TT Great Lakes Banjo

Premier Sponsors

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue, we will assume that you agree to our privacy policy which includes details of cookie usage. Hide this notice

Great Lakes Banjo Co.

Join This Group

All things Great Lakes!

36 Members, Created 1/22/2012 -

Administrators: Tonecaster (owner)

< Back to Home

From Stringbean45 on 7/10/2016 8:07:38 PM

Hi all,

I have just aquired a Top Tension Great Lakes Banjo thanks a lot to the information I found from this Group.

I didn't know much about the Great Lakes Banjos, and started doing the research on the internet, and found this group.

I got the banjo in the mail yesterday, and am happy as I can be with it.

It was Dan Bump's Banjo, who has passed on, and I got it from his wife. I am wondering if this is one of the two banjos that Great Lakes Company gave Bill Keith for helping to promote the Great Lakes Banjos. I know Bill, and Dan were great friends, and developed the Scruggs Type D-tuners together.

The Banjo has a lot of oxidation on the metal parts, and I am wondering if it is best to leave it, or clean it up? I really don't want to take it all apart to clean it, as it sounds so good as it is. I also don't want to leave the oxidation on it if it will destroy the plating. Any suggestions?

4 Comments
	JAFO says: 7/11/2016 4:53:55 AM Hi, I am forwarding the link to this thread to Thierry Schoysman. He is, in my opinion, one of the most knowledgeable folks on these 12 (now 11) banjos. He has one, and was playing Bill's for us just a few months back. Bill's is in very similar condition to yours. Photos might be helpful.
	Tonecaster says: 7/11/2016 6:20:25 AM Mark Zimmerman was an owner and builder of the Great Lakes banjos. He too has a TT. Contact him at mzimmerman19@gmail.com . He helped me with my two Great Lakes banjos and is quick and helpful with information. - Russ
	Thierry Schoysman says: 7/11/2016 9:15:19 AM Hi. Congratulations with your Great Lakes. And thanks to Tom for letting me know. Bill Keith sold one of his two original Great Lakes top tensions in Paris to a luthier. That must have been in the late seventies. I contacted this guy a few years ago to know what happened to that banjo. He admitted having taken it all apart and used the parts on different instruments. So, that's minus 1 :( I bought my Great Lakes top tension about 25 years ago. Mine doesn't have that occidation problem. Maybe because of a different climate? I don't know. Greetings from Belgium. Thierry
	Stringbean45 says: 7/11/2016 10:22:26 PM Thanks Guys for the comments, and information. I sent Mark an email, but haven't heard back from him yet. Thierry, I guess your information lets me know my banjo wasn't one of the 2 that Bill Keith had. I was hoping it was, and that would make 2 well know prior owners. This banjo doesn't look like it was played all that much, little if any fret wear, no 5th string capo, or spikes in the neck. The head doesn't have any Trademark on it that I can find. If I knew how, I would post some pictures of it on here.
Post a Comment
You must be logged in and a member of this group to post a comment.

	Great Lakes Banjo Linked by Tonecaster 8 years ago
	(untitled) Linked by Tonecaster 8 years ago: Bishline repoduction neck for a Great Lakes banjo.
	(untitled) Linked by Tonecaster 8 years ago: My friend Brian's Great Lakes Presentation banjo made in 1976.
	VERY RARE GREAT LAKES "PRESENTATION" 5-STRING with KEITH TUNERS, c.1976 Linked by Tonecaster 8 years ago
	Great Lakes Blue Ribbon Banjo Linked by Tonecaster 10 years ago
	(untitled) Linked by Tonecaster 10 years ago
	(untitled) Linked by Tonecaster 10 years ago
	(untitled) Linked by Tonecaster 10 years ago
	(untitled) Linked by Tonecaster 10 years ago
	(untitled) Linked by Tonecaster 10 years ago