Hoping for an educated guess on who
might have made this banjo. Maple neck and spun over maple pot. Not bad inlays, 10 1/2” pot, 26” scale. I got it with peg tuners and a no knot, which I don believe are original. Any thoughts appreciated.
More photos to follow.
More pics
Rettberg and Lange. Looks very similar to many of the Supertone banjos I’ve come across.
Rettberg & Lange was my first thought as well. I restored an R&L very similar to this one recently.
I sure wish someone was able to put some documents behind the R&L association.
I do believe that R&L are likely the maker, but I am not sure that has every actually been supported by documentation such as catalogs or known marked banjos from Lange with similar tooling marks and fabrication styles.
Part, overlays, etc. were sourced from the same places and used by makers. That is not a reliable way to attribute makers.
quote:
Originally posted by Joel HooksI sure wish someone was able to put some documents behind the R&L association.
I do believe that R&L are likely the maker, but I am not sure that has every actually been supported by documentation such as catalogs or known marked banjos from Lange with similar tooling marks and fabrication styles.
Part, overlays, etc. were sourced from the same places and used by makers. That is not a reliable way to attribute makers.
I've seen a couple of these marked Rettberg & Lange, with a celluloid tag similar to the one seen on early Orephums. Not many... it seems to have been as uncommon as the "JHB" stamping on Buckbee instruments.
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