Anyone here on Banjo Hang Out ever seen or know of S SStewart with a metal rod in lieu of a wood dowel? I know of four such banjos, all which are early, prior to 1886.
This one has a 9 inch pot, approximately 22 inch scale, fret less with small tacks for professional frets.
Sorry Joe, I have not seen a lot of what I call the “experimental era” Stewart banjos. In fact, I believe the only examples I have seen are owned by you— and I’ve only seen photos.
It would be interesting to see the neck heel to see if the dowel stick has been removed. If so, it would be a later modification. I wonder how the rod has been anchored into the heel. Asian cheapy banjos have a single adjustable rod which is anchored to the neck with a wood screw through a hole in the base of the heel.
Edited by - banjonz on 09/21/2025 14:46:59
Joe Hornung is a longtime serious collector. Those banjos are originals.
Yeah, these metal rods are OEM, SSS tired a few things early one.
A little context. THE professional’s choice when SSS got into banjos were Troy NY and Clarke banjos. These had the neck bolted to the rim with no dowel.
Evidently this was a problem with warping rims or pulling them out of round (we still see this with dowel banjos and wire strings… often the true cause of excessively high action).
Frank Converse was obsessed with this, mentioning it a couple times in his instruction books and even having the “strong arm” banjos made.
Stewart would also use a brass elbow inside the rim at the tailpiece end.
Joseph Rickett (who taught Stewart) used a wooden block to support the rim.
Eventually they just made the rims heavier.
quote:
Originally posted by banjonzIt would be interesting to see the neck heel to see if the dowel stick has been removed. If so, it would be a later modification. I wonder how the rod has been anchored into the heel. Asian cheapy banjos have a single adjustable rod which is anchored to the neck with a wood screw through a hole in the base of the heel.
The 3/8" solid steel rod is threaded at one end and screwed into the heel of the neck. I know of three other Stewart banjos with metal dowel rods. Two are
pre-serial numbered (before March 1, 1883) and the other two are serial # 1292 and 1364. I believe the serial numbers indicate 1883 or early 1884.
