15 years ago I acquired a No. 2 Fairbanks Senator from Roger Sprung. Roger's well known for his Banjo expertise and teaching skills. The Fairbanks was a bit of a fixer upper, but i replaced half the missing abalone neck inlays, as well as the Rosewood headstock overlay and missing inlays. When I finished it up i took it to Clifftop. Roger even autographed it for me. It's a keeper for sure!
I learned that slotted screws were all that was used up to 1951,(when restoring a 1950 Fender Broadcaster,serial #00223!) this is when when Philips head screws first became available to the public, having been developed during WW2 to aid high speed production.
Back in the seventies I used to go to the Galax Va. Old Time fiddlers convention. These old banjo were everywhere for sale. Now it's getting hard to find decent one. There was five maybe six sellers had tables set up under tents which also had a good many of different banjo and old fiddles. It sure was fun browsing through them. I still have just one Banjo left from that time. A 1926 vega little wonder...
My first banjo was an old Lyon & Healy that I had brought to me sight unseen. It was described as “half fretted,” which sounded great as I wanted to play fretless. It arrived...and what it had was the first 13 frets and nothing down the neck. The action was painfully high and the sound with metal strings was harsh as all get-out. I found that a simple rotation of the dowel fixed the action (lucky break). I eventually got a better banjo so I took this to an instrument maker friend and had him remove the frets and put on a piece of ebony. With Nylgut strings it has a great sound and I love playing it.
At a Vermont thrift store in maybe 1986, I traded a cheap plectrum banjo (I got in Hong Kong) for an old silver tone with a replacement drone string tuner visibly glued in. Not much of an instrument but it’s my banjo and I like to play it.
Wow, you are the Rembrandt of music through banjo. Is there anything that takes you away more than sunshine on the front porch and repetative playing, mesmorized, hyptomised hit by the light over and over in the sunshine ... damn I see it ...
Those are very similar to one that I put back together a year or two ago. Found it in the attic of a local antique shop for $22. Head was tore out, bridge and tailpiece missing, along with one of the hooks.
Kind Thanks Clifton! I’m a guitar player mostly, have. Banjo and one in a box I bought at a public sale looking much like these,,,if I recall correctly. Been meaning to fix it up for a loooong time. I am a furniture maker and restorer of period antiques. Now I’m going to get that box of banjo and get it working! Ive also used old mother of pearl buttons to replace inlays and old piano keys. Years back I explored an old fallen down house with a fancy rosewood case, circa 1860. It was falling apart but I retrieved a handful of the ivory covers from the keys, mostly lying on the floor. Anyway, Thanks for finally making me get to that box of banjo! I also tan some deer hides into rawhide and leather. Would deer rawhide work for a head? Music, Pickin, and Jumpin about when doin it! DaveyJO in Pennsylvania
I need to get you some photos or video of a cheap old no-name banjo I have. To my untrained eye it’s turn of the century. Have it w metal strings on but am inspired to switch to “gut.”
You have some of the best content on RU-vid Clifton. I would really like an old banjo like one of these Stewarts as I've been a collector of old axes for quite some time and owning a piece of history feels great. However I'm a broke college student and can only spend around $300-400 max for my first banjo. Is it even possible to find something similar to these around that price?
Ashton, $400 is about the bottom-end for a playable antique banjo. Occasionally you can find a decent 1880s Buckbee, Oscar Schmidt, Sears & Roebuck, or similar brand of "mail order" banjo that can be had for that little. S.S. Stewart and Lyon & Healy even made low-end banjos that sometimes surface for $400. For $200-$400 you can get a new or lightly used Recording King "Dirty 30s" banjo. These are made in Asia, but probably the best cheap banjo for the money.
Yes Ashton, Recording King has been making banjos for a very long time.. The Recording King R--35 is a great Resenator banjo.. Going to get one myself and put nylon strings on it..
I think we all have played or got a sears, Montgomery ward stringed instrument from their catalog heydays, we’re any of their banjos worth having or sought after by collectors
Hey so I picked up this banjo that claims to be pretty old and I cant right find much info on it. Hermann Sonntag parlor banjo would be the name. No heel cap and slotted screws. It has double scoop buckbee style peg head and 10 inch pot. Any other info you or anyone e else might have on this banjo would be great. I got this one to pass down to my son but would like to know more about it so we both know.
Great videos!! Ive only been learning for a couple of years the banjo and found your channel and all the content very inspiring🙂👍🏻🪕. Thanks! What tuning if I may ask was the banjo tuning on the last song you did in this video?
i have one Deering and a gold tone and a morgan bajo the morgan is pretty good vs deering and gold tone and its made in CHINA. NOT SO MUCH DIFFERENCE ON 5.000USD AND 800 USD there is but not like you might think it is
Updated data: I got a banjo one state away(Durango) from mine(Coahuila), so now I have 2 a Fairbanks from 1895-ish and my old Madera Bought on Ebay Edit: and yeah it wasn't in a flea market was with a old man who. quote:"was to old to keep playing" And my old Madera got a new skin after being 9 years with me
They generally sound pretty poor with steel strings on them. I also think anything more than light gauge steel would be potentially harmful to these instruments. La Bella No. 17 are the most historically correct for any pre-1930 banjo, as they are very similar to the typical gut strings available from about 1885-1940.
Hi Clifton, this is a bit off topic, but I have been trying to get info from Luna without much luck. I recently bought a Luna Ulu banjolele. It has an 8" pot, 4 strings tuned to standard uke tuning, GCEA. I am having intonation issues, and I'm wondering about it's set up. The bolt and nut at the bottom of the tension control rod butt right up to the tail piece where the strings attach. Should it be this way? I understand if you don't know this instrument, it's a little different.
Thanks Clifton. I knew about the measurement for the bridge, but not the slight angle you put it. The tailpiece on this instrument has an adjustable angle, but can't be adjusted due to the tension rod being firm against the tailpiece adjustment nut. IDK if you do this type of thing, but if you would email me at bobalooie57@gmail.com I would send some pictures that might show the issue better than I can describe it. Either way, thanks for your help and interesting channel.
