Sweet!

[Trapdoor2]

A week or so ago, I bid on a Stewart pot assembly evidently off of an early Banjeurine...and won! Today it showed up on my doorstep and it is indeed a 12-1/2" Banjeurine pot. Serial number is 5169, so it is probably ca. 1890. It has the heavy neck brace and is pretty complete, really lacking only hooks and nuts. Came with the "Common Sense" tailpiece and the complete dowelstick too.

The dowelstick gave me a bit of a turn though. I have a complete Banjeurine from this period (S/N 7xxx) in excellent condition (same size, etc.). As this pot assy. has no neck, I expected the dowelstick to look like any other (thru the pot, glued into the neck).

Surprise! The dowelstick isn't connected to the neck at all. It is screwed to the pot from either end by a countersunk woodscrew. The neck is held to the pot by two small round-head woodscrews (run in from the inside of the pot and into the heel) and supported by the heavy iron neck brace. No wedges...no nothing.

Of course, I had to compare it to my existing Banjeurine...yup, same set-up. I always assumed the dowelstick was glued into the heel...I guess ol' S.S.S. had other ideas!

So, this one will go into the 'to be resurrected' box. I may attempt to put a regular size neck on it (Stewart pattern, of course, 28" scale) and I have been thinking it might do well as a fretless. We'll see.