I have an old Orpheum 1 (1925) open back 5-string, very heavy. Somebody had put in a long Seeger-type neck (a cheap one) before I bought it 30 years ago. That neck has got to go. The Orpheum is supposed to have an "old-timey" sound and I like it, but am not quite sure what an old-timey sound is. The Orpheum metal rim is of course brighter than a pot with no metal rim at all.
What is the advantage of a shorter neck when a normal neck can be capoed? One advantage is that at age 77 the long reach to the tuners is harder than it used to be.
Yes, I know it's just a matter of personal opinion, but I'd like to know what the experts think about the Orpheum tone. Is it comparable to Whyte Ladyes and other banjoes of that generation? In tyhat case it might be worth the expense of a simple (cheap) neck without ornamentation, if there is such a thing. (Hate Gold Tones).
Could just put the old thing aside and take up the uke again (bought in college in 1950) but I hate to do that...
Would appreciate any feedback.
PS Interesting, the 50's Seeger craze. College kids in tweed jackets (like me) singing "Dark as a Dungeon way down in the Mine" and "Which Side Are You On, Boys" when they had never belonged to a union or been down in a mine. But his book taught a whole generation how to bump-ditty the banjo.
