Banjos

Tony Trischka told us that this banjo is the only banjo he used on the A Robot Plane Flies Over Arkansas album, and the main banjo he used from that, his first album, to the Hill Country album.  He told us that “from 1981 to 1991 this was my primary instrument.”   This banjo is listed on the Stelling Banjo Works’ Chronology of Important Instruments and Significant Dates, which says: in January of 1982 Stelling finished banjo #2174 - a Sunflower -  for Tony Trishka.   The first banjo made in 1982 was #2172, so this would have been the third banjo Geoff made that year.

OUR PRICE WAS $3191 BUT NOW REDUCED TO:

The Regent model also has the adored and revered Whyte Laydie tone ring, but it noticeably has only a star inlaid on its ebony headstock overlay and no ivoroid fingerboard binding. It is otherwise similar to the Whyte Laydie model (with a few other changes) but around $450 less expensive. Let us read together the Bart Reiter Banjos’ Statement of Origin: Bart Reiter Open Back Banjos are, they say, made entirely by one Mr. Bart Reiter in his East Lansing, Michigan shop.

The Deering website says: Pick it in the parlor, in the park, or any where you go…Deering’s new GoodTime Parlor banjo is light weight and made with a shorter scale to meet a variety of needs for today’s banjo players! Introduced at the industry’s major show in Anaheim recently, the model was very well received by dealers, artists, and other attendees. 

This banjo has the 20-hole flathead tone ring, the 24 brackets, the four corrugated thumbscrews hold resonator to him, the varied pattern mother of pearl fingerboard inlays at frets 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12, 15 and 17 (the 17th is a flying bird) and then a rectangular of pearl inlaid at fret 21 that is etched “Mastertone.”  Our Discount Price is $2,366.00 and Our Cash Discount Price is $2,295.00.

The tenor banjo is the most popular member of the four-string banjo family. It is tuned C G D A just like a mandola, a viola or a tenor guitar. It provides the alto voice to the jazz band and excels at both rhythm and lead functions About the banjo our beloved friend, Wikipedia, says: “In almost all of its forms, banjo playing is characterized by a fast arpeggiated plucking, though there are many different playing styles.” Did you know that? I didn’t know that.

This banjo, suitable for any tenor banjo work but especially Celtic, has a 10 ½” diameter skin head – likely original – a scalloped slide-down tailpiece cover, a maple and ebony Grover bridge that is likely a replacement, an unbound ebony or stained pearwood fingerboard hosting 18 frets and 6 mother of pearl dotmarkers in 5 positions, a black overlain pickguard that comes to a point at the top and displays a “The Gibson” logo in silver silkscreen. 

This banjo is a complete mystery – the mystery part being “How in the world could somebody have owned this instrument and treated it this poorly?” This was one of the 3 top of the line Gibson banjos – every other example of this level Gibson banjo we have ever seen was in “excellent plus” because the people that owned it knew they had something valuable and so they treated it with kid gloves. It is SO improbable that somebody would beat up this banjo, made at such a lofty level in the Gibson hierarchy, to the extent that they did.

The Little Wonder is one of Vega’s prewar open-back models. It has a “rolled bead” of brass that acts as a small yet effective variation on a tone ring providing the instrument’s sound more punch and drive. It has 28 brackets, shoes and nuts (the sign reads “no brackets and shoes, no service”) and, guess what, 28 screws and washers. It has the standard Vega internal tensioner device holding the maple wooden dowel firmly to the underside of the heel, and the nickel-plated brass cube at the bottom.

in very good plus condition with worn and taped hard shell case whose hinges are broken apart. The Bacon Banjo Company of Groton,Connecticut was founded around 1906 by Fred Bacon and in the original period many of their banjos were made for them by Vega and William L. Lange (Paramount/Orpheum).

The Deering website says: Pick it in the parlor, in the park, or any where you go…Deering’s new GoodTime Parlor banjo is light weight and made with a shorter scale to meet a variety of needs for today’s banjo players! Introduced at the industry’s major show in Anaheim recently, the model was very well received by dealers, artists, and other attendees.

The prestigious and gold-plated Aristocrat Model Paramount sports three headstock banners – one reads “Paramount,” one reads “Wm. L. Lange” who was the company's owner and one that reads “Aristocrat Model.” 

Walnut banjo with satin finish, ebony fingerboard, rolled brass ring, three ply maple rim with bevel cut, nickel plated hardware, two way truss rod, and hard shell case.

The Standard model is designed to provide an affordable openback with a good, plunky sound. The maple rim is ebonized similar to many of the vintage banjos. This model comes with a mahogany neck for rich tone.

NOW ON SALE!  OUR PRICE WAS $1129 BUT NOW: 

This example has the fairly standard 11 15/16” diameter head, which has been replaced with a frosted-on-the-face Mylar mama. We don’t see very many resonator-backed Whyte Laydies and we don’t see many full scale ones either.  This is, then a fantastic opportunity for some lucky future owner since it’s both clean, capable and affordable. 

This is an extremely handsome, and tastefully decorated, middle-of-the-line Paramount (“William L. Lange”)  tenor banjo; a fine looking professional quality performance tool, and one that, properly cared for, can likely provide its new owner another 80 years of stage, screen and radio use.