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Jan 24, 2025 - 10:38:55 AM
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cliffc

USA

14 posts since 6/17/2022

Hello all! I picked up this banjo at a thrift shop today for $50(!)

At first glance, looking at the peghead, it looks like a pre- Vega AC Fairbanks.. but upon closer inspection, there are some curious and confusing (to me) features.

Some details :

- 11 1/2” pot
- 26” scale
- 40 (??) hooks (!)
- hex bolts, as opposed to slotted screws for the shoes.
- engraved hoop/rim

Also.. the pot ISNT spun over in brass/nickel. Instead the (possibly) mahogany pot had what looks like a thin walnut veneer. Hmm.

Not sure if this is a piece meal thing…did they remove the metal?

Also what’s up with the neck adjuster? Or lack thereof. It doesn’t have the classic shoebolt fastener thing.
And the heel shape is odd and doesn't seem to match.  So I have doubts that it is a Fairbanks.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Still wanna put a head on it and see how it sounds. Plus, look at that tailpiece ??


Edited by - cliffc on 01/24/2025 10:41:04

Jan 24, 2025 - 11:02:31 AM

28473 posts since 6/25/2005

Not a Fairbanks. Maybe Rettberg & Lange. The hex bolts look awfully new to me. Definitely no attempt to keep it in or close to original. That said, you stole it. Nice going.

Jan 24, 2025 - 12:58:14 PM
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2497 posts since 5/19/2018

Good score!

The tail piece alone is worth almost twice what you paid.

String it up with nylon strings, no steel strings and enjoy!

Jan 24, 2025 - 1:18:55 PM

csacwp

USA

3478 posts since 1/15/2014
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It looks to be from the 1880s-1890s. Not a Fairbanks, and I don't think it's a R&L, either.

Jan 24, 2025 - 1:53:24 PM

175 posts since 9/27/2014
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Buckbee?

Jan 24, 2025 - 3:14:27 PM

John Yerxa

Australia

109 posts since 9/13/2021

It's nothing special, I'll. give you $75 for it :)

Seriously, cool thrift shop find. The elaborate tension hoop should be a giveaway as to maker, but I don't know who. I would want to look in detail at the pot/neck connection before I strung it up, looks like it could be quite loose, and yes, nylon strings.

Not sure what's 'unusual' or 'unmatching' about the heel shape. Hex bolts are the norm.

Jan 24, 2025 - 4:31:05 PM

cliffc

USA

14 posts since 6/17/2022

John,

I guess the heel looks stubby or something? and not like ones I’ve seen in that era.
 

I have couple other banjos with hex bolts (Stewart and George Washburn), but they were nicer and labeled, so it seemed odd on an unmarked one since they must be more expensive. Also, why 40??? So many turns to get that head off 

Also the reason I thought Fairbanks is because it looks very similar, although not exactly like this one. At least the peghead and neck shape closely resemble it.

vintage-instruments.com/shop/b...oston-ma/


And oof, indeed the heel/neck is a little loose but I think the end screw just needs torqued up a bit. Ugh not sure what to do with the crumbly adjustor tho. :/

Edited by - cliffc on 01/24/2025 16:32:51

Jan 24, 2025 - 10:10:23 PM

deke46

Australia

195 posts since 8/30/2009

I think the "crumbly adjuster" is actually a wedge which secures the neck to the rim, if it`s damaged replace it, overtightening the end bolt will only strip the end of the dowel stick.

Jan 25, 2025 - 5:58:01 AM
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8667 posts since 9/21/2007

Seriously, we need to break the “everything is Buckbee” habit. Historical accounts disprove this. Yes, Buckbee made a ton of banjos and provided parts for even more, but accounts say that pretty much everyone with a workbench were turning out the same banjos.

This, to me, does not exactly look like a NY banjo, but it still could be. Doesn’t look like anything known to come from Buckbee.

Could be nice. Replace the wedge, use thin nylon strings, and avoid the temptation to put on gear tuners. If you don’t want to play a banjo from this era, sell it to someone who does.

Jan 26, 2025 - 3:53:29 AM

2087 posts since 1/13/2012

It doesn't look like a Buckbee, or a Rettberg & Lange. Hardware looks original.

The neck shaping has more of a Boston than a NY look to me, but it's not a Fairbanks. Boston seems to have had a few Buckbee-like shops (ie. making unmarked banjos for private label) though they didn't turn out nearly the volume that the NY shops did.

Jan 26, 2025 - 6:59:43 AM

cliffc

USA

14 posts since 6/17/2022


thanks Andy.  I do live in Maine and I believe this came from a local estate, so a Boston (or Maine) maker makes more sense.   The peghead and neck seems closer to Fairbanks or Gatcomb than Buckbee or R & L and if there were local custom builders , it seems likely,  but of course we'll never know!   Should be a fun project regardlessl
 
 
 
 
quote:
Originally posted by Andy FitzGibbon

It doesn't look like a Buckbee, or a Rettberg & Lange. Hardware looks original.

The neck shaping has more of a Boston than a NY look to me, but it's not a Fairbanks. Boston seems to have had a few Buckbee-like shops (ie. making unmarked banjos for private label) though they didn't turn out nearly the volume that the NY shops did.


Jan 26, 2025 - 7:03:57 AM

cliffc

USA

14 posts since 6/17/2022

yeah looking forward to hearing it strung up with nylon. It was horrifying to see old steel strings on that ebony tailpiece, but it seems to have survived!   
 
and it has my favorite classic Grover patent 88 tuning pegs so they aren't going anywhere ;)
 
 
quote:
Originally posted by Joel Hooks

Seriously, we need to break the “everything is Buckbee” habit. Historical accounts disprove this. Yes, Buckbee made a ton of banjos and provided parts for even more, but accounts say that pretty much everyone with a workbench were turning out the same banjos.

This, to me, does not exactly look like a NY banjo, but it still could be. Doesn’t look like anything known to come from Buckbee.

Could be nice. Replace the wedge, use thin nylon strings, and avoid the temptation to put on gear tuners. If you don’t want to play a banjo from this era, sell it to someone who does.


Jan 26, 2025 - 1:59:19 PM

1258 posts since 12/8/2006

Cliffc, Hopefully you will make a donation to that thrift store in appreciation for your "score".

Jan 26, 2025 - 2:11:16 PM

1387 posts since 1/30/2019

It looks like JB Schall (or JB Schall parts for a different maker) to me from peg head, wedge brace and heel. (And what I can see maybe neck profile too)
I have two Schall banjos. Both have round / ball shoes though.
But lots of cleverer folk than me haven't suggested that, so that makes me think I must be wrong!

Edited by - Andyrhydycreuau on 01/26/2025 14:11:30

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