Many import banjos in the late 70s had what was referred to as "Bell bronze" tone rings. Even Stewart MacDonald was marketing their tone rings as bell bronze in those days. Tone rings are traditionally brass, so I think that was more a marketing gimmick than anything else. Only a person who actually worked in the factories in Japan would really have an idea what the formula was. Maybe Scott Zimmerman will see this post and chime in.
That's an amazing price for that banjo. No matter the tone ring you should grab it. In my opinion of course :)
I remember these banjos in the day and had friends who owned them. They were the best imported banjo in their time very high quality and sound great . All the hardware was top notch but expensive in the day . They also made a tubaphone model that was also very good as well. Price on this looks too good to be true . I'd grab it
Edited by - laguna21dc on 10/25/2025 12:46:10
