My New banjo I found in an old antique store for $1000.00! I have already been offered $5000.00 for it!! I'm in the process of building a 5 string neck for it. I will be putting another temporary neck on it this weekend. It has the neatest tailpiece on it!! The presto hinges back toward the bridge instead of the other way. Pictures of this bannjo can be seen on my homepage. I think I'm ghonna just play it like it is and not cut it down for a full flathead ring. So many have been done that way that the value of the originals are going up! I'm Excited! 31 years of dreaming of owning a prewar and now I finally do!! SWEEET!!
14 Comments |
 | plunka5 says:
2/1/2011 3:57:41 PM
Great post Randall, be sure and post some pics when you have your conversion complete...great find, and can't wait to see the end result!
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 | bryantde says:
2/1/2011 5:52:22 PM
Randall,
That sounds much like my story once about 6 years ago........I took off in the middle of the week to go with my wife up in mtns to a cloth store of something like that.
Went in a small pawn shop in the little mtn town of West Jefferson, NC and there was a 1929 mahogany tenor style 3 1 pc flange 40 hole AT mastertone in an old glass case.
Got it for $1000.00 as well and when I got home I called Curtis Mcpeake to tell him of my find and he said if it was what I said it was by my descriptions he would give me 5K.
Saw those pics and man that one of the nicest style 1s that I have seen!
Good find.
Take care
Don Bryant
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 | Wyatt Custom Banjo says:
2/1/2011 5:56:32 PM
Thanks!! I am looking for a few hooks and nuts.. Can't swing $25.00 for one hook and nut! Guess I'm gonna make me some old ones with Ferric acid! Along with a tailpiece and armrest. unless I can find me some as cheap as I found my banjo!
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| bryantde says:
2/1/2011 6:10:09 PM
Why aren't you gonna use the original tailpiece?
Contact Melvin Cumbee here on hangout for the hooks and nuts. He goes by Milliesjig and is a vry nice guy and straight up.
He may have a 1 pc armrest as well....there was one on Ebay last night I believe.
Don Bryant
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| Wyatt Custom Banjo says:
2/1/2011 6:14:08 PM
I have seen the difference in headstocks. I have taken that into consideration. $500 for a prewar tailpiece and $350 for an armrest is a little above my budget right now! I will keep an eye out for bargins!
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| bryantde says:
2/1/2011 6:17:53 PM
Why 500.00 for tailpiece?
You can pick up a nice Grover Presto tenor tailpiece for 125-150
and Jerry Keys does a professional punch just like the original 5 string tailpieces and your good to go...
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| Wyatt Custom Banjo says:
2/2/2011 3:29:19 AM
I would like to get the one I have punched out and use it. I never seen one like it. It's a presto with a funny cover. What does he charge to punch one out?
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| bryantde says:
2/2/2011 5:19:47 AM
I have never seen on like it either!
That's bound to be a rare tailpiece.
I think he charges around 35.00.
He is in Gray, Tn.
Don
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| Wyatt Custom Banjo says:
2/2/2011 5:45:20 AM
I almost hate to have it punched because no one has ever seen one like it! But I really want to use it because of it's s
Rareity!
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 | Pepper Laing says:
2/2/2011 7:13:47 AM
Wow great find Randall! looks sweet.
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 | Barnet in AVL says:
2/3/2011 7:50:13 AM
Congrats! I know that one of the biggest thrills I could ever have would be to find a nice old Gibson in some overlooked corner of the world... pawn shop, estate sale, friend of friend of friend's grandfather, that sort of thing. But out here in SoCal that hardly ever happens; there just aren't a lot of overlook Gibson banjos out here. I think most of the old Gibsons yet to be found lie hidden back in the east, southeast and south. Even so, I still keep my eyes and ears open hoping that, like Jed Clampett, some family moved out here many years ago with a long-neglected Gibson that may come to light one day.
All that being said, I had some help and recently found an intact style 1 that being Huberized... that's the one in my avatar. Should be a great little banjo.
And yes, that tailpiece is something else. I'm looking forward to learning more about it... maybe Joe Spann or Jim Mills or someone has some info.
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| Wyatt Custom Banjo says:
2/5/2011 6:57:34 PM
I finally got a maple neck on this thing and WOW!!!! I played it the other night along sing a Jim Mills CD and the tones were so close the wife even commented on how much this banjo sounded like Jim's!! I posted the wrong serial number earlier. I said it was 9711-17. it's actually 9711-13! So it's name is gonna be "13"!
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| plunka5 says:
2/8/2011 6:51:09 PM
Randall you're more than welcomed to post some sound clips of your new conversion...we'd all love to hear it!
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| Wyatt Custom Banjo says:
2/8/2011 6:53:54 PM
We got snow coming this week. I'll be off work. I'll see what I can do!!
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