This 1917 Orpheum No. 1 tenor banjo (SN 4180), made by Rettburg & Lange, was one of the best-selling banjos of its time. These solid intermediate level 17 fret tenor banjos were highly respected for their top notch build quality. The Rettburg & Lange company also built the legendary high-end Paramount banjos.

The pot and neck are primarily made of Bird’s Eye maple. The five-piece maple and ebony maple neck, with a three-layer overlay, has great inlays and fretboard markers. The green color from the mother of pearl is great! There is a nice rim cap on the heel. Nut width is 1 ¼”. The headstock still houses it original friction tuners.

The 11 ¼” pot has the original head with 24 tension rods and hooks on a grooved tension hoop. The raised tone ring creates great tone and projection. Has a ‘No Knot’ tailpiece.

Four small imperfections to note.
1. There is some fret and fingerboard wear on first three positions.
2. The fill around the inlays and the lacquer on the headstock are slightly raised.
3. There is a small section of wood on the headstock missing under the low tuner.
4. The friction tuners take a little time and effort to get them just right, but they hold fine once there.

Because this 108-year-old banjo is all original (except the strings and bridge), I decided to leave it as is and not change the tuners. Replacing the friction tuners with more modern geared tuners involves drilling out the headstock for larger holes meaning you can never go back to the friction tuners if you desire to (as some folks prefer that setup with nylon strings). I’ll let the next owner make that choice. Comes with the original case which is in good shape. These banjos sound great for Irish tenor music. Perfect for a fiddle or mandolin player looking for an additional voice with the same tuning.

Happy to send other pictures, answer any questions you have, or set up a zoom/facetime meeting. Feel free to message me through the hangout.