Music & Musical Instruments

This banjo was made by an unknown maker in the United States around 1880-1882. It is a Five-String Banjo with a metal covered wood hoop, twenty-four brackets, walnut fingerboard, and friction pegs. There is a medallion on the bottom of the fingerboard:

J.H.J.
NY&C

John Howard Foote (1833-1896) was a musical instrument dealer with shops in New York City and Chicago. This instrument was sold as a “Stage Banjo” (#6972).

This banjo was made by the Bacon Banjo Company, Inc. of Groton, Connecticut, about 1932. It is a Four-String Tenor Banjo, “B&D Senorita” model, serial #31245 with 24 brackets and a pearloid covered resonator, fretboard, and peghead. “Senorita” models were the lower priced, medium grade, banjos made by the company. There is an inscribed metal plate on the back of the resonator and stamped on the dowel stick:

MADE BY
BACON BANJO CO. INC.
GROTON, CONN

Fred J. Bacon started the company in 1920. Two years later, David L. Day left the Vega Company to join the Bacon Banjo Company. By 1940, the Bacon Banjo Company had been purchased by the Gretsch Company who continued to make Bacon and B&D banjos until the late 1960s.

This banjo was made by Henry C. Dobson of New York, New York around 1877. It is a Five-String Banjo, with 19 frets, 22 brackets, walnut neck, rosewood veneer hoop and resonator. The banjo is stamped on the bottom of the neck:

HENRY C. DOBSON'S PATENT JULY 13, 1867

This instrument features U.S. Patent #66810 dated July 13, 1867, by Henry C. Dobson, for an improvement in securing the banjo head to the rim. This method of tightening the head with vertical screws from above is similar to that seen in a banjo by George Teed, and later, in some “Top Tensioning” banjos made by The Gibson Company.

Attached to the inside of the resonator is a printed label and instruction sheet signed: “#1424 Henry C. Dobson…1877.”

Henry C. Dobson and his family were among the most active players and popularizers of the banjo in the early stages of its commercialization. They were influential in the transition from fretless to fretted fingerboards and the use of resonators and more complicated “tone ring” supports for the head. Some of Dobson’s instruments were actually made by the Buckbee Company in New York City.

This banjo was made by an unknown maker in the United States around 1880-1882. It is a five-string piccolo banjo with a rosewood veneered hoop, sixteen brackets, rosewood veneered fingerboard, and friction pegs. There is a medallion on the bottom of the fingerboard.

J.H.F.
NY&C

John Howard Foote (1833-1896) was a musical instrument dealer with shops in New York City and Chicago. This instrument was sold as a “Stage Banjo” (#6974).

This banjo was made by an unknown maker in the United States around 1880-1882. It is a Five-String Banjo with a nickel-covered hoop, twenty-four brackets, black walnut fingerboard, and friction pegs. There is a medallion on the lower part of the fingerboard:

J.H.F.
NY&C

John Howard Foote (1833-1896) was a musical instrument dealer with shops in New York City and Chicago. This instrument listed in an 1880 J. Howard Foote catalog, sold as a “Stage Banjo” (#6969), for $10.00.

This banjo was made by the Vega Instrument Company Inc. of Boston, Massachusetts, in 1965. It is a Four-String Tenor Banjo, "Vega-Vox IV" model, serial #A-125768, maple neck with mahogany inlay, carved heel, 19-fret ebony fretboard with 8 square pearl inlays, headstock with “Vega” and star motif, gold-tone tuners with white plastic buttons, gold-tone metal hardware, Tu-ba-phone tone ring with “barbell” cutouts, and resonator with “De-Luxe Vegavox” star, with flowers and intricate designs.

As listed in a 1964 Vega banjo flyer, the Vega-Vox IV banjos are custom-built on special order only. This model banjo sold for $930.00 plus $75.00 extra for the carved neck.

