the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction...5014c579c
Coming up for auction here in the UK.
Trawling through the auctions yesterday I came across this once fine quality banjo.
Very sad.
Do you think you can revive it?
I love SSS banjos and it is no surprise when I say I am a huge fan of his work, but he had no taste when if came to fancy banjos.
quote:
Originally posted by Joel HooksI love SSS banjos and it is no surprise when I say I am a huge fan of his work, but he had no taste when if came to fancy banjos.
I once heard Stewart's style of fancy inlay decoration described as "clown barf".
The later 3s+ banjos look like space invaders to me.
Stewart was not a fan of fancy fingerboards. He wrote that small squares to mark the positions were enough and if they fell out you could still play it. Also, easy to replace.
That is why we see so many TBs with minimum fingerboard inlay but are otherwise fancy, peghead, heel carving, engraving on the rim…
But.. in his work Observations on the banjo and banjo playing, the woodcuts are made from photos of his hands and you can just make out butterfly inlays on the banjo fingerboard.
I saw this too. Not an example of the 'less-is-more' school of design. But it's probably worth someone's time and effort to restore.
Edited by - Pomeroy on 09/29/2023 06:33:52
i personally love this over the top design. If i was closer and it was cheaper to get into the us I would buy it and have it restored.
im looking into makeing a play for this, but wondering if i could even import it? looks like a variety of woods and wondering if anything there would be hard to import?
I would love to own it myself...the pot is GORGEOUS and though the inlay and peghead shape are a bit rough/tumble, it's still cool.
I can't imagine the issues importing it though - my understanding is even MOP is an issue these days and although it looks to be rosewood free, one can't be sure.
I thought SSS was an early "denier" of any glue being able to adquately secure MOP into a fingerboard.
quote:
Originally posted by Joel HooksI love SSS banjos and it is no surprise when I say I am a huge fan of his work, but he had no taste when if came to fancy banjos.
I agree. Inlays were 'clunky' and much of the other ornamentation was just way over the top.
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Originally posted by kylebim looking into makeing a play for this, but wondering if i could even import it? looks like a variety of woods and wondering if anything there would be hard to import?
It's a Made in USA antique so it can be imported but I would get your local Congressperson's staff involved to shepherd it through — yes, really. You don't want anyone in Fish & Game or US Customs making independent decisions that get in the way.
Are you sure this is a genuine SSS somehow looks like an English banjo Who was that maker in the UK who forged Stweart banjos - the font on the dowel stick and the placement of the serial number has me wondering along with other details
Any clues
Mike,
Having just 'reclaimed' a made in the usa instrument, this is a lot more complicated than one might think.
Blake
quote:
Originally posted by John Firth-SmithAre you sure this is a genuine SSS somehow looks like an English banjo Who was that maker in the UK who forged Stweart banjos - the font on the dowel stick and the placement of the serial number has me wondering along with other details
Any clues
That would be John Brewster.
I also have my doubts that this is a genuine S.S.Stewart. I wonder if the serial number is stamped on the inside diameter of the rim.
A fretless banjo, with a back bow in the neck, and a twist in the neck.
Just a heads-up for anyone considering bidding that this auctioneer has a hefty 36% buyer fee. So add just over 1/3 of the hammer price to the total costs (including shipping) when deciding what to bid.
For those querying the presence of a rim stamp, just ask the auctioneer for additional photos.
Even if this banjo isn't economically restorable to playable condition it has a pizazz that, with a bit of care, would sit well on display somewhere.
I've only ever handled a few 80's S S Stewarts and have some doubt about this banjo. The inlays are certainly not of the quality and economy I would expect on a Stewart from this period. Also the fingerboard looks much thicker than others I've handled. The dowel stamp looks odd. The heel carving also looks wrong to me. The 40 hook !! pot looks of English manufacture to my eye particularly the bracket bolts.
Having owned a Brewster over stamped Stewart myself it certainly caught my eye.
Brewster was a undoubtably a rogue and I wouldn't put anything past him.
If the neck warp could be addressed it could well be worth restoring if only as a slice of unsavoury banjo history.
Just posting a few photos for comparison.
The dowel should be stamped S.S.STEWART, not STEWART. Also, the abbreviation for Philadelphia is different.
The professional frets (side markers) appear to be a bit lower than normal.
The metal heel cap isn't right but could have been replaced, same with the wedge plate and bracket bolts. The heel craving could be Stewart but nothing else about the neck looks like Stewart to me. I believe the hook nuts are correct for that serial number range. The neck wood appears to be figured maple, that's rare for Stewart.
And the metal engraving could very well be a Stewart pattern.
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Originally posted by joe28675The metal heel cap isn't right but could have been replaced, same with the wedge plate and bracket bolts. The heel craving could be Stewart but nothing else about the neck looks like Stewart to me. I believe the hook nuts are correct for that serial number range. The neck wood appears to be figured maple, that's rare for Stewart.
And the metal engraving could very well be a Stewart pattern.
Thanks for posting the photo of the engraved Stewart pot Joe. I'm now even more convinced the pot is English.
Edited by - Stephen John Prior on 10/01/2023 08:48:40
Just to update for the curious: this morning's hammer price was £1000. Add the buyers premium at 30% (inc. VAT) and that's £1300 ($1594) to pay.
The bidding frenzy (5X the auctioneers estimate) has 'American buyers' written all over this sale in big letters, so I guess add shipping to the total cost too.
A tad high on what appears to be an English pot and a disputed neck? It would seem to be a crowning irony if Mr Brewster had pulled off yet another costly deception from beyond the grave. During his lifetime fraud was certainly his characteristic carte de visit.
Edited by - Pomeroy on 10/12/2023 06:16:33
quote:
Originally posted by PomeroyJust to update for the curious: this morning's hammer price was £1000. Add the buyers premium at 30% (inc. VAT) and that's £1300 ($1594) to pay.
The bidding frenzy (5X the auctioneers estimate) has 'American buyers' written all over this sale in big letters, so I guess add shipping to the total cost too.A tad high on what appears to be an English pot and a disputed neck? It would seem to be a crowning irony if Mr Brewster had pulled off yet another costly deception from beyond the grave. During his lifetime fraud was certainly his characteristic carte de visit.
I'm interested in rim engraving styles and the engraving on the auction banjo looked very English to me. I've attached some examples of high end London made banjos to compare. I've also added examples of bracket nuts and numbered fret markers similar to those on the supposed SSS. Add that all to the number of brackets and I am pretty certain it was English made.
Here's another example of a London engraved rim. Less fancy. This is on my 13" fretless J.E. Dallas.
Edited by - Pomeroy on 10/13/2023 08:37:48
