I did give this info to Rob, so I'll repeat it here:

It's George P. Matthews Supremus zither banjo - quite beautiful, and almost entirely original though it seems to missing a small part associated with the tailpiece, and I have fitted a small rosewood bar to hold the strings down after they pass from the five simple L-shape posts which are used to tie them. The date I am not sure of, but 1893-6 seems likely. It has the complete set of enclosed nickel tuners, every single piece of ivory/bone and ebony and mother of pearl, though the ebony has cracked in many places it's all firmly glued in. The back is solid, externally veneered with 32 radial segments of rosewood separated by narrow maple. The neck is a boat-bottom V profile laminated from mahogany, ebony and maple with an ebony fingerboard - continued at full thickness to form an ebony top veneer of the slothead headstock. The nickel plated hardware could do with replating, but of course that is now illegal under EU rules forbidding the use of nickel plating.

The sound with Nylgut classical banjo in open G is maybe a little brighter and harder than your Thompson and Odell, but this may also be due to the top being a little overtightened, and a slightly high action may also be down to that. Even so, the action if any lower would result in some buzz from the bass D, which is very assertive. I broke the high A, and it is currently replaced with fishing line.

I have one YouTube vid:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9S0-MmJaq0

Nothing classical in terms of the playing, it's just used here as an accompaniment.

David