Up for sale is a wonderful Orpheum No 1 tenor banjo, made somewhere between 1915-1921. It has a big, beautiful 12 1/4 inch maple pot with Orpheum's nickel plated brass tone ring and flange. The neck is maple with walnut and maple laminations as well as decorative laminations under the fingerboard and peg head overlay. It has a 21 inch scale and is strung dgbe but would be suitable for other tunings. I will re-string how you like it. Ebonized maple heel cap, fingerboard and peg head overlay. There are fancy inlays in the fingerboard and peg head.
I added new Gotoh planetary banjo tuners, a floral laser cut tailpiece, a calf skin head, maple neck shims, maple bridge and two hooks/nuts. The rest is fully original. I also dressed the frets and re-cut the bone nut. I re-glued some delaminations of the bound fingerboard, the maple pot and some cracks in the peg head overlay. They are solid and secure now but are still minor cosmetic issues. There are some nicks and scratches and some very light corrosion on some of the hardware. It has a pea sized mark on the neck that looks like the finish wore away from a strap.
It has some relief in the fingerboard, but I got the action down to .085-.090 at the 12th fret, which is a good medium string height. I find it easy to play.
How does it sound? The big, heavy-ish pot and brass tone ring make for a deep and warm sound that still has the zing and punch needed for tenor banjo. But, it is not brash and overly bright despite its good volume. Since it is open backed it is a little mellower than comparable instruments with a resonator.
It would be great for jazz playing, for irish tunes or strumming folk music. I like the shorter scale and it would be comfy for mandolin players.
No case but I will professionally pack and ship.
I am interested in a reso tenor guitar and would consider trades and offers.
more pictures: http://s1304.beta.photobucket.com/user/aaronckeim/library/Orpheum
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