Hi All,
New to this forum, but wanted to check in and see if there is any interest in a 1928 Bacon and Day Tenor Banjo - Peerless model. I replaced head and tuners, but I have original parts. I was also curious of what the price of these instruments are fetching these days. I will attach photos shortly.
$700 and that's high, $500-$600 is more reasonable. Demand is dropping.
Edited by - jan dupree on 05/22/2022 10:41:59
Thanks for the response. Greatly Appreciated.
The tenor market is down. If you have a 5 string it would sell faster and for more money just because of the type of music played on the various types of banjo. The tenor is more for Irish music and ragtime jazz.
Thanks for the response.
Actually, the tenor market is the best it's been for decades, because of the current popularity of Irish music.
People are starting to buy tenors again, and several manufacturers are now making them.
But . . . the majority of people who frequent the hangout seem to be 5 string people, and a lot of the "Irish" players seem to be turning up on Mandolin Cafe instead. This is largely due to the fact that tenor banjos and mandolins are both tuned in fifths.
So, if you're interested in selling a tenor, you can certainly post it in the hangout classifieds, but I would also recommend posting it in the Mandolin Cafe classifieds also. I sold a Vega tenor there about three years ago, and got a fair price for it within a reasonable amount of time.
The Stateside 4-string market has been in the dumps for a long time, but it's much stronger in Europe. All the tenors and plectrums I've sold in the last few years have ended up on the other side of the Atlantic, with not the slightest hint of interest from folks in the US (except for one tenor which someone bought as a 5-string conversion project). $500 would be a bit optimistic for that model over here, but if you're willing to ship internationally, your chances of selling it will improve significantly.
I had a bacon peerless tenor that was converted to 5 string by italian top luthier Silvio Ferretti it was a great instrument, I sold it years ago but it was a great mistake!
here you can see it
reverb.com/item/12172849-bacon...anjo-1927 I guess the prices have dropped in the last 5 years. This one is only $500.
The Peerless is a low-end model. Hence prices in the $500 range. Still, even plain Bacons were good, well made banjos.
Edited by - rcc56 on 05/22/2022 15:33:03
Note that if you decide to price it and sell it, you’ll need to place a classified ad. You can then open a discussion in the Swap Shop forum.
Jeez, so many comments from people who don't know what they're talking about. I specialize in the repair and restoration of tenor banjos. This forum is great for me because people come here and if it doesn't have 5 strings it's not worth anything. I wonder how many of these people have been to the American Banjo Museum?
The Peerless is a great tenor banjo, especially for Irish playing. I lost a friend to Covid who played one that I setup for him. I can't see the name Peerless without feeling a little sad.
I did not say that the Peerless was not a good banjo. However, it was a lower end model and therefore brings less on the market than a Silver Bell.
Just like a Vega Little Wonder brings less than a Tubaphone. And like it or not, the market is still such that 5 strings will bring considerably more than tenors or plectrums.
And old rosewood style 28 Martins bring more than mahogany style 18's from the same period. And big ones bring more than small ones. Which suits me fine, because I like smaller instruments, and don't have to pay as much for a 00-18 as I do for a D-28.
Sorry to hear about your friend, Dan. I recently lost my neighbor of the last 35 years due to the same causes. He was a nice fellow and I liked him very much.
Edited by - rcc56 on 05/22/2022 19:02:49
One of these days, the "Irish" players are going to figure out that old Bacons, Vegas, and Paramounts are much better banjos than new instruments that cost twice as much.
When that happens, a Peerless tenor will bring a lot more than it does now. When will it happen? I don't know. The market generally follows what the most prominent players are using on stage.
Large pot Tubaphones seem to be gaining in popularity right now. I expect them to go up in price first. Since they didn't make them in large numbers, I suspect the standard size Tubby's to follow close behind. Bacons will probably take longer, unless a leading player starts to tour with one.
Edited by - rcc56 on 05/22/2022 19:48:29
quote:
Originally posted by DSmokeJeez, so many comments from people who don't know what they're talking about. I specialize in the repair and restoration of tenor banjos. This forum is great for me because people come here and if it doesn't have 5 strings it's not worth anything. I wonder how many of these people have been to the American Banjo Museum?
The Peerless is a great tenor banjo, especially for Irish playing. I lost a friend to Covid who played one that I setup for him. I can't see the name Peerless without feeling a little sad.
It's not that they are not worth much. It's just the demand is so low that it keeps the prices low. Unless we see a lot more Bands like "Devil Makes Three" come on the scene with a large following, or a Band on par with Mumford and Sons that use a 4 string tenor, the prices are not rising . The Devil Makes Three - Gracefully Facedown (Live On KEXP) - YouTube
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