Hi Everyone, Thanks for letting me join this discussion group.
I have inherited 5 string banjo which I believe was owned by my grandfather or grandmother. I would love to know more about it and whether it is of any value.
It has a plaque on the rear that says Geo. P. Matthew, Soho Hill Works, Birmingham. The wood seems to be in very good condition.
Hopefully somebody on this forum can help me?
I have uploaded several photos to my profile page.
Thanks in advance.
quote:
Originally posted by DaveB123Hi Everyone, Thanks for letting me join this discussion group.
I have inherited 5 string banjo which I believe was owned by my grandfather or grandmother. I would love to know more about it and whether it is of any value.
It has a plaque on the rear that says Geo. P. Matthew, Soho Hill Works, Birmingham. The wood seems to be in very good condition.
Hopefully somebody on this forum can help me?
I have uploaded several photos to my profile page.
Thanks in advance.
Welcome to the BHO Dave. That's a very nice thing to inherit. You have a Matthew zither banjo most likely made circa 1900. I'm sorry but zither banjos are of little value. The tuners though are very unusual and I am interested in how they work. It's a five string with a tunneled 5th string. I presume that each string is controlled by opposing tuners. Is that the case ? The rest of the banjo looks really nicely made and in particularly good condition. Would you mind posting your photos to the Matthew group here please. Zither banjos are strung differently with a nylon/gut 3rd which gives them their unique sound. Clifford Essex sells sets here in the UK. Thank you for posting.
Thanks for your rapid response, Steve. Do you know how I can post photos to the location you suggested?
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Originally posted by DaveB123Thanks for your rapid response, Steve. Do you know how I can post photos to the location you suggested?
If you go to your homepage and click on a photo you will see a small green box beneath the photo which says link to group click on that and select G P Matthew. Regarding value assuming there are no structural problems, neck straight, good frets and set up with the correct strings and bridge I imagine the value to be around £200. I'm very intrigued by those tuners when you have time to check them.
I, too, am interested in how the tuners work. My initial guess would be that five of the knobs are there just to make the peghead symmetrical, which is a departure from the more common zither banjo convention of just one dummy knob (three per side).
Edited by - Andy FitzGibbon on 05/21/2025 02:35:38
Andy, Steve, I have checked the tuners and they work in pairs, ie, if you turn the left hand one, the opposite one turns with it.
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Originally posted by DaveB123Andy, Steve, I have checked the tuners and they work in pairs, ie, if you turn the left hand one, the opposite one turns with it.
Thanks Dave. I've never seen the like before. The engraving makes them particularly attractive.
