32:06 CST

Steve

Help Identify this "Gibson"

eric@banjohangout.org — Mon, 6 Feb 2012 20:06:42 CST

Any ideas of what this banjo is? These are the only pics I have. Thanks in advance.

Do I have a Cole & Fairbanks

eric@banjohangout.org — Mon, 6 Feb 2012 19:42:13 CST

I found this little guy the other day,I'm trying to conect the dots but so far everything tells me that it's a F&C.

What do you think.

Orignal RB-3 Wreath

eric@banjohangout.org — Mon, 6 Feb 2012 17:28:30 CST

Curtis McPeake has an orignal RB-3 wreath five string

Refurbished Piccolo Banjo

eric@banjohangout.org — Mon, 6 Feb 2012 15:04:59 CST

I recently refurbished an old no-name piccolo banjo. A previous owner had embellished it with all sorts of plastic and glass doo-dads. It really was gaudy, and the work was very sloppy. Divots had been dug (literally) in the peghead and fretboard for the inlays. It was fitted with violin type friction pegs; but the pegholes were wallowed out so badly that I plugged them, redrilled and installed mechanical friction tuners. The busted skin head was replaced by one of Bill Miller's vellum processed heads. The original head tensioning system seemed to work ok; but the entire pot is only 6 inches in diameter. Adding the system with the ring reduced the effective head size to about 4 1/2 inches. With the system installed there was just not enough head left to vibrate; so I decided not to install it. The dowel was already loose; so it was a simple job to reset it. At the suggestion from another BHO thread, I installed classic Nylgut strings. The banjo is suprisingly loud; but also pretty shrill. I have seen the head tensioning system before; but I have not been able to identify who might have made it.

Future Collectable OME?

eric@banjohangout.org — Mon, 6 Feb 2012 12:45:02 CST

Are Ome Banjos a good investment, I see theres an Ome Juggernaut that's been on ebay for quite some time

This beautiful custom banjo is now for sale but seems a lot of money

http://www.ebay.com/itm/OME-CUSTOM-BANJO-FULL-ENGRAVED-BEAUTIFUL-/110821238460?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19cd75e6bc#ht_838wt_1270

Style 6

eric@banjohangout.org — Mon, 6 Feb 2012 10:09:05 CST

What are the style 6 Gibson Flathead Tenor conversions worth? Do they make a decent Banjo?

Battle of the 60's/70s non Gibsons

eric@banjohangout.org — Mon, 6 Feb 2012 05:47:28 CST

Calling all bluegrass 60s/70s Vega or Fender owners! Or even better owners of both...
recently I've been admiring the two banjos brands below for their affordable, quirky looks... I need some help working out which has better 'keeper' potential.
So the two specific suspects in question are...

Vega Pro II / VIP / Scruggs
VS
Fender Artist

As far as I can tell both seem to sell for roughly the same $, both have an infamous multiply rim, and both look radically 'different' to a Gibson.
So which one would win the fight over tone, volume, playability, neck intonation etc...?

Any ideas?

Sonny's Granada - The story

eric@banjohangout.org — Sun, 5 Feb 2012 21:21:23 CST

I know there have been a couple threads on Sonny's Granada banjo but does anyone recall which magazine or book Sonny first told of being at Tom McKinney's and first playing the banjo and purchasing it? was it Frets or Banjo Newsletter or maybe in a book?

Washburn "tomcat"

eric@banjohangout.org — Sun, 5 Feb 2012 12:14:20 CST

I just disassembled a Washburn masterclone that's been laying around for a while. I had never seen a ball-bearing pot on anything but a Gibson before. BHO helped me identify it as a B-21 Mystic. I thought a couple of pictures of the bb system may be interesting to some members. The last pic is of the spring loaded cylinder.

