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I just picked up a Vega Whyte Laydie No. 2 from a yard sale with serial number 92057. The serial number on the pot matches the dowel stick and most everything appears to be original from what I can research. Neck appears to be in good shape with a chip out of the tip of the headstock and some white binding missing near one side of the top of the neck. Missing the 5th string pip too along with a few of the tension hooks are missing and one shoe. Grover tuners and Presto/Grover tailpiece.
Is the consensus that this banjo is worth restoring? If so, who would be a good luthier? Would anyone recommend sourcing parts and trying to get it playing without professional help? I am trying to decide if I want to make the investment or pass it along. Thanks for any advice!
Edited by - harrisiv on 09/18/2026 22:00:51
That's a very late Whyte Laydie. Cool find.
The original 5-string Presto tailpiece is worth $400+ on its own. Repaired, the rest of the banjos is worth upwards of $2k, maybe less given how weak the current market it.
Ideally, it should be strung with light gut or nylon strings. That is how it would have left the factory.
I don't think Vinnie is a good pick to work on this banjo. He's a four-string guy and might provide bad advice concerning the neck angle, setup, etc. I'd go with Andy FitzGibbon in Elkins, WV. It's worth shipping the banjo to someone who knows what they're doing.
Looks like a new skin head and strings would get it playable. It’ll require a shorter bridge than what’s common now. Like probably 3/8”. A chunk knocked off peghead and missing binding is just cosmetic. Any century old instrument is gonna have some boogers and knocks and dings. A plastic head is easier to install in some respects, but opens up issues of the aluminum collar interfering with neck and tension hooks sometimes. Goat skins loose are cheap on eBay and Amazon, and likely many videos on YouTube how to install. I’ve done many, and if I can, you can.
Bob smakula can sell you plastic head with the bulky alum collar peeled off for extra fee, which is well worth it. Then your chances of neck to collar or tension hooks sometimes interferences is less. Any local store that does repairs would likely give you a short piece of old binding, and Duco cement is dirt cheap to glue on with. Or, if you have can of acetone laying around a little of that on back would glue binding on.
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