Used 5-String Open-Back Banjos
Maker: Bart Reiter
Year: 1989
Notes:
An early Bart Reiter Whyte Laydie Banjo.
Figured Maple neck with Ebony fingerboard.
Nicely engraved Vega Whyte Laydie pearl inlays.
Peghead facing has unaccountably lost some finish.
There is modest playing wear in the first position.
Calf-Skin Head.
Stew-Mac 5-Star Planetary Geared Pegs.
Probably the original hard case...strong and sturdy
with some ragged edges.
Maker: Cole
Year: 1895
Notes:
Striking Reproduction 5-String neck from Padouk Wood with Ebony fingerboard by Steve Sutherland.
10" Original Cole Rim from a Banjo-Mandolin.
9 7/8" rim with 24 3/4" Scale Length.
Boat Heel.
Maker: Cole, Wm.
Year: 1890
Notes:
A Largely Original Cole's Eclipse Banjo... The peghead Man-in-the-Moon pearl inlays have been replaced
and the neck refinished.
10 5/8" Rim with 27" Scale Length.
A Really Fine Players' Instrument.
Maker: Cole, Wm.
Year: 1897
Notes:
Rare Cole's Eclipse with spectacular engraved mother-of-pearl inlays [possibly by Consalvi] and carved heel.
The 3rd fret inlay appears to be a replacement. A couple of old repaired heel-cracks.
10 15/16" rim with 26" Scale Length.
Calf-Skin Head. The pot is all-original with the H&N sets apparently re-plated at some time.
A period and possibly original Elite tailpiece.
Original Grover friction pegs with ivoroid buttons.
Straight neck and good action.
Maker: Fairbanks
Year: 1902
Notes:
An Original Fairbanks 5-String Banjo
with a replaced ebony fingerboard and peg-head facing,
with added appropriate pearl inlays.
10" Rim.
26" Scale Length
Maker: Fairbanks, A.C.
Year: 1905
Notes:
An Early Fairbanks Whyte Laydie #2 banjo from 1905.
Fancy, bold and crisp pearl engraving, possibly by Consalvi.
There is some playing wear, neck has been refinished, action has been adjusted.
This banjo has The Sound!
Offered pretty much AS-FOUND, but no major issues... Good set of planetary geared pegs.
Original tailpiece, possibly by Kerschner.
Fiberskyn Head.
Very Nice double-arch hard-shell case.
Maker: Gibson
Year: 1963
Notes:
Gibson RB-170 Open-Back Folk Banjo.
Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard;
There is a little honest playing wear,
but it's all-original, ready to go back out there.
Gig Bag
Maker: Lange, Wm.
Year: 1920
Notes:
Lange Langstile III banjo, dating from around 1920.
Reproduction 5-String Neck by Intermountain Guitar and Banjo.
All-original pot.
A Vega-style brass bracket-band on a 12" Maple rim.
No metal tone-ring.
Subtle Power.
Maker: Lyon & Healy
Year: 1920
Notes:
Lyon & Healy's "Own Make"
Professional Style B.
Special Patented Tone-Ring.
Classy Presentation.
Nearly Mint and virtually un-played.
Original Bump Case also in near-mint condition.
Maker: Orpheum #1
Year: 1920
Notes:
An Original 14" Orpheum pot with a Reproduction 5-String Neck by Intermountain Guitar.
26 1/4" Scale.
"Sounds Like a Whole Orchestra"
Hard Case.
Maker: Vega
Year: 1922
Notes:
A nearly perfect 1922 Vega Little Wonder pot of 10 3/4" diameter,
with famous Little Wonder Tone-Ring.
[Compare to modern Vega Little Wonder banjo by Deering]
Beautiful curly maple and ebony reproduction 5-string neck made by
Intermountain Guitar and Banjo in 2002 and recently repatriated from Europe back to the USA.
In pristine and virtually un-played condition.
Presently is fitted with a fine calf-skin head which can be substituted with Remo frosted plastic head or Renaissance
head. Planetary geared tuners by ABM. Superior Hard Case.
Maker: Vega
Year: 1921
Notes:
Nice original Vega Regent 5-String with Little Wonder tone-ring.
10 3/4" Head size, 26" Scale Length.
A serious players' instrument that is not super-heavy.
Some appropriate engraved-pearl inlays have been added.
Modern Planetary geared tuners.
Maker: Vega
Year: 1924
Notes:
A Vega Regent 5-String Banjo.
Basically a Five-String Little Wonder.
All-Original except for the Planetary Geared Pegs.
Used, But Excellent.
Old Calf-Skin Head.
Original "Cammed No-Knot" Tailpiece.
Action is a little high.
Original Hard Case.
Maker: Vega
Year: 1924
Notes:
A prime Vega Whyte Laydie, originally a plectrum and now a fine 5-string
using most of the original neck.
Great technique by Master Banjo Maker, Dick Powell.
Maple neck, 27" scale, 10 15/16" head size.
A great [almost] all-original Vega 5-String banjo.
Not a lot of these around.
New Hard Case.
Maker: Vega
Year: 1924
Notes:
Tubaphone Plectrum #3 Converted to 5-String,
Retaining Original Heel Carving.
Conversion and Flowerpot Peg-Head Inlays by Steve Sutherland.
Original Tubaphone Pot with Replaced Nuts.
Banjo has been fitted with a narrow-spacing bridge to accomodate the slightly narrow
fingerboard profile.
10 15/16" Rim with 26 1/4" Scale Length.
Maker: Vega
Year: 1918
Notes:
A mostly original Vega Tubaphone #9 5-String Banjo.
Stamped: Fairbanks Banjo by the Vega Co.
[Surprisingly, there is no Style # 9 stamp]
10 15/16" Tubaphone rim, Fingerboard Scale length is 27".
Gold-Plated Grover friction pegs with M-O-P buttons.
Kerschner Tailpiece.
This banjo has been well-played and some time in the past
received a re-fret; probably at the same time the fingerboard
binding was replaced with white binding. The heel-cap inlay may be
a replacement.
The rim is pretty much original with the metal parts retaining much of the
original nickel sheen.
Like-New TKL Hard Case
Maker: Vega
Year: 1914
Notes:
An interesting and plain version of Vega's famous Whyte Laydie #2 banjo.
Stamped "Fairbanks Banjo by The Vega Co".
All original banjo except for the older set of planetary geared pegs.
Good neck, a little playing wear in the first position, with the odd ding and scratch
typical of a well-treated but well-played 110 year-old instrument.
Hard Case.
I love playing this banjo!
Maker: Vega
Year: 1922
Notes:
An early 1920's Vega Whyte Laydie #2 5-String Banjo.
10 15/16" Rim, 27" Scale Length.
A new Renaissance head has been installed on an otherwise original
and AS-FOUND banjo.
Neck is straight, Playability and Sound are Excellent.
Well-Played but undamaged banjo, modest fret-wear.
Kerschner Unique Tailpiece.
Original spring-loaded Grover pegs, easy tuning.
Original Hard Shell Case.