Top Tension clones...

eric@banjohangout.org — Sun, 5 Feb 2012 11:24:04 CST

We all what Gibson banjos served as role models for the "Masterclones" of the

70´s,and the elusive TT wasn´t one of them...were any MIJ TT´s,true to orig specs,ever

produced..?..I don´t recall any sightings...ever...McUtsi

Silver Bell Plectrum on Ebay

eric@banjohangout.org — Sun, 5 Feb 2012 10:00:32 CST

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Bacon-Bacon-And-Day-Silver-Bell-4-String-Plectrum-Banjo-Circa-1920s-/280820833013?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item416239daf5

This has been relisted with a BIN of $1850 or best offer-2 offers declined. Serial #25390-1928

Jay

Great Televised PBS Documentary on Jim Mills

eric@banjohangout.org — Sun, 5 Feb 2012 07:42:22 CST

My friend, Jim Mills was recently interviewed by UNC-TV and it was broadcast a few of days ago in North Carolina.

This video is very well produced and the insight gained by it gives you a glimpse into Pre War Gibson Banjos as well as what Jim does for a living now, and some history on a great player and genuinely warm, humble and grateful human being that only the few who know him get to see.

You can check out the YouTube clip here: http://youtu.be/Mwcu6Kqdw00

Jim has also posted this, and other video clips that may interest Pre War Gibson Banjo enthusiasts on his recently launched website at: http://prewargibsonbanjos.com/News_Links.html

If you have good speakers attached to your computer or you own a good set of headphones, you should make sure that they are on. Not only did UNC-TV do a good job with the video editing, but the Pre War Gibson banjos that Jim plays during the interview sound like themselves in these clips through my studio monitors and headsets.

Enjoy!

Richie Dotson

http://www.AcousticBox.com

Need help identifying this banjo

eric@banjohangout.org — Sat, 4 Feb 2012 19:06:05 CST

I found a 5 strings banjo today who is stamped on the dowel stick S C THOMPSON MAKER BOSTON.

Does any one could tell me more about the gentlemen,I haven't be able to find much about him,except that he had a relation with Cole and Lange.

Thank you for the help.

Jean P

Steve Ryan Banjos

eric@banjohangout.org — Sat, 4 Feb 2012 13:45:28 CST

Occasionally I see discussion of Steve Ryan tone rings, but I wonder how many folks are playing Steve Ryan banjos? Most of them were "tribute" banjos, so they may be a little difficult to identify. When I was a teenager in Ohio, he was custom-making the best new banjos available, in many folks' opinions. His woodwork and building was as good as his legendary rings. But I don't think I've ever seen one come up for sale. (I had one back then, but it got lost along the way.) If anybody out there is playing one now, it'd be fun to know how it's doing.

Uncle Dave's Banjo

eric@banjohangout.org — Sat, 4 Feb 2012 13:15:22 CST

The following may or may not be true, but it's what I've always heard: Uncle Dave Macon left one of his banjos to Dave Akeman, aka Stringbean. Stringbean had told Grandpa (Louis M. Jones) that one of his banjos would go to Grandpa eventually. When String was murdered, the banjo, standing behind an open door, was overlooked by the criminals and it ended up with Grandpa. When Grandpa passed away, did his banjos go to his banjo-playing son, Mark? If not, who got his banjos, and where is the Uncle Dave banjo now? And what kind of banjo is it?

Position Mark at 14th Fret

eric@banjohangout.org — Sat, 4 Feb 2012 12:52:13 CST

About when did banjo makers stop fret marking at 14th fret and move it to 15th fret?

Top tension parts - 1937 TB-7

eric@banjohangout.org — Sat, 4 Feb 2012 12:36:30 CST

Hello guys:

I am putting this out in case you all have contacts for the following banjo parts I am looking for to bring my pre war back to the original specs. I still need these two items.

1. An original Nickel plated Top Tension Banjo Mute.

2. A top tension banjo wrench used to adjust the coordinator rods and the armrest bracket. It has an open end for the coordinator rod and a closed end for the armrest mounting bolts. See picture.

If you have these parts or know of anyone that has them please feel free to contact me or pass on my email address.

Thanks for your help guys.

