Clifford EssexProfessional

[Classic Banjo]

Greetings

In case anyone is interested there is a Clifford Essex Professional Banjo up for sale on Ebay:

RARE Clifford Essex Professional Banjo No:41 1900-1919 Super condition

Starting price £400.

Regards

Eric

[Jody Stecher]

I didn't say "better". I said "different".  I stand by that.  You are right that a new banjo of the same form and materials and same standard of workmanship would be better than a very old one. But most of my favorite old forms are not being made. There are some very good new banjos being made. Actually some excellent banjos are being made. There are even fantastic banjos being made.  But no one is making anything like —for instance — a  Clifford Essex Concert Grand. Nothing new is remotely similar.  If a banjo with identical specs *were* being made today a new one would certainly be better than an old one. 

Yes, "bezel" is a UK thing. I think I first saw it in old banjo catalogues. At first I was puzzled. Its use seems to have been universal for regular banjo tension hoops and not restricted to zither-banjos. My post was in response to a post from the UK so I used the British word.

Trapdoor2 said:

While I do agree that the tension hoop qualifies as a "bezel", I've never heard another banjo player here in the states refer to it as one. Semantically, just about anything surrounding an open surface (such as a clock face or a TV screen or even your phone screen) is called a "bezel". For banjos, I tend to think of ZBs when faced with a "bezel" reference. Perhaps it is a top-tension thing in my brain.

From an etymological standpoint, it is likely Old French and is related to "bevel".

Vintage banjos have a variety of cachets which tickle my interests. I love having a bit of history in my hands. OTOH, a well-made modern banjo of the same (or similar) form is usually nowhere near as cranky or fragile. With a modern banjo, I am generally less concerned about the instrument and can devote more of my energy towards the music.

I have never bought into the 'vintage instruments sound better' philosophy. I simply like the idea that I can play something that was making music a century (or more) ago.

[Trapdoor2]

Yah, I wasn't implying that you said 'better', I was simply referencing Earl 2:15 from the Banjo Collector's Gospel: "The Pre-war banjo, sayeth the Lord, is blessed among the instruments. Yea, verily thou shalt twiddle thy fingers upon its strings and thy grin shall shine out like a beacon. Amen."

[Jody Stecher]

Ah. I see. Well *that* argument is easily resolved between people with common sense and with exposure to many old and new bluegrass banjos. Anyone with a decent ear and an objective non-partisan mind can discern that there are new "masterclone" banjos that are in every way superior to many old originals. But the same minds can also discern that there are a small number of old originals that have yet to be equaled, let alone surpassed. "It all depends".

Trapdoor2 said:

Yah, I wasn't implying that you said 'better', I was simply referencing Earl 2:15 from the Banjo Collector's Gospel: "The Pre-war banjo, sayeth the Lord, is blessed among the instruments. Yea, verily thou shalt twiddle thy fingers upon its strings and thy grin shall shine out like a beacon. Amen."