Just picked this banjo up off Ebay last month. I bought it to be a pretty sounding plunky recording banjo (which it works great for) but about two weeks after picking it up I ended up with another really similar sounding banjo. I'm really not a collector so I think I'm going to let this one go and keep the more modern sturdy looking banjo. This banjo features a very classy looking 10 9/16 rim that has metal on both the interior and exterior. The rim feels much heavier and of a higher a higher quality than most spun over banjos. The neck is very playable, the action is much lower than most 1800's banjos I've played. The banjo looks like it was kept in a case its entire life, it sounds crisp and relatively loud. The banjo has what looks to be an ebony fretboard. No splits in the neck or dowel. New andrews fyberskin head
issues:
a railroad spike has been installed at some time but now it's missing and there is a little chip there.
The nice vintage Grovers on it now appear to be the second set of non original tuners installed. The nut has been glued in. The fifth string hole is a little enlarged. I wanted to use a peghed tuner for the fifth string and it was too sloppy of a fit. I think the hole should probably be filled and re drilled. It does work pretty good with the peg that's in there now but it's a pretty large peg. This is a really great players instrument, I took it to a jam and it held up well against fiddles and guitars in a way that an old Buckbee or something wouldn't.
I might trade for a fretless banjo, an interesting vintage guitar or an extra nice gourd or proffitt style mountain banjo.
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