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guitarhavengh - Posted - 06/16/2021: 14:26:59
Howdy y'all,
My name is Cheryl. I work for a small independently owned music / guitar store in West Michigan. We purchased a lot of vintage banjos and I am having difficulty identifying some of them . We purchased them from the wife of a gentleman who collected, repaired and built banjos his whole life. He and his wife are wonderful, interesting people. Unfortunately he has passed away. She has become a dear friend, but she knows very little about the instruments.
This particular instrument has a fleur de lis inlaid in head stock and a carved heel. I have attached 3 pictures but could certainly provide more.
I have several banjos to try to identify. I am not sure about the guidelines and do not want to overload ;)
I am wondering if you have suggestions for information on identifying old unmarked / no name banjos. I love the research!
I sure appreciate your time and expertise.
Cheryl
G Edward Porgie - Posted - 06/16/2021: 14:40:30
Welcome. I think you'll find that most people here will do their best to help you.
Right now, I can't identify this one. A few more photos would be helpful. Please show the back, back of the neck near the 5th strung tuner, the inside where the neck attaches, a close-up of the back of the peghead.
If you have other banjos you wish to identify, it would be best to show them one at a time in different posts. Same suggesting for pictures.
guitarhavengh - Posted - 06/16/2021: 14:55:02
George,
Thank you so much for your prompt and kind reply. I appreciate the advice!
I have attached more photos!
Andy FitzGibbon - Posted - 06/16/2021: 16:07:36
The neck was made by Rettberg & Lange of New York city. I can't say for sure from the photos, but there are some signs that the neck and the rim are not original to each other. That is not uncommon in the banjo world.
Andy
tdennis - Posted - 06/16/2021: 17:57:45
I think that neck brace was used on Gretsch banjos at one time, & may be related to the pot. The extra hole on the dowel was most likely from the original brace for the Lange neck. (my best guess)
Edited by - tdennis on 06/16/2021 18:01:50
G Edward Porgie - Posted - 06/16/2021: 19:53:26
The change of neck attachment hardware indicated by th extra screw hole indicates that this was probably put together from two or more different banjos. The tuners don't look original, and the tailpiece probably is a replacement, but those parts are changed many times by many people on many banjos.
This one looks nice, and may sound good, too, even though it appears to be a parts banjo.
Culloden - Posted - 06/17/2021: 07:40:06
As stated, the neck is Rettberg & Lange, the neck brace was used by Gretsch, and the rest is an assortment of old parts. That is not so uncommon if the gentleman in question was a banjo builder and repairman. The tuners are Grover friction pegs, one of several designs that they made. The tailpiece is an Elton. The 38 brackets suggests that the pot may, or may not, be a Supertone which could be made by several companies.
guitarhavengh - Posted - 06/17/2021: 08:35:40
Oh my goodness you people are awesome! I am very grateful for your help! I have several others to upload if it's not too much trouble.
thank you again!!
mike gregory - Posted - 06/17/2021: 09:00:15
Yes, we (as a group) are awesome.
I see the Outhangers as over one hundred and twenty-three THOUSAND "spare brains", ready to think up solutions to ANY problems.
guitarhavengh - Posted - 06/17/2021: 09:30:50
What is the best way to determine a value for a "parts" banjo?
I am great at finding the info on vintage and rare guitars. The banjos are far more difficult!!
Culloden - Posted - 06/17/2021: 11:17:47
There is no good way to determine what a parts banjo is worth. Usually the pot is the focal point when determining value but we have not had anyone positively ID the pot. My suggestion that it might be a Supertone pot is not conclusive. Hopefully someone more expert than me will recognize the rim and that may offer a better idea of its value.
BanjoLink - Posted - 06/17/2021: 14:18:21
The banjo has a lot of eye appeal and if it is a good player, it will certainly affect the perceived value. It will definitely be a player, as opposed to a collectable. Someone on here, like Andy and others will be able to give you a price range/
G Edward Porgie - Posted - 06/18/2021: 08:51:49
The nut appears to have been replaced badly (it looks crooked to me). That won't help playability, but it would be pretty easy to fix that. At least it's been strung with nylon. Steel strings can damage these old banjos.
After checking the pictures again, I think the tuners could be the originals, but I have doubts.
Eye appeal will be the biggest selling point.
Feel free to ask about your other banjos (one at a time, of course).