This banjo was made by the Vega Company in Boston, Massachusetts, around 1929. It is a Four-String Banjo, Soloist Model, Serial #87500, with a seven-lap laminated maple rim, gold-finish top hoop and hooks, new design flanges and 28 brackets, patented Tu-ba phone tone tube and bracket band in a nickel finish. The neck is made of maple, peghead with mother of pearl inlay, ebony fingerboard with pearl inlay position marks, and 22 frets. Gold-finish gear pegs with white pearloid buttons, gold-finish tailpiece. The resonator is made of a maple five ply laminated shell and rim. The dowel stick is stamped:

[Vega star]
MADE BY
THE VEGA COMPANY
BOSTON, MASS. U.S.A.
[Vega star]
PAT.
DEC 30.1890
JAN 10. 1893
JULY 27.1909

This banjo features the following patents:

U. S. Patent #443510 dated December 30, 1890, by Albert C. Fairbanks, for new and useful improvements in banjos.

U. S. Patent #489470 dated January 10, 1893, by Albert C. Fairbanks, for new and useful improvements in banjos.

U. S. Patent #928948 dated July 27, 1909, by David L. Day, assignor to the Vega Company, for an improved means for stretching and retaining the head of a banjo.

The ”Soloist” banjo is described in a 1928 Vega catalog:

“The new Soloist model is designed to offer the finest tonal qualities, characteristic of all Vegaphones, with an attractive flashing appearance. This model is the ideal instrument for the player who desires a combination of superior tone and a flashing golden appearance.”

This make and style of the Soloist Vegaphone banjo was listed for $200.00.

This banjo was made by an unknown maker in the United States around 1880-1882. It is a Five-String Banjo with a rosewood veneered hoop, twenty-four brackets, German Silver covered fingerboard, and friction pegs. There is a medallion marked on the peghead:

J.H.F.
NY&C

John Howard Foote (1833-1896) was a musical instrument dealer with shops in New York City and Chicago. This instrument was sold as a piccolo banjo (#6975).

This banjo was made by an unknown maker in the United States around 1880-1882. It is a Five-String Banjo with a rosewood veneer hoop, sixteen brackets, rosewood veneer fingerboard, and friction pegs. There is a medallion on the lower part of the fingerboard.:

J.H.F.
NY&C

John Howard Foote (1833-1896) was a musical instrument dealer with shops in New York City and Chicago. This instrument listed in an 1880 J. Howard Foote catalog, sold as a “Stage Banjo” (#6959), for $6.20.

This banjo was made by the Gibson, Inc. in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1927. It is a Four-String Tenor Banjo, Mastertone TB-5 Model, short neck, serial number 8693-1, with black walnut shell, black walnut neck, rosewood fingerboard with iridescent ivoroid and marquetry strippings, inlay of white pearl designs, similar ornamentation applied to peghead, 4:1 geared pegs with pearl buttons, electrical lights inside the head, gold-tone metal parts, and a laminated and arched flange resonator with marquetry and ivoroid inlays.

This banjo was custom made for vaudevillian performer Vivian Chenoweth Hayes with jeweled accents on the peghead and inscribed with “Vivian.”

Vivian Hayes toured with her husband Ed Hayes and sister Frances as "Ed Hayes and His Banjo Girls" from 1927-1930.

As indicated in a 1926 Gibson Banjo Catalog testimonial: “The new Gison Mastertone Tenor-banjo is assuredly a marvel instrument. Its snappy tone, coupled with the rich tonal qualities and its ease of playing, make it an instrument which can be used for all purposes – dance, radio and concert.”

This banjo was made by the Gibson, Inc. in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1927. It is a Four-String Tenor Banjo, Mastertone TB-5 Model, serial number 8693-2, with black walnut shell, black walnut neck, rosewood fingerboard with iridescent ivoroid and marquetry strippings, inlay of white pearl designs, similar ornamentation applied to peghead, 4:1 geared pegs with pearl buttons, gold-tone metal parts, and a laminated and arched flange resonator with marquetry and ivoroid inlays.

