Posted By: davidppp (+11) | Rate Member
$330 USD
William Lange created a banjo empire in New York City with multiple factories and labels and all price points. To keep the production line humming, he sold several models of basic banjos to Sears, which were distributed under the Supertone label.
Many banjos with Lange's design survive from that era without any guarantee of provenance. I don't know a way to distinguish jobbers' gathering of available parts from authentic Sears without a surviving paper label glued on the rim. There's no difference in sound. They're all quite perfect in their own way. The only issue is condition.?? This one is excellent with respect to playability. The finish and fingerboard are a bit weathered, as is clear from the photos.?? The head (currently medium weight skin) is 10 3/4"D, pot 2 1/4" deep, 26 1/8" scale, neck width at nut 1 1/4", and 36" overall. The frets are dressed, and the neck is straight and square with no cracks. A 1/32" shim between the neck and pot lowers the 12th fret action to 9/64" with a 1/2" bridge (for the four strings). 38 hooks (with 27 original + two other kinds) add mass and reduce rim flexing, contributing to clarity of the sound. The geared 5th-string tuner is an upgrade. The tailpiece is a period-appropriate reproduction by Mark Ralston.
The banjo could easily accommodate a shim 2x or 3x thicker than the current 1/32" if lower action were desired. (The present set-up is no problem with synthetic strings and the homemade bridge.)??
Included is the like-new Boulder gig bag (shown).
String note: Although the strings in the photos are experimental Aquila Reds, the banjo will ship with new Aquila whites (Classic Banjo Light - 2B) because the Reds finally broke when tuned up to standard pitch -- after years of faithful service tuned down a bit.
Location:
United States, Pasadena, CA, 91103
Shipping:
$75 conUS
Payment Methods:
Cash (in person), Paypal
Payment Option Notes:
Venmo OK, too
Return Policy:
Returns accepted. Buyer must contact seller within 2 days to arrange return. Refund will be given as Money Back. Buyer pays return shipping.
Condition of Item(s):
Used - Very Good Condition
Category:
Make:
???
Ad Status:
Sold
Listing No:
108696
Page Views:
1090
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