Bill Kemp

billkemp@sympatico.ca

Tone ring stamped "FP" ?

eric@banjohangout.org — Sat, 4 Feb 2012 07:38:57 CST

I have a flathead tone ring that is stamped "FP" on the bottom. Someone had told me when I got it that that is how the "Ebbe" rings are marked which until today I had assumed to be correct. I just got off the phone with a gentleman that informed me that the "Ebbe" ring are marked differently than that. Can anyone tell me what the "FP" denotes? Thank you in advance for any help on this. Mike

Craig List 1931 Gibson tenor

eric@banjohangout.org — Sat, 4 Feb 2012 03:39:33 CST

FYI. No style stated. $2000

http://hartford.craigslist.org/msg/2832980494.html

Unidentified Gretch

eric@banjohangout.org — Fri, 3 Feb 2012 16:31:19 CST

Iv'e just found this site "Collectors Weekly" & theres some interesting Banjo items including an unidentified Gretsch & a Re-united Gibson

http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/43491-can-anyone-tell-me-what-this-4-string-ba?in=764

http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/439-1933-gibson-rb-1--mastertone-banjo?in=764

Any ideas on the Gretsch?

Bacon & Day Holy Grail for sale

eric@banjohangout.org — Fri, 3 Feb 2012 10:53:55 CST

I see this banjo was for sale on ebay last January

http://london.craigslist.co.uk/msg/2802804503.html

Going by the previous thread regarding this banjo you had better be quick I see that Polle thinks shes worth a lot more than the asking price...a lot more!!

http://www.banjohangout.org/archive/196719

Suprisingly they are still advertising it as a 1927?

I have just looked at the ebay selling last year & it sold for $14,100.00 am I missing something here?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RARE-Bacon-Day-Ne-Plus-Ultra-Silverbell-6-Banjo-1927-/160532628584?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item25607d8468

Mule headed openback

eric@banjohangout.org — Fri, 3 Feb 2012 10:38:50 CST

I got this banjo last week from a Hangout member. I like the way it sounds but I was wondering how old it might be?

Here's a link to some better pictures on Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/carsandkites/sets/72157629158701545/

I'm going to change the bridge because it seems too narrow (1 9/16) and the strings seem to have made deep grooves in the top. The fifth string nut is really tall and I'm having trouble fingering the fourth with out hitting the fifth. I hope the bridge change will help with that too.

Fretboard Journal Article on the Great Engraver Consalvi

eric@banjohangout.org — Fri, 3 Feb 2012 07:54:20 CST

Two BHO members have collaborated to write a wonderful article about the Italian artisan, Icilio Consalvi, who lifted the art of banjo decoration for many turn-of-the-century Boston makers, most notably Cole and Fairbanks. Shawn McSweeny wrote the article based on Jim Bollman's collection of banjos, letters, etc. Unfortunately, Fretboard Journal is a "coffee table" magazine that doesn't put a lot of content on its website, although what they do put on is excellent, eg, interview with Noam Pikelny. Perhaps we (Shawn?) could persuade them to allow a copy of the article on BHO. -- Howard

If Only Banjos Could Talk

eric@banjohangout.org — Fri, 3 Feb 2012 03:28:20 CST

I have often wondered if they could talk, what some of the pre war Banjos would disclose about their history, previous owners, famous venues etc

There is an amazing story of a true survivor known as "The Little Banjo" which in some ways tells its own story of survival in the trenches of World War One

http://www.dunrobincastle.com/TimeKeepers/LittleBanjo/little_banjo.htm

I understand that this may have already been discussed here as the info in the link was posted in 2004 however, It is an interesting story that I would like to know a little more about.

Did anyone see the TV documentary or have a video of it?

(Not sure if this is the right place to post this?)

I can't find anything about this book by George C. Dobson ANYWHERE

eric@banjohangout.org — Thu, 2 Feb 2012 23:15:37 CST

I have this book that is written by George C Dobson "The National Banjo Method". It was published by White-Smith Music Publishing Company, Copyright 1886. The top half of the book has a pic of george dobson and the bottom half has a pic of 7 other people "contributors to the work". The 7 other people are H. C. Blackmar, Ed. H. Hulse, H. E. Le Valley, Percy Hardy, E. D. Goldby, S. Shepard, and Matt Ballenger.