This banjo was custom made for vaudevillian performer Frances Chenoweth Coan with jeweled accents on the peghead and inscribed with “Frances.”

Frances Chenoweth toured with her sister Vivian Hayes and Vivian’s husband Ed Hayes as "Ed Hayes and His Banjo Girls" from 1927-1930.

As indicated in a 1926 Gibson Banjo Catalog testimonial: “The new Gison Mastertone Tenor-banjo is assuredly a marvel instrument. Its snappy tone, coupled with the rich tonal qualities and its ease of playing, make it an instrument which can be used for all purposes – dance, radio and concert.”

This banjo was made by The A.C. Fairbanks Company of Boston, Massachusetts in 1899. It is a Five-String Banjo, Regent model, serial #18151, with a metal clad wood rim and maple neck, 28 brackets, ebony fingerboard with mother-of-pearl inlay, 22 frets, pearwood headstock with mother-of-pearl inlay, four ivory (one replacement) and one wood tuning peg. There is an engraved metal plate on the dowel stick:

The A.C.FAIRBANKS Co
MAKERS
- BOSTON, MASS. –

Albert Conant Fairbanks began making banjos in 1868 with William A. Cole, a well-known Boston banjo player and teacher. Around 1888, the A.C. Fairbanks Co., Fairbanks was joined by David L. Day. Six years later, Fairbanks sold his interest in the company to businessmen Cummings & Dodge. In 1904, the Vega Co. acquired the business and continued to produce popular banjos made by Fairbanks.

This banjo was made by John Huron in Bristol, Tennessee, in 1996. It is a Five-String Fretless “Mountain Banjo,” serial #MB-042, with a cherry wood body, rosewood tuners and tailpiece, and a groundhog hide head.

John Huron is a builder and player of a variety of historical instruments. He has combined music, history, and folklore in classes and demonstrations throughout the United States to preserve the heritage of Appalachian instruments and music.

This banjo is marked "F. P. Mather 1860." It is a Five-String Fretless Banjo, with a bird’s-eye maple shell, metal hoop, twenty brackets, brass-plated fingerboard, and machine tuners. Hand-written inscription on dowel stick:

F. MATHER MAKER 1860

Fred Mather was a well-known minstrel banjoist of the mid-19th century.

Like banjos marketed under the name of other well-known performers such as the Dobsons, this instrument was likely actually made in the New York factory of the Buckbee company. It is typical of mid-century commercial instruments in having a fretless neck, gut strings and a bentwood rim. The machine tuners and inlaid brass plate are probably later 19th century additions, along with the present arrangement of head-tightening brackets.

This banjo was made by William Boucher, Jr. in Baltimore, Maryland in 1847. It is a Five-String Fretless Banjo, with a wood shell, gold painted metal hoop, 14 brackets, and friction pegs. Stamped on back of the neck:

W.BOUCHER.JR
BALTIMORE

William Boucher was a drum maker and musical instrument dealer in Baltimore, Maryland. He became the first commercial maker of banjos, perhaps through his association with the celebrated minstrel banjoist Joel Walker Sweeney.

His instruments were important in standardizing the form of the banjo in its transition from a homemade rural instrument to urban commercial manufacture. The basic shape and string arrangement has changed little up to the present day. Boucher’s design copied important features of earlier home-made African American instruments: the skin head, short thumb string and fretless neck. He added a scrolled peghead similar to those used by guitar makers W. Stauffer and C. F. Martin, and replaced the traditional gourd body with a thin, bentwood rim construction with screw-tightening brackets similar to that used for drumheads. Boucher’s innovations were well-adapted to commercial mass-production and urban musical tastes and played a large part in the subsequent worldwide enthusiasm for the banjo.

These commercial “improvements” were never adopted by many traditional rural musicians, who continued to make good sounding instruments that were entirely adequate for their musical needs from locally available materials, at little or no expense.

