Anybody have any knowledge of B&D Silver Belles with clover cut outs in resonator instead of the usual ff. There appears to be wood sides to the resonator instead of the sloping metal.
Thanks in advance for any insights,
Ryk
See below - is this the type you mean? The first is a Special #2 (non Silver Bell) from the 1930s. The second is a B&D-made Gordon from the same period.
I think most silver Bells from the 1920s had f-hole shaped cut-outs ( like the 3rd photo below - a 1925 Silver Bell # 2) or even simple round holes.
Edited by - jbalch on 06/02/2023 16:12:05
Thanks John,
Those are the cutouts but resonator side is wood. Nicely done.
Does that banjo have a silver bell ring? Looks like the type of resonator often seen on a Senorita.
Thanks again John. Checking out Senoritas on the web that's seems tp be the resonator I'm looking at. The banjo may just be an unusual blend of B&D Whatever. It's a 17 fretter that has under gone a dowalectomy and had it replaced with control rods. I'm looking at it as a fun tenor for Irish and Fiddle music. This would not be going into any museums. When you're back to having heads available I'll want another like the calfskin I got from you for the 1916 Fairbanks-Vega 17 fret 9 X open back. What a Wonderfull sound that has. Thank you.
I doubt this is a Silver Bell, but if it is, it's been heavily modified. That resonator appears to be from one of Bacon's lesser models.
Here is a banjo I built with a resonator and flange from a Senorita. It has the same flange as yours. If the neck has 17 frets then it's a mystery. I have only seen B&D tenor banjos with 19 frets. Some of the early Bacon tenor banjos had 17 frets but they weren't marked B&D, they just said Bacon.
quote:
Originally posted by CullodenHere is a banjo I built with a resonator and flange from a Senorita. It has the same flange as yours. If the neck has 17 frets then it's a mystery. I have only seen B&D tenor banjos with 19 frets. Some of the early Bacon tenor banjos had 17 frets but they weren't marked B&D, they just said Bacon.
Some of the early B & D's did, in fact, have 17 frets. I have seen a few.
If I recall, Paramount introduced the first19 fret tenors.
Bernunzio has a 17 fretter on sale now: bernunzio.com/product/bacon-an...et-28713/
That's interesting. Not only had I not seen a B&D tenor banjo with 17 frets, I had never seen a 17 fret tenor banjo with a resonator before.
Mark ... here's another one in the classifieds. If the seller were open to shipping to the states I would have been interested even though it's an arch top: banjohangout.org/classified/99428
That one is modern made. I can see a current builder using features that differ from tradition. I just hadn't seen any old banjos with a resonator and 17 frets.
Clovers are typically associated with lower end banjos, and never true Silver Bells.
Probably a Senorita or a Special.
There were Sultana Silver Bell No 1’s with cloverleaf cut outs.
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