1910’s Coles Eclipse Professional. As Is.
1910’s Coles Eclipse Professional. As Is. A handsome banjo from a highly respected Boston banjo maker. The neck is mahogany with an ebony fretboard. The peghead overlay is filled with the engrave mother-of -pearl inlay typical of this model. Scale length is 27”, rim diameter is 10-15/16”. Most of the original rim hardware is present, featuring long 2-pointed shoes and the Cole neck angle adjuster. The metal neck attachment wedge is missing and the tailpiece is a modern No-Knot. There is work necessary to put the banjo back in to good playing condition. The black fretboard veneer just above the neck is loose from the rim to about the 8th fret. The original tuners have been replaced with champion tuner that have been recessed in to the back of the peghead and a Grover Permatension 5th tuner. There is one mother of pearl dot missing at the 3rd fret and the frets are worn, with the first string having wear on all 22 frets. Impressive that a musician played this banjo enough to create significant fret wear and utilized the entire fretboard. All in all, this banjo is in good physical condition, but needs attention to bring it back to it’s former glory. Priced at $600 and includes a Harptone hard case, that was likely purchased new in the 1980’s