Nice zither Ebay UK

[carrie horgan]

Nice looking ZB on Ebay UK - I'm wondering who the maker is (anyone recognise the inlays?)

The seller has struggled to re-string it by the look of the photos! 

Now, I really don't need a fourth ZB!!! 

I need to stop looking....https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/364201755889?hash=item54cc1dc4f1:g:BoYAA...

[Jody Stecher]

Hmmm. The seller says the banjo is "vintage", was made in 1970 (!), and is missing the fifth peg. So I don't think the seller has tried to restring the banjo or even examined it sensibly or noticed the fifth string channel to the peg head. Stranger still are half a dozen virtually identical blurry photos of the front, one closeup of part of the front and one photo of the back. There are no photos of the sides so we don't know the side condition. Shipping cost is not given. The banjo is deep in Wales, not far from Fishguard so pickup in person is a long haul from... well, from anywhere else, The Buy It Now price is low. 

I wouldn't bid on it if I was buying banjos, which I'm not.  But *looking* is fun, so why give up a pleasant pastime? 

[carrie horgan]

I know - the seller is clueless, gawd bless 'em.  I am not going to buy, just 'banjo-curious' - I wonder who the maker is.  I don't want to end up on one of those shows where I need professional de-cluttering.

Jody Stecher said:

Hmmm. The seller says the banjo is "vintage", was made in 1970 (!), and is missing the fifth peg. So I don't think the seller has tried to restring the banjo or even examined it sensibly or noticed the fifth string channel to the peg head. Stranger still are half a dozen virtually identical blurry photos of the front, one closeup of part of the front and one photo of the back. There are no photos of the sides so we don't know the side condition. Shipping cost is not given. The banjo is deep in Wales, not far from Fishguard so pickup in person is a long haul from... well, from anywhere else, The Buy It Now price is low. 

I wouldn't bid on it if I was buying banjos, which I'm not.  But *looking* is fun, so why give up a pleasant pastime? 

[Rob MacKillop]

I'll be selling my Cammeyer Vibrante Royal soon, if you are interested...

[Tom McArdle]

The seller only ships in the UK. Which I understand.

 I bid on this one but was out bid. 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/394529166253?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkri...

then there is this one close by.

https://bernunzio.com/product/o-windsor-zither-banjo-27401/

I think $800 is not in my budget right now. But I may go look at it. I have never seen one in person.

[Jody Stecher]

The  Bernunzio banjo is very much overpriced. The Windsor #7 was a lower mid-range model. The lower the model number the higher the model.

Tom McArdle said:

The seller only ships in the UK. Which I understand.

 I bid on this one but was out bid. 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/394529166253?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkri...

then there is this one close by.

https://bernunzio.com/product/o-windsor-zither-banjo-27401/

I think $800 is not in my budget right now. But I may go look at it. I have never seen one in person.

[Jody Stecher]

Oh, I almost forgot. It does not have 27 frets as advertised. It has 22 frets.

Jody Stecher said:

The  Bernunzio banjo is very much overpriced. The Windsor #7 was a lower mid-range model. The lower the model number the higher the model.

Tom McArdle said:

The seller only ships in the UK. Which I understand.

 I bid on this one but was out bid. 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/394529166253?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkri...

then there is this one close by.

https://bernunzio.com/product/o-windsor-zither-banjo-27401/

I think $800 is not in my budget right now. But I may go look at it. I have never seen one in person.

[Tom McArdle]

Thanks for the input Jody. I thought the one at Bernunzio was high. Sometimes they drop prices significantly when they want to move stuff. 

Did you have any thoughts on the Abbot I bid on?

 I will probably let it go. I thought maybe $200 or so including shipping might be worth a shot, but I don’t think I need to rush into one. 

[Jody Stecher]

 Abbott banjos tend to be good. I've had 3. Two zee-bees and one regular banjo. All excellent. This particular model on eBay is not a high model.  Your price is right for this one. The tailpiece is unusual and the strings are attached in a bizarre manner. I can see there are 5 nubs for string loops at the bottom of the tailpiece. I wonder if there is a problem with them.  Anyway, higher models of zither-banjos show up for sale or auction pretty often and the prices can be low.  They are more common in the UK than the USA.  Australia abounds with zither-banjos but shipping prices were very high last time I looked. Not so bad from UK. But they show up in the USA as well, often well cared-for and playable with no repair or setup needed. 

Tom McArdle said:

Thanks for the input Jody. I thought the one at Bernunzio was high. Sometimes they drop prices significantly when they want to move stuff. 

Did you have any thoughts on the Abbot I bid on?

 I will probably let it go. I thought maybe $200 or so including shipping might be worth a shot, but I don’t think I need to rush into one. 

[Tom McArdle]

Thanks! I appreciate the education!

 I only “discovered” the Zither Banjo a few weeks ago.

 I bought an Epiphone entry level banjo about a month ago. Going to put nylon strings on it once I get a new tailpiece made for it. Hopefully I can finish it up soon.

seems like a Zither Banjo is something to shoot for. They are fascinating.

[Jody Stecher]

I have never changed a tailpiece to use nylon strings on a banjo that had been strung with steel.  Never had a tailpiece eat through the strings either,  But then I'm usually playing old banjos with old tailpieces that were intended for soft strings in the first place. But not always. I've used Presto tailpieces with nylon. I've even used the late 20th century so-called No Knot tailpieces with nylon. Not for long though as I don't like them. Never had to change the nut either. I have usually opted for a 2 footed bridge though. It makes the nylon strings "pop" more. 

Anyway what's wrong with the Epiphone tailpiece?  

Tom McArdle said:

Thanks! I appreciate the education!

 I only “discovered” the Zither Banjo a few weeks ago.

 I bought an Epiphone entry level banjo about a month ago. Going to put nylon strings on it once I get a new tailpiece made for it. Hopefully I can finish it up soon.

seems like a Zither Banjo is something to shoot for. They are fascinating.

[Tom McArdle]

Maybe nothing is wrong with it. I read that some folks prefer wooden tailpieces for nylon strings. I thought it would be a good exercise to try and make one. And a bridge too. I am making a two footed bridge out of some scrap hard maple.

[Jake Glanville]

Hi there Carrie, it's your old friend Black Jake of Norwich.  I've been looking at this banjo and am quite tempted.  Without actually handling this banjo I wouldn't like to hazard a guess as to the maker.  It has some characteristics I've seen on banjos sold by Barnes & Mullins, but I'd hate to claim any certainty.

I've put the owner right about some of her ZB misconceptions and she's taken it all in good heart!

It's me who needs professional help about zither-banjos, I just can't resist 'em.  I'll wait a bit on this one before deciding.  I'd have to look at the thickness of the fingerboard and the tuners sideways on first.  I've spent my ZB allowance for this year so have to think carefully.

All the Best, Kind Regards,

Jake.