Please note this is an archived topic, so it is locked and unable to be replied to. You may, however, start a new topic and refer to this topic with a link: http://www.banjohangout.org/archive/316669
Iderhobanjer23 - Posted - 03/27/2016: 17:45:25
I've had the good fortune of owning a handful of prewar banjos. After going for a year or two without picking as much, I wanted to get back to picking daily. This time around, I knew I wanted a prewar conversion of a brass hoop banjo. First of all, their tone, to me, is just absolutely killer. There is nothing as piercing or as clear. They're not as full on the bass end as the prewar tone ring banjos, but they still have a lot of punch. They're also lightweight, which was important since I have a back injury. And they're cheaper to boot!
So I picked up an Oriole from here in the classifieds (FON 9187). The hardware was in pristine condition - just really great. I had Ron Coleman build me a mahogany conversion neck (these banjos can sound one dimensional - I thought a maple neck might fall into that trap) to somewhat match the original. All in, I have less than $1500 in this incredible sounding banjo. I've never owned a louder banjo, which is strange since it doesn't have a tone ring. But it sure does sound good!
Today, I took some glamor shots with my wife's fancy photographer camera. Enjoy!
Edited by - Iderhobanjer23 on 03/27/2016 18:11:16
double E - Posted - 03/27/2016: 18:27:31
Nice! Can you give us a sound clip?
RioStat - Posted - 03/27/2016: 18:30:07
Really nice looking banjo Luke!
I was contemplating buying that Oriole myself. I thought it looked really clean from the photos when it was for sale.
I was going to have the same neck built, but I was going to have "Oriole" put on the headstock, thinking it would be the only 5 string Oriole out there !
I've got a 29 TB 1 (basically same as that Oriole), that I put a 5 string neck on. It's not my loudest banjo, but it does have a sweet tone.
Congratulations on a fine pre-war conversion!
Iderhobanjer23 - Posted - 03/27/2016: 19:15:18
Scott,
I considered "Oriole" as well. However, the way I saw it, if I was going to inlay it, it still wouldn't be correct as the originals were painted on (which would be totally doable and look very cool). Many of them have an "orange" tint from age - this one was pure silver and looks great. I knew as soon as I got the banjo and put a temporary neck on it that I had something special.
The first video is a clip before, with the temporary neck. The second is from last night with the conversion neck - had been assembled about six hours at that point. I was trying to play quietly so I wouldn't overwhelm my phone's mic....I'm telling you this thing has horsepower. But it also has that sweet tone up the neck. I still have some tweaking to do on the setup to bring the bass out.
Ron builds such a playable neck...like night and day from my temp neck (the cheap mahogany saga ones).
Banjov1 - Posted - 03/27/2016: 21:06:49
That sounds wonderful...
Forgive me for asking, but how in the world do you have only $1500 in it? How much was the original banjo? and how much was the neck?
Iderhobanjer23 - Posted - 03/28/2016: 04:15:58
Original was 750, neck was 650, tuners were 20, and it took a tank of gas to get down to Ron's house!
Tim13 - Posted - 03/28/2016: 04:18:06
quote:
Originally posted by Banjov1
That sounds wonderful...
Forgive me for asking, but how in the world do you have only $1500 in it? How much was the original banjo? and how much was the neck?
Kinda curious 'bout that myself. I know Ron is veeeery reasonable with his prices, but even with a simple inlay job and peg head shape, the original banjo must have been a real steal.
Tim
Iderhobanjer23 - Posted - 03/28/2016: 04:27:12
It really was - it's rare to find these Oriole's with a resonator on them. I probably could have parted it out and made a profit, given the great shape of the metal.
Once again, this is why I wanted to do a lower-end hoop conversion. My first prewar was a 28PB3, which I paid 3500 for. It sounded great, but probably shouldn't have paid more than 3k for it. While I absolutely do not regret buying it at all, I learned my lesson and decided that until I can find/afford an original pyramid banjo, I'll stick to the lower-end prewars.
ETA: 750 for an Oriole is a good price, but totally in line with current prices for TB1s, etc. An Oriole won't bring as much as those, and the open back orioles typically go for around 400-500. So a resonator model going for 750 is a great price, but totally doable if anyone wants to replicate my build!
Edited by - Iderhobanjer23 on 03/28/2016 04:34:05
Earls 5 - Posted - 03/28/2016: 06:43:07
Luke you did real good on this one for sure. The clips just hint at how good it sounds in person. And with how light it is, it is a fine example that you do not have to have a heavy tone ring to have a nice fat tone with ample volume.
Sweet! And thanks for the fun - enjoy!
RioStat - Posted - 03/28/2016: 14:48:13
Some nice pickin' there, Luke!
Iderhobanjer23 - Posted - 03/28/2016: 15:16:08
Thanks, fellas. I'm really happy with the voice it's developed and can't wait hear it progress as I learn the setup it wants.
revellfa - Posted - 04/01/2016: 05:21:46
I tell ya, those budget brands are something else! Nice banjo and nice picking
Scout70 - Posted - 04/01/2016: 17:18:13
I have a 1950's Gibson TB 100 that Jim Yarboro converted in the 1970's. It has an Oriole rim and he built a Gibson wreath neck for it. That Oriole rim is amazing!
RioStat - Posted - 04/01/2016: 18:54:07
quote:
Originally posted by Scout70
I have a 1950's Gibson TB 100 that Jim Yarboro converted in the 1970's. It has an Oriole rim and he built a Gibson wreath neck for it. That Oriole rim is amazing!
Not tryin' to be a wise-a**........ but what's left of the 1950's TB 100 ?
Scout70 - Posted - 04/01/2016: 20:00:58
The TB 100 had a very thin rim according to Yarboro. He put a prewar Oriole rim in it and replaced the four string neck. A few show up on the hangout for sale from time to time. My banjo is all original except for the Oriole rim and 5 string neck. It has amazing tone and punch.
Iderhobanjer23 - Posted - 04/21/2016: 18:09:44
As an update, here's a clip of the banjo settling in. Still not happy with the setup, but man does this thing kick some a$$.
Ks_5-picker - Posted - 04/22/2016: 14:43:33
I've got an Oriole converted with a mahogany Robin Smith force 5 mahogany neck and a Hatfield tone ring along with Fults tailpiece. It's my main player now,really love it.
