Check this banjo out in action and pay no attention to the singing (wrong key for me...)

youtube.com/watch?v=VFpiY12kso...Af07EBpdA

Selling to fund a new neck--otherwise I would not be parting with this baby. I've always been a big fan of the Gibson Kalamazoo original five strings. I've owned several of them but to my dismay I've never owned one that had a completely straight neck. I had a Kalamazoo tenor sitting around and so I decided that I'd wait for a five string neck to come along that would match the pot. This banjo is the product of that marriage!

I've been around banjos all my life and I can tell when a tenor will sound great as a five string conversion. I came down across this one and I knew right away that it was a real winner. It sounded a lot like a Style 11 tenor that I considered converting at one time of day. Anyway…

Kalamazoos are very underrated and they have a totally unique sound. Benton Flippen and Doc Watson played them all their lives. They had numerous opportunities to upgrade but they stuck with their old Kalamazoos. And I know why--they produce a sound that you simply cannot get anywhere else.

I can assure you that this one is exceptional.

Pot is all original including tailpiece (except for one thumb screw.) Resonator and rim are a bit worn but shows no delamination. BRAND NEW Goth tuners all the way around (nearly a $100 value in itself.)

Set up with a Ren head and bone insert Grover Bridge—I’ve had this on several Kalamazoos before and prefer this setup. Kalamazoos can be a bit brash due to the thin rim. The Ren head kind of adds a bit of "EQ" to the sound mellowing out both the highs and the lows a bit. I added the Bone insert bridge to liven up the sound a bit. It really has a vintage sound to it with this setup--see the video.

Neck is a Heartwood and matches the pot as well as you could hope for. I had considered sanding down the peg head overlay and adding “Gibson” in pearl script but I will leave this to the next buyer’s discretion.

This one has the 5/8 inch rim. My experience is that these thinner rims on the right banjo with the right setup contributes to a sound that is loud and bright and that’s exactly how I would describe the sound of this one. It’s clear, articulate and responds well to a light touch. Even without a tone ring this one will cut and penetrate. No tone ring means very light weight. You could play this one all day and not be bothered by it.

Loud, bright, and poppy. Sparkles down the neck as well. If one were inclined to add a tone ring then I think this banjo truly would be all that anybody would ever need. I've priced it so that you can add a tone ring and have a nice genuine Gibson pre-war conversion for under $1,000. Now where are you going to find that?

Nechville armrest NOT included. She will be packed well and shipped in a hardshell case.