I've recently acquired this W.E. Temlett The Special Mozart Model. It's a very good quality build and equipped with this unusual design nut. Has anybody seen this design before ? Over the years I have handled a fair number of Temletts but, up to now, none of those were equipped with this style nut. There may of course be a reason for that !
I'm not sure it's repairable but I'll certainly give it a go.
I will also add that there is no roller on the 1st string
I've never seen anything like that! It looks like a half-spool with a wire center. Like you might stack spools depending on the width needed.
Edit: now I see the full roller in your second set of pix. It is a roller nut! That makes more sense. Same as a modern roller nut.
Both ends need to support the axle, so they need to be solid. I guess you only get the middle ones rolling.
Edited by - trapdoor2 on 03/23/2023 03:47:51
That looks like the bridge wood split just before that last slot and then fall off. I would look into getting a new nut. That doesn't look stable.
Please note that the banjo is an openback and has a tunnelled 5th. so it's a 4 string nut. See photo 2 in my 1st post.
I have never seen anything like that on a banjo. Definitely an early roller nut.
Really interesting since I have only seen that concept used on much much later electric guitars with whammy bars on them.
I guess the designer of that nut was figuring that a roller nut would prevent those really thin gut strings they used back then from wearing and breaking at the nut.
After more than 50 years of collecting and handling musical instruments, I find it amazing that almost every day, something I have never seen before crops up.
That nut you have looks restorable, or at least reproducible using the original metal parts.
Thank You for showing us that unique item.
Recall reading somewhere that Temlett applied for a patent with F Langham for a roller nut in the late 1890s.
quote:
Originally posted by nickllRecall reading somewhere that Temlett applied for a patent with F Langham for a roller nut in the late 1890s.
Thanks Nick that's great. They applied for the patent in 1898. I'm still puzzled by why there is no roller on the 1st string.
A new record for me I've just spent 4 hours unblocking the 5th string tunnel.
Edited by - Stephen John Prior on 03/23/2023 09:33:34
quote:
Originally posted by Alvin ConderI have never seen anything like that on a banjo. Definitely an early roller nut.
Really interesting since I have only seen that concept used on much much later electric guitars with whammy bars on them.
I guess the designer of that nut was figuring that a roller nut would prevent those really thin gut strings they used back then from wearing and breaking at the nut.
After more than 50 years of collecting and handling musical instruments, I find it amazing that almost every day, something I have never seen before crops up.
That nut you have looks restorable, or at least reproducible using the original metal parts.
Thank You for showing us that unique item.
Totally agree with you Alvin. Certainly keeps things interesting.
I've seen one before on a Temlett. Wish I had saved the photos. I've also seen some odd British nuts with little bone pips holding up each string.
Although Telett did use a roller nut. this one looksto me like a repair job. t seems pretty obvious that string slots lots have been moved, and not very well. If it's mostl yoriginal, it can probably be repaired.
If it isn't or if it can't be repaired well,I 'd say the heck with it and replace it with something more standard. One doesn't see these most likely because they were too expensive to make and the idea didn't go over well with buyers, so it was dropped pretty early.
Edited by - G Edward Porgie on 03/23/2023 13:54:08
I had to cut the bone nut on this Mozart banjo back halfway to get the intonation right so suspect it may originally have had a roller type.
quote:
Originally posted by nickllI had to cut the bone nut on this Mozart banjo back halfway to get the intonation right so suspect it may originally have had a roller type.
Neat. Sort of a reverse Sydney Young style :-)
Temlett and Langham went to the trouble of patent but examples are rare. Could steel strings be the reason ? I'm still wondering why there is no roller on the first. Maybe not enough timber on that end of the nut ?
Edited by - Stephen John Prior on 03/24/2023 08:47:43
Just a theory. Since the missing roller would have been under the 4th string, this would be to facilitate the raising of the 4th one step to D. As any classic era banjoist knows, raising the 4th is a problem as the string still takes time to settle in. The constant raising and lowering could also saw down the notch.
I had a John Grey that had the 4th string friction peg with a small clutch thing that would loosen when you lowered the string. I think the idea was to reduce wear on the peghead hole.
quote:
Originally posted by Joel HooksJust a theory. Since the missing roller would have been under the 4th string, this would be to facilitate the raising of the 4th one step to D. As any classic era banjoist knows, raising the 4th is a problem as the string still takes time to settle in. The constant raising and lowering could also saw down the notch.
I had a John Grey that had the 4th string friction peg with a small clutch thing that would loosen when you lowered the string. I think the idea was to reduce wear on the peghead hole.
Sorry Joel to be clear. There are only rollers on the 4th, 3rd and 2nd strings. The 1st string roller isn't missing, it never had one that is what I'm intrigued by.
I can't help but envision a monster-sized Farsidish cartoon character towering over a very guilty looking tiny kitten with maxed-out hamsterlike cheeks, "cough up that wheel Fuzball, or your future will involve heading up the archtop project!"
Until this post, the only roller nut I'd seen on a period instrument was on a L&H-built "Arling Shaeffer" banjo.
