MikMac - Posted - 10/25/2025:  08:10:45

hey … I have just bought what appears to be a quite old Ashbury open back 5 string banjo, and want to know the model and age. It has an old logo on the headstock and a sing star.

It has a large star on 5th fret and a small one on the 17th fret… and a diamond shape on the 12th …

Planetary tuners …

Headstock

Pot

Full

 

Bob Smakula - Posted - 10/25/2025:  08:22:05

This banjo is not what I would call "quite old". My impression; it looks like an asian made instrument from the 1980's or 1990's. It was manufactured by an asian factory for a musical instrument importer/distributor that used the Ashbury brand name.

Not a valuable collectable, but it could be set up to be a good sounding, playable instrument.

I hope that helps.

Bob Smakula

MikMac - Posted - 10/25/2025:  08:43:15

Thanks Bob … yes … thought it was quite old but not antique. Would be interested to know when it was built and what the model is … it feels quite heavy and well built… paid £100 for it. Sold my Deering in order to raise some cash and bought this as a cheap stand in until I can upgrade again further down the line.

Dan Gellert - Posted - 10/25/2025:  10:21:20

Looks VERY similar to the Saga SS-10, which has been around at least since the 90's, and is still in their catalog-- for US$750. (!) I reckon that is full markup retail price, and includes the recently-imposed ridiculous tariffs, but you still most definitely got the better end of that deal!

Culloden - Posted - 10/25/2025:  10:41:46

My best educated guess is that it was made by, or for Saga. Everything about it looks like a Saga instrument.
Ashbury is probably a name brand used on instruments for sale in Europe. That's not a name brand I ever recall seeing here in the states.

GrahamHawker - Posted - 10/25/2025:  11:13:21

For those in the USA who want to know Ashbury is the in house brand of the Hobgoblin music instrument shops who are part of McClelland Music along with the distribution arm Gremlin Music. In the past some of the banjos had the Gremlin name. Like many others they had banjos made for them by Samick and later Dae Won and whoever made the cheap banjos in China. At some point they stopped having the real cheap banjos like this badged as Ashbury and for a long time used the name Blue Moon instead. They now seem to have dropped the Blue Moon brand. The Blue Moon model that replaced this model was branded as the Blue Moon BJ10 and now is the Ashbury AB-10. The headstock and inlay are not as so fancy on these later models. As an older model it could be made by Samick perhaps.

I'd guess that Saga are not involved in making this sort of banjo which has been widely available with numerous brands on the headstock. Something like the SS10 looks much superior - no nasty strap hooks, a better neck connection etc.

Edited by - GrahamHawker on 10/25/2025 11:18:02

MikMac - Posted - 10/25/2025:  11:44:40

Thanks fellas … I think with some new strings and set up work it will be a nice short term stand it at least … good to hear all the views .

As said, it feels like a reasonable quality basic level banjo and look forward to seeing how it is once I’ve done a bit of work on it.

Thanks again