jeffee - Posted - 07/24/2026:  11:16:40

My dad bought this banjo about 20 years ago to replace a really old (1950's) one he had all of his life.
He bought it in a music store in Eastern Ohio. all the guy told him was that it was "custom made"

The only markings i can find are a W/V logo on a tag inside the case. (Might not even be related to the Banjo)

Pix below - it's very Ornate! Some gold flakes on the headstock seem to be peeling off, but the abalone is still good!

thanx in advance.

jeffee - Posted - 07/24/2026:  11:22:13

More Pix!

Edited by - jeffee on 07/24/2026 11:24:31

jeffee - Posted - 07/24/2026:  11:26:58

not sure how to post more photos...

Edited by - jeffee on 07/24/2026 11:28:59

jeffee - Posted - 07/24/2026:  11:32:24

more pix

neck carving

backside

headstock

front side

 

The Old Timer - Posted - 07/24/2026:  12:03:36

It looks vaguely Asian (esp. the two piece veneer on the back of the resonator), or more likely some American's personal effort to assemble a personal copy of an old Gibson banjo using parts on the after market and perhaps some personal wood working skills. It looks like a pretty good effort using good woods and metals, at least from the photos.

The W C mark on the leather thing indeed have nothing to do with the banjo, I should think.

It's a rough approximation of the pre-war Gibson "Bella Voce" pattern of inlay on the fingerboard. The Eagles carved in the heel and inlaid in the peghead suggest it might have been made around 1976, the year of the Bicentennial.

If you can take the resonator off and post some photos of the inside of the pot, you might get some more information. An individual builder might have left his mark inside.

The "gold flakes" you mentioned are the sprayed-on finish that has been yellowed by sunlight and oxygen. It's not unusual for such flaking to happen after decades of aging.

Do you play? Do you like the sound and feel of this banjo?

In general we would call it a Gibson Mastertone copy, or for short, a Masterclone. There are thousands of them in existence.

jeffee - Posted - 07/24/2026:  12:24:37

Thank you for the info! That makes sense.. It actually sounds great and is very loud (louder than I was expecting!)
I don't play banjo - but I have a "Martin D-41 Special" and can play a mean acoustic rhythm! My heroes: Carl Story / Osborne Bros / Lewis Family....

BanjoLink - Posted - 07/24/2026:  12:58:39

To me it does not look Asian at all, but of course could be wrong. Although the West Virginia tag has nothing to do with the banjo itself, since you are in Ohio, it could very well have been made in WVa. Take of the resonator and see if someone had put their name or mark inside the rim.

Bill Rogers - Posted - 07/24/2026:  13:49:14

Just a thought. A 1950s banjo is not “really old.”