Any comments appreciated
No markings
Fairbanks? Early Vega?
Not Washburn. Not Vega. Not any "brand".
Could be a NY jobber such as R&L or Chicago, or who knows?
The "inlay" is an off the shelf fingerboard used by a few different jobber manufacturers. It is a veneer that has been punched through with other punched out pieces to make the "inlay" (I can't tell from your out of focus and dark photos but many of these were celluloid). The veneer is most likely acid-iron dyed maple that is beginning to deteriorate.
This pattern fingerboard can also be found in a screen print version. It is commonly seen as used to dress up very low end level banjos to sell at a higher cost. Think super cheap pac rim guitars with lots of inlay to cover up the cheapness.
I'd recommend not spending very much on it. As it stands... $75-$150. Any cost of repairs (which would include replacing the crumbling fingerboard) will far exceed the monetary value were it in very good condition.
Interesting. It has an actual fretboard, 1/8" thick, which to me makes it better than the lowest end ones I have seen. Other than setting it up and throwing some nylgut strings on it I have no plans to put any money in it. I have enough high end banjos of the period that keep me happy, Dobsons and an SS Stewart Special Thoroughbred, plus later Vegas, Bacons etc. But I think banjos such as this have their place in history. Probably a Jobber, and sold under different labels. The headstock has some similarity to Cole and Fairbanks, but not their quality. Paid very little, and it will certainly make a nice period display piece.
Clear photos of the rim and the rim hardware could help ID the banjo.
As Joel mentioned, the inlay came from a manufacturer that supplied many low end banjo builders. The same as the Vietnamese suppliers of shell decorated fretboards and peghead overlays of modern times.
Like Joel, I have seen this inlay design made from shell and metal wire as well white celluloid. Many of the white celluloid decorated banjos I have seen were made by Oscar Schmidt.
Bob Smakula
A few more pictures
Yep, celluloid, zinc rim deforming under the cheap hex brackets.
You might look close and see the that fingerboard is actually two pieces laminated together, one punched through. This was a common method.
Unless it’s playable as is, it seems you have a wall-hanger. Assuming you found it around where you live, I’d suspect Schmidt’s the maker, rather than one of the Chicago companies.
125+ year old piece of history. I paid $50, and the tailpiece is worth more these days. I'm anxious to string it up and see how it sounds. My feeling is that more common banjos such as this will increase in popularity along with higher end banjos such as SS Stewart and Dobsons of the period. Ones like this one, that have interesting designs on the neck, will be sought after. Supertone Banjos have a following.
I definitely get the Oscar Schmidt vibe from the banjo. The only thing that prevents me from a positive ID is the peghead shape. I have not seen one exactly like it before. But my mantra is "the only consistency with old banjos is the inconsistency."
For $50, I probably would have snagged it.
Bob Smakula
smakulafrettedinstruments.com
It looks to me like the skin head might be mounted the "wrong" way around the flesh hoop - ie the trimmed edge is on the underside of the head. Is that a thing? How would you even do that?
I've had an Oscar Schmidt banjo ukulele with this peghead. This instrument would actually be a fun project to get it up & running at a minimal cost. Forget fixing up all the dings, dents, dullness, & missing inlay. Refurbish this thing with minimal effort & expense, & when you play a song or 2 on this remnant of a banjo, you will feel some little bit of joy.
quote:
Originally posted by John YerxaIt looks to me like the skin head might be mounted the "wrong" way around the flesh hoop - ie the trimmed edge is on the underside of the head. Is that a thing? How would you even do that?
You'd be surprised at how many strange ways folks have mounted hides. I'd reckon that method would actually be easier to do than the "right" way. Lay the wet hide, top side down, flat on your bench, center the flesh hoop on top of it, and fold the edge over the hoop. You'll probably need to put a few little weights on there to keep it in place all the way around. Set the banjo rim down on it, hold the hoop and hide in place, and turn the whole thing over. Now you can put the tension hoop on, without all the bother of pulling the edge up between the rim and tension hoop.
It would also be more secure in that particular situation (where you have a small, round flesh hoop, and a thin, slightly oversized tension hoop). Look at the side shot of the rim-- If that head had been mounted in the conventional fashion, the flesh hoop would likely have been pulled up underneath the tension hoop, and the hide unwrapped itself from around the flesh hoop there.
The drawback, of course, is the extra layer of skin on the bearing edge, which will have some negative impact on tone.
Adjusted, Set up, Nylgut strings, Nice sounding banjo, total investment, $65
