Looks like a 6 string, just looking at the headstock. We'd need more pictures to be able to help you.

Please take pictures of the neck, pot (front and back), and any dings, dints, cracks, etc.

I think you have a five string banjo with places D-tuners were attached to the headstock but have been removed. The bump out on the neck is where it is missing the fifth string tuner. I can't see much else but I like what I see and I am curious about how it sounds. When you get it playable, play a tune and post it for us to hear.

I agree it's a 5 string with added holes for Scruggs type D tuners, which have been removed.

From the single picture showing the pot, it's missing most of its metal parts, unless you have disassembled it already. Of course it's missing the 5th string tuner also.

This impresses me as either German, or perhaps a kit somebody put together themselves. The inlays give the impression of "stock" items that used to be widely available for doing your own inlays.

Crap shoot whether it's capable of being restored and if it would be worth the cost after you're finished.

quote:

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Originally posted by The Old Timer

I agree it's a 5 string with added holes for Scruggs type D tuners, which have been removed.

From the single picture showing the pot, it's missing most of its metal parts, unless you have disassembled it already. Of course it's missing the 5th string tuner also.

This impresses me as either German, or perhaps a kit somebody put together themselves. The inlays give the impression of "stock" items that used to be widely available for doing your own inlays.

Crap shoot whether it's capable of being restored and if it would be worth the cost after you're finished.

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To my eyes it looks home made (but I could be wrong). If it was German, one would expect to see a 'zero fret' just behind the nut. I cannot see one mainly because of the quality of the photos.  

Need pictures of the sides and back. We want to see how the neck is attached to the rim. If there's a resonator covering the back, take it off and shoot some of the inside.

The neck looks like it might have been the maker's first, but they definitely had good woodworking skills.

The pot (body assembly) is the question. I'm guessing it's a lot older than the neck, and factory-made, but your one straight-on shot manages to avoid giving me even the slightest glimpse at any hardware, so that really is just a guess. The quality of the pot, and how the neck is fitted to it, are the most important factors in determining the tone.