This a Lange Challenger 19-fret Tenor Banjo in excellent condition. From the top: Headstock is very clean, virtually no finish checking, inlays bright and unworn. Tuners are period Page geared tuners with ivoroid buttons. The neck is straight and true; frets show modest wear up to about the 7th fret. Fingerboard surface shows some relief (non-smoothness) which does not affect playability; this is a fast-playing, slim-profile neck. Banjo accepts 11 1/8" high-crown heads (currently has a Remo frosted-bottom on it) and has the archtop tonering. Tension hoop is likely non-original but is a perfect fit and is pre-war. The armrest is the original 'hot-dog' style, and the tailpiece is a period (pre-war) presto with adjustment screw. The resonator with its unique feature for opening and closing the rim holes has excellent nickel plating with minor wear on the two locating 'buttons'. Inside, the dowel-stick has been replaced with a new one by renowned luthier Paul Hostetter, and a Vega-style neck brace has been fitted in place of the original simple screw. This provides a much more robust mechanical linkage between pot and neck than the original arrangement.
The banjo is currently set up in GDAE tuning. It comes with a modern hard-shell case.
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