Late 1888 New York City School Banjo with Painted Decoration. Project.
Late 1888 New York City School Banjo with Painted Decoration. Project. An attractive banjo that looks like it was made in New York City by Buckbee, or one of the other various small banjo shops in NYC at the time. The neck appears to be cherry and has no glued-on fretboard. The frets are inserted directly in the neck with a 25-5/8” scale. The heel has been modified. Please see the pictures for details. The spun over rim has 38 brackets, but 11 hooks and nuts are missing. The wood under the rim’s German silver cladding is likely maple, but is painted black, so we’ll never know for sure. The most endearing detail of the banjo is the added painted floral decoration on the neck and the head. The painting on the neck is rather dark, so it is not noticeable at first, but I am guessing it is intended to be a grape vine. At the base of the fingerboard, there is the name Captain Georg Adams. The broken calf skin head with plenty of flowers is much easier to see. This as-is project has potential to be a good playing banjo, or just as cool as a decorative wall hanger. Price is $250