Date of my flush fret?

[IAN SALTER]

[IAN SALTER]

Does anyone have any ideas as to when this may have been made? I apologise for the terrible photos. 

The only markings on it are N°8 written in pencil on the back of the dowel and VIII chiseled into the dowel and inside the hoop. The frets are accurate with a 25" string length.

I will post this on the Minstrel site as well.

Thank you in advance.

[Joel Hooks]

The tailpiece looks British.  The small size makes me think later.

1870-1910 +/-.

[IAN SALTER]

Hi Joel, thank you for that.

I live in England and got the banjo from a charity shop in South London about 6 years ago, although I've only just started playing it. I think the tail piece is a replacement as it's exactly the same as the one on my unnamed 30 hook, 17 fret that, I think is from about 1880/90. It is bolted on that one but I had to use a tailgut on the flush fret. The hoop is 11 1/2" x 2 1/2" and the neck length is 17". I just have a feeling that it was made around 1860/70 although it doesn't really matter as it suits me well enough.

[David Wade]

Strangley enough I've seen a neck very similar to this one quite recently - it had been fretted with some strange looking pieces of copper. It had the same design of peghead, no fingerboard and a spoon heel - I'd put it early '70s/80s.

[IAN SALTER]

Hi David,

That is interesting. I have been looking at as many photos as I can find online and the only instrument that has a similar peghead is an English 7 string that was owned by Dick Glasgow and then Rob MacKillop. It is in the photos on this site.

However, yesterday I went into the loft to get something and found a banjo neck and body that I have a very vague idea I was given when I bought some violins over twenty years ago. Fiddle is my main instrument so I had completely forgotten about it.

It is a 7 string flush fret with 3 geared tuners on each side of the head and a single geared 5th string tuner at the 7th fret. The neck is 16 1/2" and the pot is 10" x 2 1/4" overspun(?) brass with 8 brackets. 

Well, beyond that being a very nice surprise, I am totally amazed to see that it has the same hand written pencil marks as the 5 string in the photos. The peghead and neck are definitely by the same hand. I am delighted that I now have N°8 and N°10 made by a long forgotten artisan, maybe somewhere in Sussex. 

I'm hoping to attend the gathering on the 14th.

[David Wade]

Interesting...look forward to seeing you on the 14th - make your self known to us...

Best

David