I have only been able to find 3 books by George Dobson and a "Victor" banjo and manual. Maybe someone can help me out here because it's workin on my nerves that I can't find anything. I have pictures if I can upload them.

TB2 @MandolinCafe

eric@banjohangout.org — Thu, 2 Feb 2012 15:58:47 CST

Very clean looking 2 looks to be all original and there. 2750 i think. Sorry i cant post link. Thought that sounded like a alright deal.

82 Goldstar

eric@banjohangout.org — Thu, 2 Feb 2012 12:18:19 CST

Hello everyone, just taking a shot in the dark here, I have been trying to locate a 82 Goldstar that I used to own and would like to buy it back, you guys all know how that is, but anyway it had a clouded resonator on it and the sticker inside had the name W.M.Mlinar and the serial no is 820013, any help would be greatly appreciated, I have other old Goldstars that I could trade if someone preferred instead of a cash deal, Thanks Tony

Marty Stuart and Earl Scruggs' Other Banjos

eric@banjohangout.org — Thu, 2 Feb 2012 10:17:32 CST

I got a copy of Marty Stuart's magnificent photo book 'Country Music: The Masters' as a Christmas present, and have been pouring through it lately.

Stuart, as I'm sure most of you know, joined Lester Flatt's Nashville Grass band when he was only 14. With his parent's permission, he lived with Lester and his wife, who saw to his education, socked away his wages in a savings account, and took care of him until he was old enough to go out on his own. His mother was a keen phtographer, and Marty soon took to the camera himself while still a teenager.

Over the past 40 years, he became the chronicler of the changing Nashville scene with his photos, and his pictures are outstanding. The book is the largest collection of his photo work so far; it's big, heavy, and visually stunning. (and it comes with an accompanying CD with Marty narrating tales of his subjects, which adds much depth to the pictures.

Stuart got to know everyone- he photographed the bluegrass bands, the aging country singers from the 40's and 50's, their gear, their show posters, their clothing, and knew them all. The book contains the last portraits taken of Johnny Cash, who was a close friend, Bill Monroe, Lester Flatt, and Chet Atkins. It's a very cool and engrossing book!

Of particular interest to me were his photos of Earl Scruggs. There are lots of pictures of Flatt & Scruggs, some given to him by other photographers. They are seen together and apart, and a lot of them were taken at jams, at their homes, and in other informal settings.

In one, Earl is playing an interesting Baldwin Style D at a jam in Stringbean's cabin home outside of Hendersonville. The banjo looks well played and has a set of Keith tuners on it. The interesting thing about the banjo is it looks to be a D, but it has no binding on the neck or the peghead, both of which are bound on the standard D.

Earl sold banjos from a small shop for a long time, and was an official Baldwin dealer; I'm sure this was his personal Baldwin, and must have been a custom with it's lack of binding.

In another series of shots, he is seen playing his Vega during an outdoor performance. It looked like the Vega he endorsed and had Vox style painted engraving that's clearly seen on the sidewalls of the resonator.

His old reliable Gibson is seen in several of it's iterations, and there's an excellent close shot of Earl doing his other thing- playing fingerstyle lead guitar on a Martin 000-18 that looked to be new.

Stuart photographed other photos and show posters as well, and some show Earl and Lester's own pictures that were probably in their homes. Their bus, their Manuel string ties, and other items got some attention.

There are lots of shots of Bill Monroe, Monroe's various band members, the Lilly brothers, Kirk McGee, Ralph Stanley, Charlie Louvin (holding an ancient Gibson L-4 guitar), the Carter Family, and a host of famous and forgotten country music stars.

There's some funny stuff, too. Ginger Boatwright modestly flashing Marty while sitting next to an oblivious Roy Acuff. The funniest of all is of Johnny and June- 2 photos. They are shown from the front in a typical couple shot, then from the back- John was grabbing June's butt.

