Here’s another one for those in “the know”…
I have an August Polmann Royal Professional banjo as indicated in the ivoroid disc inlaid in the fretboard. It is marked G L Wild and Bro, Washington DC.
We know Polmann was a seller of banjos made by others and, I assume, Wild was a distributor or music store.
I’d love some insight as to who actually made this banjo.
Thanks!
Mike
Sorry about the thimble under the fifth fret tuner. Didn’t see that before I posted the pic??
I know that there has been blind speculation about private label makers, mainly "Buckbee made everything", but the fact remains that any joiner of that era with a workbench and set of tools would be more than capable of turning out banjos.
So it is not that far of a reach to think that Pollman, Ditson (Haynes) etc, were having them made, (in whole--or also just assembly and finish work) in their own shop.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Privacy Consent (EU/GDPR Only)
Copyright 2026 Banjo Hangout. All Rights Reserved.
