ghinkle - Posted - 09/23/2010:  14:29:59

Any help I could get in acquiring information about this "no name" banjo would be appreciated. I do not own it, but am trying to help a friend determine whether to invest some money in it (estimate was $60) to make it playable. The friend inherited the instrument and is considering learning to play it. The only information she had was that it was purchased by her father in California sometime in the sixties or seventies. I hope the pictures are detailed enough to show the unusual square tapered nuts on the tensioning brackets and the carved portion of the neck by the 5th string.
Thanks,
Gary

Ronnie - Posted - 09/23/2010:  15:44:25

The notched heel reminds me of H.C. Dobson, but others might have used this configuration.

Marc Nerenberg - Posted - 09/23/2010:  16:38:39

Looks a lot like a Dobson to me too, or someone using a very similar design - from the late 1800's. Well worth fixing, in my opinion.

Edited by - Marc Nerenberg on 09/23/2010 16:40:47

Ronnie - Posted - 09/23/2010:  16:47:38

Looks pretty good for a mid-19th century banjo. If it were mine that arm rest would have to go,along with the cheap modern tailpiece. So many of the period tailpieces were trashed by folks trying to use steel strings.

deuceswilde - Posted - 09/23/2010:  16:55:20

I doubt a "Dobson." In fact this would be a good time to lay to rest the whole "Dobson heel shape" idea. That design was used on many different banjos. If anything it should be a Buckbee heel shape.

Perhaps a late Clarke?

deuceswilde - Posted - 09/23/2010:  16:56:07

BTW, I'd toss that armrest and avoid wire strings at all cost.

Paul R - Posted - 09/23/2010:  17:04:50

It's an interesting find. Bears some similarities to Geo. & H.C. Dobson's stuff, but not exactly. The heel has the Dobson shape. The Peghead resembles a George Dobson except for the rounded top (where the Geo. D. has a point). Doesn't resemble any C.E. Dobsons I've seen.

The hardware - bracket shoes and nuts - are unusual. Possibly made by the manufacturer of Dobsons (Buckbee/R&L?)?

From here, it certainly looks like a keeper! Doesn't look bad in the photos. Have it looked over by an expert in old banjos. Ditch the arm rest. I'd spend way more than sixty bucks on it.

Good find.

Ronnie - Posted - 09/23/2010:  20:01:05

Finding a suitable tailpiece could be a problem. $$$
Yes, sir! Give the armrest to some kid with an entry level Asian banjo or put it in the trash. You're better off without it.

Edited by - Ronnie on 09/23/2010 20:05:02

mikehalloran - Posted - 09/24/2010:  09:13:03

Use a NoKnot for now, one of Bill's nice repros that won't chew up NylGut strings. Elderly has them.

It won't be correct because you don't know the correct tailpiece. It won't be out of place, either, as it was a common turn of the century replacement 'piece.

trapdoor2 - Posted - 09/24/2010:  09:21:17

Very cool banjo. I'd put a guesstimate of age around 1870-1880 or thereabouts. The "hourglass" brackets are often associated with earlier dates and as I recall, they're on a couple of banjos dated prior to the civil war...but not on a spun-rim banjo. Also, the "water-wrench" nuts (tapered, square) are an early feature that essentially died during the 1870s. They take a special wrench that looks a lot like a clock-winding key. A modern wrench can mar and/or damage those nuts, so be careful.

The peghead reminds me of Joel's new "Converse"...

The heel does look "Buckbee/Dobson". Considering that Buckbee would make anything you wanted, it wouldn't surprise me if it was.

Regarding restoration: I would certainly ditch the armrest and tailpiece, both are modern. It needs to be properly cleaned and have a good repro tailpiece fitted. I would also pull the tuning pegs and see if the peghead has tapered holes (for violin-style pegs), this information might provide some additional data regarding when the banjo was made (and, it might not!).

The worst thing you could do is put modern metal strings on it. Gut, Nylgut or Nylon only, please. These old banjos were not designed for the high tension of metal strings.

Ronnie - Posted - 09/24/2010:  09:27:02

The No-Knot is available from elderly.com stock#P115 About $10

Edited by - Ronnie on 09/24/2010 09:29:22