New Member with New #3 Sultana

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BACON and DAY

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For all things related to The Fred Bacon Banjo Co. and B&D Banjos (including: Gretsch).

138 Members, Created 1/22/2012 -

Administrators: jbalch (owner)

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From ChefJeff on 5/17/2017 7:57:36 PM

Hi,

Brand new member to Banjo Hangout and the Bacon and Day Group.

A little about myself: I'm 60 years young, and I have been looking for a B&D SilverBell since I was 17 and read an article about them by George Gruhn in Frets magazine. So...after 43 years I recently found a #3 Sultana in quite good shape and at a price that my wife didn't faint over.

Over the course of the next few months, I will try to post some pics and get some advice on the few issues with the banjo. As I said, not much wrong - a little debonding of the pyralin on the resonator back and on the peghead. Pretty sure I can fix that myself with a little titebond and some good wood clamps. Missing the mute lever. Gold plating is worn in a few spots. The armrest has a little bit of wear to some of the engraving (The "B" in Bacon and Day is about 1/3 worn away). And it needs a good cleaning.

I would like some advice on a good case. The one if came with is OK, but the plywood on the back has pulled away in several places, and it smells like a wet dog. Found a nice TKL 8943 for about $250, but my wife won't let me spend that much after what the banjo cost. I think I can talk her into letting me get a TKL 7843. Wish I could find one locally so I can make sure it fits. Anybody have either of these cases? and do they make for a snug fit on a Silver Bell? Also, the five string cases seem to run a little bit less. Any reason why I couldn't use one of those?

Anyway, enough for now. Really looking forward to conversing with other members, and getting to know my Sultana.

Best Regards,

Jeff

5 Comments
	dutchtenor says: 5/17/2017 10:24:54 PM Hi Jeff, welcome! You found the right spot to talk about B&D's. Perhaps you already browsed througt the forum, you will find a lot of info! Looking forward to the Sultan pictures. If you look at the serial number inside, you can check the year your Bacon is built in Polle's database (acoustudio.dk/BD_and_Bacon_database.html). Have fun!
	Polle Flaunoe says: 5/17/2017 11:08:32 PM All Silver Bell´s sold by me do come in brand new TKL 8943 cases. IMO the best possible case for these Darlings. For some strange reason the price for an example of this Canadian case is min. $250 in USA - inclusive of shipment - whereas I buy mine in Germany for $175 - inclusive of shipment to Denmark. And this price does even include 19% sales tax.
	Polle Flaunoe says: 5/18/2017 1:05:36 AM BTW - congratulations for now finally owning a Silver Bell - The King of 4-string Banjos - in the opinion of mine and that of many others. 48 years ago I asked some Danish pro-jazz-banjoists which tenor banjo to go for - B&D Silver Bell was the answer - far too costly for me back then - 20 years later I managed getting the funds for a Gretsch built Bacon Symphonie - to be used professionally for many years - and finally - further 15 years later - I took the big step and purchased my first genuine B&D Silver Bell - mind you a #6 NPU. It seems that our "stories" are almost identical - LOL! Since then I´ve purchased 100+ examples - but also sold them again - after my restorings/overhauls, rebuildings and optimizations - for the time being I have "only" 3 examples in my display. A warning - don´t copy the last part of my story - your spouse will most likely get a heart attack - LOL!
	TLG says: 5/18/2017 6:31:38 AM Hi Jeff, Welcome. I also have a Sultana & several other Silver Bells & non Silver Bell B&D's, they are great banjos. Enjoy, Tommy
Banjo Den says: 5/18/2017 2:23:54 PM Jeff, in addition to my PM- I have a SB#I and a Sultana III, they are outstanding banjos. Glad you found the treasure at the end of the rainbow. Life's too damn short, go buy the case. After all, you must protect your investment. Dennis McMahon
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