This banjo was made in the United States around 1963.It is a Five-String Fretless Banjo, with a fixed head set into a heavy wooden rim.

Banjos with small diameter fixed heads set into a heavy wooden rims are a traditional kind of home-made banjo. They persisted in rural Appalachia long after inexpensive commercial instruments became easily available in the second half of the 19th century. For those accustomed to elaborately machined and decorated factory-made instruments this homemade instrument has a surprisingly loud and clear tone. It was played by and purchased from the well known traditional musician Frank Proffitt. Although from Proffitt’s shop, the instrument was probably made by his neighbor Clifford Glenn, who like his father Leonard, specialized in making and playing banjos of this construction.

In 1937 ballad and folk song collectors, Frank and Anne Warner, recorded Proffitt singing “Tom Dooley” and other American folk music on the banjo and dulcimer. “Tom Dula” was later included in the publication, Folk Song: USA, by American folklorists and ethnomusicologists John A. Lomax and his son, Alan Lomax. This version of “Tom Dooley” was the inspiration for the popular recording by the Kingston Trio in 1958.

This banjo was made by the Vega Company in Boston, Massachusetts, around 1922. It is a Four-String Banjo, Tu-ba-phone Model No. 3, Serial #50232, with a patented brass top hoop and bracket band over a seven-lap sectional maple hoop, 28 brackets, mahogany neck with an ebony fingerboard with22 frets and inlaid pearloid dots and star position marks, carved heel, peghead with flowerpot inlay, Grover style tuners with ivoroid buttons. The dowel stick is stamped:

[Vega star]
FAIRBANKS BANJO
MADE BY
THE VEGA COMPANY
BOSTON, MASS.
[Vega star]
NO. 3
PAT.
Dec 30.1890
JAN 10.1893
JULY 27.1909

(and):

TU-BA-PHONE

This banjo features the following patents:

U. S. Patent #443510 dated December 30, 1890, by Albert C. Fairbanks, for new and useful improvements in banjos.

U. S. Patent #489470 dated January 10, 1893, by Albert C. Fairbanks, for new and useful improvements in banjos.

U. S. Patent #928948 dated July 27, 1909, by David L. Day, assignor to the Vega Company, for an improved means for stretching and retaining the head of a banjo.

The Vega Company purchased the A. C. Fairbanks Company in 1904 and produced banjos of high quality largely based on earlier designs of Fairbanks. This Tu-ba-phone model incorporated a heavy “tone ring” originally patented by Fairbanks in 1890, a feature still favored by modern banjo players for the quality of tone it produces.

This banjo was made by an unknown maker in the United States around 1875-1899. It is a Five-String Fretless Banjo. The instrument’s body is made from oak, and the body’s rim is ornamented with 12 furniture tacks. This banjo was acquired from noted traditional musician Frank Proffitt, who said that he had bought it from a local second hand store with the understanding that it had originally come from the family of a local wagoner. It is a finely crafted example of the traditional thick rim style banjo, a style which was never adopted by urban manufacturers but which continues to be made and used in the southern mountains.

In her book African Banjo Echoes in Appalachia, Cecelia Conway points out similarities between the body form and small head of such instruments with those of 19th African American gourd banjos.

This banjo was made by Elmer Thompson of Staten Island, New York around 1917-1919 while waiting to be discharged from the U.S. Army during World War I. It is a Four-String Banjo, with a body made from the base of a German Howitzer shell, the neck from the stock of a rifle, with 12 frets, and the tuning pegs from French machine-gun bullets.

After the War Thompson continued to play this banjo in Staten Island working as an electronics engineer with the Philco Corporation of America. Retiring in 1959, he played this banjo in a seven-piece dance orchestra in Debary, Florida known as the Dee Dee Beehive. He was an active inventor, with 30 patents to his credit recorded in the U.S. Patent Office.