1903 Ladies Size A.C. Fairbanks Regent
1903 Ladies Size A.C. Fairbanks Regent. With scenic Whyte, West Virginia being on the flight path of the bi-annual Consalvi engraved Gryphon Migration, we are pleased that one of those coveted instruments has landed here at SFI and is currently up for adoption. Cataloged as a “Ladies Size” with a slightly smaller rim and slightly shorter neck than the standard size instruments, this banjo is one of the rarest A.C. Fairbanks instruments to cross our threshold. The maple neck has an ebonized maple center stipe, fretboard, peghead overlay, and heel cap. The string length is 25-1/8”. The decoration has a peghead overlay with the classic Consalvi engraved mother of pearl gryphon, star, and trefoil. The fretboard has engraved trefoil, star, and 9 on-end squares to guide you as you go up the neck. The spun-over 9-7/8” rim has a maple shell and 28 brackets. All but 4 of the hooks and nuts are original, and the reproduction barrel nuts that were added are such perfect copies that you would not know they were made in Michigan 20 years ago. Besides the 4 replacement hooks and nuts, the friction 5th tuner has been replaced (but has the original grained ivoroid knob), the head is a new Remo Renaissance product, a new 3-leg ebony top maple bridge, and a set of LaBella 17 nylon strings. As with any 123 year-old instrument, this banjo does have some issues. As one would expect, the ebonized maple does have cracks, but fortunately all seems solid, the neck is straight and the banjo stays in tune. The 5th string side of the neck has several repaired holes that we guess were part of a 5th string capo idea that never caught on and one filled hole that could have been a cup hook strap holder that Pete Seeger popularized. Also, the neck has some finish overcoating on that side of the neck from the 5th tuner to the rim. All in all, this is a pleasing instrument that includes decoration from a world-renowned inlay artisan. The price, taking in to consideration all the factors, is a modest $2,500 and includes a custom gigbag made by Betty Vornbrock.