New child arriving soon...must prepare a hiding spot.

[Trapdoor2]

Yes, I've bought yet another banjo. =:^O

 

I'll post pix when she arrives...but given she is swimming over from the UK, I don't expect her for a fortnight. I need to somehow assimilate her into the collection w/o making much of a fuss...otherwise the local gendarmarie will be digging up my backyard looking for my remains. ;-)

 

I had my eye on her prior to the Nashville Collectors Gathering but a more-than-positive response from an offhand query to Eli Kaufman pushed me 'over the edge'.

 

I won't tell you her name, but her address is "15a Grafton" and she is probably in her 80's...though she is reportedly in excellent health and retains much (if not all) of her youthful appearance. I guess we'll see when she arrives!

[Sylvia]

Lucky girl, in her 80s and no wrinkles : ) Looking forward to seeing the pictures.

[marc dalmasso]

[Trapdoor2]

Woo-hoo! New child is here! "CE Special"

I just picked her up from the post office and opened the package here in the parking lot at work. She made it w/o damage. Offhand, I don't think the case is original to the banjo, it is far to big for it. And as the case is in pretty shabby condition, I may simply order a TKL for it.

It appears that all she needs is removal of her current wires, a decent bridge and a set of guts. She's very shiny and at first glance, she's in excellent shape. I am not completely in love with the huge "harp" tailpiece but perhaps it will grow on me. ;-)

I'll try to get some pix up tonight...if I can put her down for a few minutes. ;-)

[Sylvia]

Put her down and hurry up with the pix. :-)
Trapdoor2 said:

Woo-hoo! New child is here! "CE Special"

I just picked her up from the post office and opened the package here in the parking lot at work. She made it w/o damage. Offhand, I don't think the case is original to the banjo, it is far to big for it. And as the case is in pretty shabby condition, I may simply order a TKL for it.

It appears that all she needs is removal of her current wires, a decent bridge and a set of guts. She's very shiny and at first glance, she's in excellent shape. I am not completely in love with the huge "harp" tailpiece but perhaps it will grow on me. ;-)

I'll try to get some pix up tonight...if I can put her down for a few minutes. ;-)

[thereallyniceman]

"MRS SMITH, MRS SMITH" !!!!

" Guess what !! I saw Marc hiding something in the shed "

There Marc, it is all out in the open..... Now you will have a load of explaining to do :-)


How can you not LOVE the Essex Lyre Tailpiece ??? !!! It is the Clifford Essex trademark. For some unknown reason they fitted a tailpiece hinged cover on some models, which fitted over the Lyre and looked awful. I took one off my Paragon.

I hope you soon become addicted to CE banjos.... The Concert Grand is VERY nice for the next one to buy. :-)

Get a recording done soon... we can't wait.

Ian the C. Essex addict

[Trapdoor2]

thereallyniceman said:

"MRS SMITH, MRS SMITH"!!!!

LOL, she would probably be looking around for another MRS SMITH. BTW, around here the proper pronunciation is: "Miz Smiff". ;-) Besides, I haven't a shed. Plain sight is the perfect place for it. Drop a chewed up old banjo case in amongst 15 others...she'll never know.

Silvia, it is still daylight here and I'm still stuck in this office for another two hours.

Oh my, I think I feel a chill coming on...(sniff-sniffle). ;-)

[Jody Stecher]

Ian, the new CE gut strings are very stout . I'd say they give give more resistance — fight back more- than Sands Heavy gauge nylons. These are manly strings, you betcha.



thereallyniceman said:

" Forget the guts... get nylons on! Chris Sands Medium Gauge for wimps to build you up. Then Heavies to make a man of you .

[Sylvia]

Hey you can't possibly have caught my cold that I have been stuck at home with for the last 4/5 days. It's pitch black here now ( well apart from the street lights ) and it's actually well past my bed time so I will look for the pix in the morning. ( my morning ) It's also snowing , that will please the kids here, they don't see snow that often. Oooppps, sorry all non banjo stuff.I will go back into my corner.
Trapdoor2 said:

thereallyniceman said:

"MRS SMITH, MRS SMITH"!!!!

LOL, she would probably be looking around for another MRS SMITH. BTW, around here the proper pronunciation is: "Miz Smiff". ;-) Besides, I haven't a shed. Plain sight is the perfect place for it. Drop a chewed up old banjo case in amongst 15 others...she'll never know.

Silvia, it is still daylight here and I'm still stuck in this office for another two hours.

Oh my, I think I feel a chill coming on...(sniff-sniffle). ;-)

[Trapdoor2]

I've been down with a cold as well...haven't had one in about 20 yrs and this one hit me hard. I missed Thanksgiving...finally got a good night's sleep last night. Feeling much better today...esp. with the new CE to help my spirits!

I gave her a quick bath and brush up, yanked off the steel strings, re-installed the wedges (they fell out during shipping) and put on a set of CE guts. The bridge was an old Grover "no tip"...but broken where they usually break, in the middle. I put a 1/2" Cole-type (my favorite) on it and have been playing her for about 15 minutes.

She sounds quite good, lots of "presence". Playing is easy as the action is quite low, maybe a bit too low...I dunno. I'll experiment with a 5/8" bridge later. Her neck is quite smooth, though a bit stouter than my Flesher. I've never minded a heavy neck, so that is not an issue.

She's a "keeper" for sure. She looks like she's never been played much, fret wear is noticeable on the first two (1st and 2nd string) but nowhere else.

More as I we get acquainted...

[Ray Jones]

Mate, did you say that ' you don't have a SHED '. You have led a very deprived existance. My heart goes out to you, everybody should have a shed to retreat to, it's a necessary part of a man's being. I don't want to brag, but the need drives me to tell you that I have two sheds, no wonder you are feeling down and out, catch cold easily and lack confidence. My only regret is that my sheds do not have an old fridge in them to store my beer. If I can give moral support in any way, just holler.

[marc dalmasso]

here ' s captain Dalmasso from the French ' police ; the banjo was a first time on ebay : april 13 _2010 ; your seller buyed it with a Bj uke ; then he washed it and he washed the backside of the vellum and moved it in a different position

; why ?

[marc dalmasso]