For sale is my beloved Washburn banjo and the original Washburn case.
This was the top of the line banjo made by Washburn in the early 80's. As shown in the pictures, the tone ring sits on spring-loaded brass poles vs. directly against the rim. As a result, the banjo rings LOUD and is awesome for playing in a mix. If you'd like a banjo with Stelling-like volume without a Stelling-like price tag, this may be for you. Here are a couple of simple recordings to let you hear how it sounds:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9116971/Washburn1.wav (not sure how to make these links clickable)
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9116971/Washburn2.wav
I listed it as "Excellent" vs. "Mint" because there is a minor scuff mark where the flange seems to have rubbed against the flange as it was taken off in the past. This is barely noticeable, but I'd rather err on the conservative side. That said, the banjo is in gorgeous condition and has rarely been played (I'm a guitar player primarily). I bought this instrument used and apparently unplayed in the year 2000. Until recently it sat in my closet.
The case is also in excellent condition.
I originally bought it because of the gorgeous grain in the resonator and the punch for playing scruggs-style. Since then I've become quite a fan of melodic and other styles that involve playing up the neck more and this banjo has been awesome for that as well.
I absolutely love the tone, the volume and the look of it and have resisted selling it for years because this model is pretty hard to find these days. However as a guitar player I'm not a big fan of that 5th string peg half-way up the neck so I've commissioned a custom build with a 5th string that runs the full neck length... But custom builds are pricey and, unfortunately I must sell some instruments to finance it.
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