You might check out this thread that's also about Fairbanks banjos. Go here banjohangout.org/topic/409524

Restoration for sure. Where are you?

I am in the northeast Ohio area

Early Fairbankses had friction pegs like violin pegs. Ebony (live violin pegs) for lower level banjos. Celluloid/ivoroid for higher models.

Measure your peg holes VERY accurately with micrometer/calipers on front and back (to establish the taper). Same for the 5th string peg. You can buy violin style pegs new or used. Likewise there were metal-bodied friction pegs too which might be even easier to find.

Don't worry about a vintage washer. Either do without if the shoe doesn't fit so loose it rattles, or use any washer you can find that looks close.

Measure the head diameter (inner diameter of tension hoop) to find the diameter of a new head. Measure in 4 places and average the result to the nearest 1/16" inch.

An Electric was a pretty good model back in the day.

If missing inlays cause difficult fingering, use scissors to cut out some makeshirt filler pieces out of well-rinsed Clorox bleach bottle or the like. Glue with a dab of gorrilla glue.

You can make a nut from hard wood like an ebony piano key or a piece of dry cow bone. Or buy a piece from Stewart MacDonald.

Hook the thing up and pick it!

Thanks for the responses. I really appreciate them.

Is smakulafrettedinstruments.com/ still around? banjered

Bob Smakula is retired from instrument work. His restorer, Andy Fitzgibbon is working, but backlogged. He’d be the one I’d try. He’s a member here. Try a private message.

For clarification, It is correct my shop no longer accepts major restoration jobs, but I am willing to do small adjustments for local musicians.

My parts business is still active and I post instruments for sale on my website when I get a chance to finish their repairs. I also have been selling as-is repair project instruments on my website, as I know I do not have time to fix every instrument in the closets.

Bob Smakula
smakulafrettedinstruments.com


 

Bob is leaving open a space that needs to be filled.

A dealer of banjos that is not only extremely knowledgeable, but willing to do the work when something they don't know comes along. A dealer who is adding to their knowledge and not just declaring themselves expert.

Someone offering banjo work backed by a high level of experience and the ability to restore, not just remodel to whatever is currently in fashion.

Someone who has carved out a specialty (such as offering the largest variety of plastic banjo heads ever).

And ABOVE ALL, someone who is honest, reasonable, and detail oriented in descriptions and assessments of instruments.

I will freely admit to a steady amount of cringe when looking at "vintage banjo dealers" online.

Bob's listing make me smile.

Interesting, I have nearly the exact same banjo. It’s a 3 digit Electric also with the larger rim, the same inlays, and mine is also missing just a single bolt. (A square bolt being replaced with a hex shaped bolt at some point)

Only differences is mine is oak and has been kept in great condition, that said I really like the banjo and think yours would make a good candidate for restoration if you can find the right luthier.

quote:

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Originally posted by Bill Rogers

Bob Smakula is retired from instrument work. His restorer, Andy Fitzgibbon is working, but backlogged. He’d be the one I’d try. He’s a member here. Try a private message.

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As Bob says, he no longer accepts restoration jobs but is still very much involved in the business.

It is not totally accurate to say I am backlogged. I have been limiting the number of major restorations I accept, as those take quite a while under any circumstances, and I am currently devoting a lot of time to setting up shop in a new location. However, I can usually turn around more standard work (refretting, fingerboard replacement, inlay work, ect) in a timely manner. 

Matthew-would it be possible to get a photo of your neck to use as a reference for replacing my inlays? Almost every picture of a Fairbanks that I see has a different pattern.

Does anyone have any recommendations of luthiers in the greater Cleveland/ Northeast Ohio area? I am comfortable replacing the tuning pegs, nut and bridge as those do not require any modification to the original instrument. It is the inlay I would hate to screw up. I am start with Old Timer suggestion of leaving them out for now.

Is there any synthetic head materials the will work as replacements for natural skin. My concerns are not based on ethics but on humidity adjustments. I do not have the experience level yet to regularly readjust the tension. Postal envelopes are not big enough for my rim. I do have some tyvek left over from a room addition. Would it be sacrilegious to use this?

Anyway, thank you all for your input.

quote:

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Originally posted by dmcb49

Does anyone have any recommendations of luthiers in the greater Cleveland/ Northeast Ohio area? I am comfortable replacing the tuning pegs, nut and bridge as those do not require any modification to the original instrument. It is the inlay I would hate to screw up. I am start with Old Timer suggestion of leaving them out for now.

Is there any synthetic head materials the will work as replacements for natural skin. My concerns are not based on ethics but on humidity adjustments. I do not have the experience level yet to regularly readjust the tension. Postal envelopes are not big enough for my rim. I do have some tyvek left over from a room addition. Would it be sacrilegious to use this?
 

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Visiting friends and family on Cleveland's east side it takes me about 4-1/2 hours in the car. 

Though there are exceptional violin and guitar luthiers in northeast Ohio, I know of no Fairbanks banjo specialists in NEOH that are still accepting restoration work. I highly recommend, if you want the restoration to be invisible, you contact Andy Fitzgibbon. Openback banjo restoration is a niche in itself that not every luthier has a knack for. in the 35 years my shop accepted repairs, we had referrals from many other repair shops for out specialty services. And likewise, I referred repairs I was not set up to do to other shops 

For a plastic head, I recommend a Remo Fiberskyn. I have an extensive inventory and very likely have what you need. And my Remo heads are not imprinted, so the bold 1960's Remo crown logo that is on most of the heads they manufacture, is not there to clash with the 1890 aesthetic of your banjo.

Bob Smakula

smakulafrettedinstruments.com

quote:

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Originally posted by dmcb49

Matthew-would it be possible to get a photo of your neck to use as a reference for replacing my inlays? Almost every picture of a Fairbanks that I see has a different pattern.

Does anyone have any recommendations of luthiers in the greater Cleveland/ Northeast Ohio area? I am comfortable replacing the tuning pegs, nut and bridge as those do not require any modification to the original instrument. It is the inlay I would hate to screw up. I am start with Old Timer suggestion of leaving them out for now.

Is there any synthetic head materials the will work as replacements for natural skin. My concerns are not based on ethics but on humidity adjustments. I do not have the experience level yet to regularly readjust the tension. Postal envelopes are not big enough for my rim. I do have some tyvek left over from a room addition. Would it be sacrilegious to use this?

Anyway, thank you all for your input.

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Hopefully I did this right, if the photos don't show up here they should be in my profile. 
 

Best of luck finding someone to do the work, it shouldn't be too complicated as the inlay work doesn't need to be done by a banjo luthier really, you can always have the inlay work done by one person and have the banjo setup by a second. I recently had the most frustrating experience trying to find someone to make a reproduction/conversion neck for me and I hope to God you don't have the same issues I did. 
 

if you do decide to have the banjo restored I'd like to see the final product when it's complete, mine is my go to instrument when I am picking two finger style. 

The photos are great. They will be a big help.

Thanks!