Posted By: Brooklynbanjoboy (+82) | Rate Member
$320 USD
I'd been looking for a real short scale banjo, with a scale dipping below the 21 inch mark, for a while, and when I saw a BHO friend's advertisement on BHO in 2021, I decided to bite the bullet. The banjo arrived here on 2 December 2021.
I let the instrument sit overnight, and kept the strings that had come with the wooden tuning pegs. Yesterday morning (2 December) I took an old (and eccentric) bluegrass banjo bridge that another BHO friend builds, re-slotted it, and set it at the 19.5 inch scale position. I kind of play more in the sledgehammer than clawhammer style, so that bridge helped soften my hammer blows - though the small neck also seemed to help shift my hammer blows to something more civilized.
I cut a video on my iPhone - I think resting it against my old MAC gave that brief video a lot of background noise extraneous to my own banjo playing noise. I might try again later, but this is a nice banjo and it has the seal of approval from my wife ("It has a nice sound . . ."), so I thought I'd add this video to the mix on my Youtube channel.
I have not played a banjo set up with old wooden fiddle tuners in a long time - though, clearly, my fiddles come with those and, thus, I've not escaped from those simplest of vintage tuning pegs. They remind me of the attention one needs to pay to the shape of the wood, the mating of the tuners with the post hole at the peghead, etc. So, it's been a jog back through fine old memories for me of working to awaken the possibilities in such vintage five-string banjos.
Here's the link to the YouTube video:
youtu.be/D7l-8zPD7cc
The banjo comes fitted with 24 matching J-hooks and 24 matching nuts, and 24 matching hex head nuts and washers securing the shoes (matching) to the pot. The tailpiece is an old, well worn – probably hand fashioned – piece of work that I didn’t have the heart to swap out for a fancier one or a modern No-Knot . . . but I’m throwing in a nice little wood tailpiece (with an five-pointed Mother of Fake Pearl five-pointed star seated on the body of the tailpiece in case your fancy takes you in that direction . . .). The neck is inlaid with some MOP-type circles shapes seated on the 5th, 7th, 10th and 15th fret positions, and one diamond shape placed at the 12th fret. The perch pole is secured to the pot at the northern point inside the rim with a nice vintage piece that keeps the dowel stick positioned on the rim where it passes through the rim and is mated with the neck. A good, strong calfskin head, unmarked, is fitted neatly to the rim – the nickel plating on the rim and the tension hoop still has its shine; some light markings show the hardware’s age sand character. The five ebony tuning pegs are well fitted – the hold the string tension, and turn easily when retuning.
I’m asking $320 for this banjo – shipping/handling for CONUS included.
Foreign sales will increase the cost – including s/h fees - to $470.
Thanks for your attention.
(And Thanks to Mr. Joel Hooks for reminding me that this is, more properly, a Banjeaurine.)
Location:
United States, Durham, NC, 27703
Shipping:
s/h included in price for CONUS
Payment Methods:
Check/Money Order, Cash (in person)
Return Policy:
Returns not accepted.
Condition of Item(s):
Used - Good Condition
Category:
Make:
Bay State
Ad Status:
Sold
Listing No:
107446
Page Views:
536
