Classic-Banjo

A Site Dedicated to all enthusiasts of Classic Style Banjo

All Blog Posts (248)

With a little help from my (UK) friends

I would like to identify this banjo i buyed from ebay in 2004 . It has the typical tension hoop + tailpiece on the tension hoop with 2 screws like the Clifford essex ; but i am not sure at all it is a CE .The pot is 10 inches . There is no brand or serial number ; just the name of the original owner . The metal parts are not nickel but chrome but i think it could have be done later

. there are the dots on each fret on the side of the neck like if the banjo was originally a fretless ' one… Continue

Added by marc dalmasso on April 22, 2010 at 12:30 — 3 Comments

Recent acquisitions...

Just thought I'd let y'all know what I got in the mail today from the estate of Z.M.Bickford. The seller seems to either enjoy classifying by publisher or perhaps Mr. Bickford simply had them filed that way. Anyway, the first set are published by Stephen Shepard, Patterson NJ (I had never heard of him). The first is 2 collections of "choice" banjo solos, all of which are 'single page' and all from ~1904-1914:

Book 1

Mazie Waltz (Shepard)

Three Star Schottische…

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Added by Trapdoor2 on April 8, 2010 at 20:32 — 7 Comments

Happy Birthday...+ Zarh Myron Bickford

I just wanted to thank everybody for the nice e-birthday gifts, etc. I don't usually celebrate such things any more (I get a card from my wife and one from my favorite niece) but it was nice of y'all to think of me!

On another note...I have been buying some sheet music from a peculiar seller on ebay. This seller seems to have a wide variety of unusual Classic Banjo sheets including songbooks and tutors I've never heard of. He keeps saying he's got a large storage unit filled…

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Added by Trapdoor2 on March 19, 2010 at 1:30 — 1 Comment

I got it BAS, and that ain't good

(B.A.S. - banjo acquisition syndrome)

Like some other folks on this site (ahem - Rob - ahem) I seem always to be on the lookout for yet another banjo. Bernunzio's site is looked at weekly - more often if I'm especially covetous. I also check out a shop that is relatively local to me called Buffalo Bros ... Recently I went up to their shop to check out 4 different banjos (pics on the BB site): a 1920s Van Eps; a Fairbanks &… Continue

Added by Adam on March 13, 2010 at 2:48 — 3 Comments

My Banjo

I reckon' I'll do a little show and tell session. I'm very happy with my banjo. I recently got it off of eBay from a man in Florida who couldn't keep it any longer because he was retiring and going to live in a boat in the Caribean Sea. He said he got it while in The Bahamas from an old friend of his who said he got the banjo from a calypso musician in Nassau by the name Alphonso "Blind Blake" Higgs I assume after or sometime just before he died in 1986. The banjo was missing the 5th string… Continue

Added by Tyler Cornett on March 5, 2010 at 13:30 — 2 Comments

Hello banjophiles!

I'm Tyler and I'm a banjo frailer. Clawhammer has been my one and only style for about a year and a half and I do love it dearly, but anything old-time appeals to me so I find myself here trying to learn this beautiful classic finger style of banjo playing. I've only been at it a day so far and the very limited bluegrass picking knowledge I have from when I got my first banjo in 2008 is helping a little bit. The video I posted is of the first Emile Grimshaw exercise and it is by no means… Continue

Added by Tyler Cornett on March 5, 2010 at 11:20 — No Comments

Bill Evans playing a banjola

Here's a link to Bill Evans playing Frank Converse's arrangement (with variations) of Home Sweet Home ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ESpG1obQgs

I've watched it about 6 times now ...

I believe the kids today would say he "shreds!" :)

Added by Adam on March 4, 2010 at 6:35 — No Comments

Banjo Nuts needed!

I need to find at least 3 Lange, or Paramount banjo closed end hook nuts. Does anyone have a source for a few parts...I've searched the web to no avail and every time I'm at a dead end I find great help here.
Many thanks in advance for any help that might be shared.

Added by Dana L. Richardson on February 28, 2010 at 19:06 — No Comments

Syncopatin' Shuffle

Hi All,

About 3 years ago there was a program presented by Julian Vincent on BBC Radio 4 called Syncopatin' Shuffle. I have a copy of this program and listened to it again this week. I think it's a wonderful show and think some of you will enjoy it too. It's not strictly about classic banjo - it covers minstrel/stroke-style, classic, bluegrass and clawhammer.