I would like to take a scan of the shot with Earl and his Baldwin, but the book is very large and the picture is a 2-page spread. It was published in 2008, but copies are still around, and it's very much worth the cost... an outstanding and unique visual history of the last days of the old Country Nashville at it's apex.

regards,

stanger

Old S.S. Stewart "The Student" 5-string

eric@banjohangout.org — Thu, 2 Feb 2012 10:12:54 CST

Friends,

I just a recovered an opld ( >~ 1969) open-back 5-string Banjo that my college roommate and I used in our folk-music duo..

It has only only identifying stamp on the cross-brace inside the pot.. "S.S.Stewart "The Student"" and a stamped "315"

Is anyone able to comment on the possible age / vintage / quality / collectibility of this instrument. More sentimental curiosity than anything.. bought from a luthier / banjo-head in southern Ohio back in the day..

Pics available.. I'll try to post over the weekend..

Thanks everybody,

Regan

Mutant Cole-Laydie (Electro-Cole ??)

eric@banjohangout.org — Thu, 2 Feb 2012 09:37:21 CST

I picked up this banjo on Saturday for a reasonable price... what did I get ?

1. Fingerboard inlays, neck & heel are consistent w/ Cole Eclipse 3000.

2. Front of peghead is missing, should have the Man-In-The-Moon inlay

3. Shoe nuts are consistent w/ Cole.

4. Dowel yoke is missing, but dowel is cut to receive the Cole Eclipse-type yoke.

5. Dowel is stamped and the end is drilled to accept the Cole dowel adjuster mechanism, which is missing.

6. I don't recognize the shoes

7. Someone forced a Whyte-Laydie style tone ring onto the pot, using a metal rod to raise the tone ring & neck for some reason. Perpetrator also enlarged the dowel hole and secured the dowel end at a new elevation using a galvanized, slot-head screw. Also screwed a cheap resonator onto the pot w/drywall screws through the resonator & pot, but we're not going to talk about that.

8. Pot has serial # 24657, doesn't correlate to the Eclipse ser #'s listed on Mugwumps

I'm guessing that this may actually be a Cole Eclipse neck and pot, and that someone (crudely) put a Whyte Laydie tone ring on the Cole pot. I'm not sure about the pot serial # , though. Mugwumps says that Cole built some Man-In-The-Moon Eclipses for Lyon & Healy..... might this be one of those ???

http://www.mugwumps.com/WACole.html

don't miss this opportunity!

eric@banjohangout.org — Thu, 2 Feb 2012 09:02:41 CST

auction for a mega rare ibanez and the start price is only................$1639.05.

http://www.ricardo.ch/kaufen/musik-und-musikinstrumente/gitarren-und-zubehoer/gitarren/sonstige/ibanez-banjo-ca-30-jaehrig/v/an668951710/

Shhhh! Don't tell my wife...another Paramount!

eric@banjohangout.org — Thu, 2 Feb 2012 05:27:29 CST

Paramount Style A Plectrum

prewar vs postwar

eric@banjohangout.org — Wed, 1 Feb 2012 19:38:32 CST

I have an old 24k gold plated flathead gibson mastertone that my dad bought used in 1973 for $2,000 and was curious about some things. What year did they start making the "masterclones"? If all of the parts were made prewar but wasn't put together until after the war, does that still make it prewar? I posted a different topic in this forum "24k gold plated flathead gibson mastertone" and described the banjo I have but it's hard to research it when it's not right here in front of me. If I knew when they started making "clones" it would help a lot!

Where is this RB-75 now? Not specifically, just U.S. or not?

eric@banjohangout.org — Wed, 1 Feb 2012 17:58:01 CST

I've always loved this photograph from the cover of "Masters of the Five-String Banjo...In their own words and music" by Peter Wernick and Tony Trischka. I think at that time mid-eighties(?) A gentleman at Mandolin Bros., one of Bela's early teachers, owned it at that time. This is where I really became obsessed by a pretty gal!

