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Need help ID-ing an S.S. Stewart banjo
Are there any S.S. Stewart experts out there that could lend a hand? An acquaintance of mine is asking for help in identifying an S.S. Stewart banjo, S/N 2091. There is no identifying plaque inside the rim. Interestingly, it has a 12" pot. The only banjos in the Stewart catalog with a 12" pot are the Orchestra models. This would be a Grade 1 instrument, but even the Grade 1 in the catalog has more inlay on the headstock than the banjo pictured below. This instrument has only a star on the peghead, and another at the 10th fret. The rest of the position markers are dots. I know that SSS would build any custom banjo that the customer could pay for. Is this simplified peghead such an instrument, or did the peghead inlay change over time on Orchestra models?
Thanks in advance for your help.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Joel Hooks on
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It looks right to me for the mid 1880s. I see the wire strings have had their way with the frets.
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Permalink Reply by Chuck Krepley on
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Thanks, Joel. Care to hazard a guess on what model this might be?
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I believe that Orchestra is correct. I'm not sure exactly when he landed on the known model names, but by the time this one was made (mid 1880s) the 12" and 13" size was Orchestra.
Very early on he had different model names for 12" banjos, but that predates this.
Generally,
11" = Universal Favorite (unless lower grade)
11.5"= Champion
12"=Orchestra
12.5"= "Model" (I've only seen a few of these)
13"= Orchestra
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