Craigslist banjo. Opinions
SotR
other sign of a brand. But this old banjo looks kinda cool. What would
you offer?
He is about 80 miles from me so I don't want to make the drive for
nothing. I can do much of the work it appears to need but I can't do
fret or other major neck work. I asked him about the condition of the
neck, awaiting a reply. I could do a fret resurface but that's about
the extent.
I told him I was not looking for wall art, I want something that can
be rehabilitated into a player. But I don't have a shop or a lot of
instrument tools. I do have some banjo experience having done all the
routine maintenance on my Deering Golden Era and I have work space for
the real dirty stuff like refinishing etc. But if the frets are
trashed or lifting up or the neck is warped etc. It's beyond my
abilities and for a no name instrument probably cost prohibitive.
Any input is appreciated.
SotR
rfd...@optonline.net
I'd ask him for a few more pictures, like inside the pot, down the neck, the
peghead, to name a few. It might very well be worth fixing up. As for how much,
I'd probably offer him fifty bucks.
Twibil
>
> I have contacted the seller and he said he can't find any marking or
> other sign of a brand.
There most likely isn't any. Despite the '20's art work on the head,
it's a turn-of-the-century (E.G. 1900), bottom-of-the-line-cheapie "No-
Name" 5-string. You could get banjos just like it via mail order
(Sears & Roebuck, among others) for around $5.00 back then.
> But this old banjo looks kinda cool. What would
> you offer?
The banjo is missing at least one tension hook, has patent friction -
not geared- tuners, has no trussrod (adjustable or otherwise), and the
old calfskin head very probably needs to be replaced.
It's going to cost you circa $100 for geared tuners, a replacement
hook, and a new head, even if you do the replacement work yourself.
You'll also need new strings and a 1/2" bridge, and odds are that the
neck is nowhere near close to straight anyway. Further, you'd have to
check the pot to make certain it's still perfectly round after all
these years. They frequently aren't, and you can't fit a modern
plastic replacement head onto an egg-shaped old banjo pot. (You
*could* fit another calfskin head, but they're expensive, difficult to
install, and are finicky about temperature and humidity variations.)
Lastly, these things were commonly built with a zero-degree
relationship between the pot and the neck, which yeilds an average
action of circa 1/4" at the 12th fret, even if the neck *is* straight.
That's awfully high by modern standards, and the light thin pots they
used on these things do not deliver the crisp snappy sound most modern
players hear in their heads when they imagine the sound of a banjo.
(Think quiet, sweet, and mellow.)
I'd say unless you're specifically *looking* for an authentic old-time
5-string, and aren't particularly concerned with good tone, volume, or
modern playability, it's probably best left to someone who's looking
for a wall-hanger.
Sorry.
~Pete
SotR
Thank Pete and everyone. By the picture it does look like wall art. I
don't particularly want an old banjo but I thought if he took a few
bucks and it was fixable at least to a modicum of playability it might
be neat. He sent me a few "are you still interested" messages so I
know no one is making any offers. Still have not heard back about my
neck question. I have no other reason to drive south so I'll probably
just pass.
SotR