Photo by: Barbara Nitke....thanks Barbara!

24k gold plated flathead gibson mastertone

eric@banjohangout.org — Wed, 1 Feb 2012 16:11:42 CST

I have a 24k gold plated flathead gibson mastertone. My dad bought it in 1973 and drove all the way from MS to SC just to get it. He paid 2000 for it but the guy said he could get 3000 easy. I have grown up listening to him playing it and I've never heard a better sounding banjo. It just goes right to your soul, gives you the chills. Every time I hear someone playing a banjo, it just doesn't sound as good to me. Even if they are playing a new gibson mastertone it just doesn't seem to sound like my dad's. I use to ask him why his banjo always sounds better than the others when I was a little girl and I didn't even know there was a such thing as different mastertone banjos. My dad recently passed it down to me and I'm learning how to play it and I've started trying to research it to find out what is so special about it. I can't find a banjo like it but I have found the parts and they seem to be pre war. The only thing that my dad has replaced is the head because he played a hole through it, the bridge, and the strings. The head was replaced again after they came out with the 5 star head and it made it sound even better! I don't have good pix of the banjo right now but I will get them on here when I can. I am hoping that if I describe the banjo, I can get some helpful info about it. It has 24k gold plated engraved hardware(very fancy). It has a checkerboard neck with an ebony fingerboard, curly maple resinator with white around the edges (not checkerboard like the other ones I've seen, which is odd), it has a flathead mastertone tone ring (24k gp I think, never replaced) one piece flange, 14k gold Bill Keith tuners on the 3rd and 4th strings. The tuners were added later and they're custom made to match the other tuners. My dad bought the banjo used and since he paid 2k in the early 70's and drove all that way to go get it, I think it might be worth something. I don't want to sell it, I just wanna learn more about it. After looking online it seems that this banjo is pieced together with all the highest quality parts. Here it is 40 years later and it sounds just as good as it did when my dad first picked it up out of the case the day he bouight it. He bought this banjo because he wanted the best of the best because his banjo was going to be a big part of his life and when he heard it he had to have it. My dad was the best banjo player on the MS Gulf Coast and has all kinds of rewards and first place trophies that he won with this banjo. I have one pic of it right now but I can't figure out how to poat it so I'll set it as my profile pic. It's a pic of my mom dressed as santa, sitting on my dad's lap in the late 70s or early 80s.

The Tennessee Ramblers

eric@banjohangout.org — Wed, 1 Feb 2012 14:36:44 CST

Great old songbook by The Tennessee Ramblers are there many collectors of these early songbooks

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-antique-guitar-lyrics-bango-book-collectable-rare-Tennessee-Ramblers-/120851152349?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c234a3ddd#ht_500wt_1054

Is 1967 Vintage

eric@banjohangout.org — Wed, 1 Feb 2012 13:46:23 CST

I find it hard to accept that an instrument made in the late 60's is "Vintage"

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ABSOLUTELY-BEAUTIFUL-VINTAGE-GIBSON-MASTERTONE-BANJO-NEW-SKB-HARDSHELL-CASE-/150747745542?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2319440d06#ht_1898wt_1270

It may just be me not wanting to accept that I was born pre vintage or does that make me a veteran

I suppose that the main selling point of this $6,600.00 banjo is that as an extra you get a $10.00 tuner a pack of strings & wait for it....... the keys to the case!!

Interesting Case

eric@banjohangout.org — Wed, 1 Feb 2012 12:51:44 CST

I've never seen a banjo case quite like this is it a rarity or have I lived a sheltered life?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/banjo-case-Vintage-anvil-style-/120852082877?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c235870bd#ht_596wt_1270

Paramount Resonator Mounts On Ebay

eric@banjohangout.org — Wed, 1 Feb 2012 11:45:50 CST

And also possibly a Paramount neck brace

http://www.ebay.com/itm/vintage-banjo-parts-neck-adjustment-bracket-mounting-bolt-and-other-items-/300658321422?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4600a1e80e

Jay