un5trung - Posted - 12/30/2011:  12:51:20

This estate sales company calls this a "frailing" banjo, so they don't know much.  They told me they only pass on what the estate tells them.  So it's not a frailer, but is it a cello?  They describe it as 17-fret, but tuned to CGDA.  I'm not the expert here, but my understanding is that 17-fret banjos are generally tuned GDAE.  Both 19-fret tenors and cellos might be tuned CGDA.  And I'm no mathematician, but it looks like this has 19 frets.  I'm guessing a 19-fret tenor with a 12" head, but perhaps someone here knows more about a:

CELLO 4 STRING 17 FRET 1920s PARAMOUNT SCHOOL OF MUSIC FRAILING BANJO

URL: bit.ly/sh3uev

Description below --

The official description is:

We are pleased to offer this Scarce early 20th century (17) fret four string cello frailing style banjo, which was the property of the Paramount School of Music ca. 1920 to 1930. The School is somewhat of an enigma, as even the experts cannot seem to place it. Here is what we have found; "Paramount School" might mean almost anything, but there is speculation that, based in major part, on the fact that the banjo is quite austere and with no maker's mark, that the Paramount School may have been a correspondence music school that offered banjo lessons and a banjo to go with it during the early to mid 1920s. The Scarce four string cello banjo, was tuned CGDA in the same range as a cello or mandocello.

Billyjimbob - Posted - 12/30/2011:  13:44:14

Hi...I would bet that the Oscar Schmidt Stella tenor in the pictures has a 10 3/4" rim and not 12"..The listing says 13" width but I am sure that they are giving the width of the resonator..Not sure why they would call it a scarce cello banjo when it appears to be a very common tenor..Maybe the Paramount School emblem would have some significance to someone but I doubt if the seller will be able to retire from the proceeds of this item...

mikehalloran - Posted - 12/31/2011:  06:21:35

>I'm not the expert here, but my understanding is that 17-fret banjos are generally tuned GDAE.<

​No. That tuning didn't become popular till the mid 1970s when there was a resurgence in Irish music and the banjo players tuned this way to play fiddle tunes without transposing. Yes, I know The Dubliners were doing it in the '60s but this tuning didn't become popular anywhere else till much later.

​17 and 19 fret tenors were tuned CDDA. Same as a viola or mandola. Although we call it a tenor, technically, it's an alto voice. Originally, these were known as tango banjos as they doubled the melody and it is thought that 'tenor' is a corruption of that. The oldest commercial instruments date to 1912 but they really didn't take off till after WWI when they became the rhythm instrument in jazz bands.

​The banjo in the picture is a tenor, 11 13/16" - 12" pot sizes aren't unusual. The neck isn't nearly long enough for cello tuning which is an octave lower. 28" is a good scale length for that. In addition, the neck has to be wider to accommodate the thickness of the strings.

​This is just another case of an uninformed seller who read something on the internet but, otherwise, has no clue.

Edited by - mikehalloran on 12/31/2011 06:27:19

erwindink - Posted - 01/06/2012:  13:36:22

The Gold Tone CEB4 Cello Banjo has 17 frets and is tuned CGDA. Are you saying that is will also be an octave higher than a cello? I wonder if this cello can use the same strings that come on the Gold Tone.

I'm a a cellist considering buying a cello banjo. I was attracted to this ebay listing because of the price.

un5trung - Posted - 01/06/2012:  13:41:46

I doubt either of these are cello banjos. The auction house either doesn't know or figures that they have a hook with the term "cello."