When I have time, I will double check that it is a Paragon; it will be on the album sleeve and I can't easily get at it just now.

The critic: he raved about the playing so I suppose he just didn't like the Clifford Essex banjos.

Hello again Jody. My sister has just found the answer for me. On the album, Mum is playing a pre-war, nylon-strung Clifford Essex Paragon.

When she was young and had a few lessons with George Morris, he recommended changing to gut strings, which she did. Why she changed back, I don't know but she knew her banjos, obviously.

Thank you, Barbara. Nylon lasts longer than gut and is less expensive and eventually gut strings became hard to obtain so using nylon strings may have been the practical thing to do.