I contacted Mr Vincent and while he is not the copyright holder (the BBC is) he had no issue with me making it… Continue

Added by Adam on February 28, 2010 at 17:37 — No Comments

i love that banjo

My friend Mark is a rock & roll 'guy from the London ' 1970 scene ( remember " sympathy " ) . He don ' t tune perfectly his guitar but he " love that banjo " ; next step , a classic banjo in a rock & roll band ; i promise

https://www.youtube.com/user/cramasdamols#p/u/1/tcVoxTa0YCw

Added by marc dalmasso on February 24, 2010 at 10:34 — 1 Comment

Weymann style_20_no ring_no clad

i like very much this banjo ( i play it on " poppies & wheat " ) ; no tone ring ,no clad but a woodhoop and it is powerful ; it ' is a 10 1/2 pot ; from my research , Weymann used to built only 7 ( ukes & piccolos ) , 9 , 10 1/2 , 11 and 12 inches ' pots . May be 20 is for 20 bucks because these were entry levels ' ones ; but the mapple wood is always from 1st quality and so are the heavy metal parts . Mine is number 20382 ( from1917 or 1918 , i guess ; the patented stuff on the dowel… Continue

Added by marc dalmasso on February 11, 2010 at 11:30 — No Comments

George C. Dobson and Frank B. Converse books up again on eBay

Friends,

The eBay auctions on my two 1870's banjo books ran for their first week, and are now in our eBay 'store'.

Offers accepted!

They are:

1887 Frank B. Converse Analytical Banjo Method

http://bit.ly/8Y6X6u

and:

1877 Dobson's New System…

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Added by Heather Masterton on February 9, 2010 at 2:14 — No Comments

Anybody know the names of Hot Honk, Louis Hanson, Bart Drake, J.A. Sennoff, Jr? (on a Vega s/n 36593)

Friends,

In our Kovel's Collector's Gallery newsletter, a correspondent posted a photo of a banjo marked,"Fairbanks Banjo, made by the Vega Company, Boston, Mass."

On the inside are several signatures and dates, all in the early 1920s.

They are:

- Hot Honk, Louis Hanson, Bart Drake, J.A. Sennoff, Jr, and others.

Anybody know these names?

According to Kovel's the instrument's serial number 36593, means it was manufactured between 1915 and…

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Added by Heather Masterton on February 9, 2010 at 2:07 — 7 Comments

Aquila

Just an aside, for UK members only it looks like Mimmo is over here on Saturday giving lecture at the Lute Soc meeting at the Dutch Church, 7 Austin Friars, London EC2N 2HA (nearest tubes: Bank, Liverpool Street).

Added by David Wade on February 2, 2010 at 7:23 — No Comments

1887 Frank B. Converse Analytical Banjo Method

Good evening, Classic Banjo,

Thank you so much for this forum - so much to see!

Here is the other Classic Banjo instruction book we've got for your review - hope you'll take a look! Any comments on Mr. Converse's career are most welcome..

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200433864939&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

Kind… Continue

Added by Heather Masterton on January 30, 2010 at 4:12 — 1 Comment

Zither-Banjo on German radio

I was interviewed before Christmas by a guy from a German radio station about zither-banjos. Parts have been included in his program which is going out on Sunday. You can listen to it online: http://www.dradio.de/dlf/
But because Germany is one hour ahead, it starts at 14.05 pm English time.

Added by David Wade on January 29, 2010 at 14:02 — 2 Comments

1877 George C. Dobson "New System for Banjo"

1877 George Dobson "New System for Banjo" .... http://ning.it/cmZX2v

This is what led me to this forum - couple of 1870-ish books I am selling for a friend, on eBay: this one is already up.. (Frank Converse Analytical Banjo method next)

So clue me in on the Dobson Boys, won't you? I thought I had some reasonably good research till I found this site...

I love hearing the tunes, thank you for all the great… Continue

Added by Heather Masterton on January 29, 2010 at 13:31 — 3 Comments

New Additions to my family.

I answered an add on craigslist listing "four old banjos- $150 each."

I called very early to leave a message and get my name in the mix. Well it's true that the early bird catches the worm, and he called me a couple of minutes later.

I met with him and this is what I got...

Stewart and Bauer "Monogram" Grade 2. At first sight it looked in remarkably good condition. A couple of days later when I had a chance to mess with it I noticed one issue.

I… Continue

Added by Joel Hooks on December 25, 2009 at 1:45 — 2 Comments

My first real banjo lesson.

I finally had a formal music lesson, the first in my life (that I can recall). The best part is that it was with none other than Clarke Buehling.

We had exchanged info at the opening of the America Banjo Museum. He was in Ft Worth for Thanksgiving. So we got together, had lunch, then went to our "old west" town.

He is a true gentlemen.

Scales and accompaniment, along with discussion of historically informed performance was the agenda. He listened to where I was… Continue

Added by Joel Hooks on December 6, 2009 at 20:45 — 1 Comment

Joe Morley on the move

Just to let you all know that I've moved the Joe Morley site to : www.joemorley.co.uk. Look out for new material going up over the Christmas break.
Dave

Added by David Wade on December 4, 2009 at 10:12 — 1 Comment