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- 1899 Fairbanks Electric, likely N.O. 5
1899 Fairbanks Electric, likely N.O. 5
1899 Fairbanks Electric, likely N.O. 5. It’s time to party like it’s 1899! That means Voting machines are approved by US Congress, New Your City newsboys go on strike, thereby crippling the information brick street in the Big Apple and Mile-A-Minute Murphy pedals his bicycle faster than 60 miles per hour, which sounds scary even now with modern safety equipment and good brakes. A safer pursual of leisure time would have been ordering this N.O. 5 Electric from the Fairbanks company and joining your local banjo orchestra. Though looking good, there is a mix of original and newer parts and repairs. The peghead inlay (front and back), the heel cap, and the 22nd fret inlay all look original. The fretboard inlay has some replaced shell and relatively recent engraving. The mahogany neck is overcoated with lacquer. The rim is the original Fairbanks Electric, a full spin-over with scalloped tonering. Though the dowelstick has the Electric stamp, it has been altered and the stamped serial number is not an original font. The 30 long 2-point shoes are original, but the cobra hooks with ball end nuts are modern reproductions. The tuners and tailpiece are also modern reproductions. The scale length is 25-7/8” and the rim diameter is about 10-1/2”. We have the banjo strung with LaBella #17 strings, preferred by many modern classic banjo players for their bright snappy tone. 125 after its original construction, this banjo is still a great instrument for its intended purpose. And for $4,000, including a modern hard case, it is far safer than most leisure activities of the 21st century.