CE Professional on UK ebay

[Jody Stecher]

There's a Clifford Essex Professional on UK ebay with no bids. Needs some cleanup but might be alright. But what's the deal with the screw in the  heel? Is that what's always under the usual dot? Looks horrible.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120751139407...

[Jody Stecher]

Well now, "cold" is  a relative quality. The beer up north is certainly served and swallowed at room temperature but consider the temperature of the rooms. When I was about 19 or 20 my parents visited England on holiday. The first thing my dad told me on their return was that he had solved a mystery. "Why do the English put their plumbing on the *outside* of their houses?" he asked me. I shrugged and he answered " to keep the water pipes from freezing"!!   

 

 

[Trevor Boyd]

I agree "room temperature" is an inexact measure, when you consider that it can reach 30+ deg C here even in the temperate climate of the UK.  As a "northerner" (ex-Manchester) now living in the soft south that is a little warm even for me. :-)

[Trapdoor2]

Supposed to be 36C here today (97F).  Another Corona actually sounds pretty good right now...

[thereallyniceman]

You Americans do indeed have a very stereotypical view of Great Britain and its climate.

Today, up here in Blackpool, it was so hot that I took my overcoat and even took one of my pullovers off.

Ian

[Trapdoor2]

LOL.

Weather for Blackpool today: 59F, light showers, rain. I'd be out dancing in it...

[marc dalmasso]

How is it possible that collective memory of the banjo_players didn 't carry these informations  to us , today ?

just because CB was old fashioned during the end of the last century ?

i think that every day  & every day , infos are added about everything on the web and may be someday , something will be added which could permit to trace this

Richard William Ineson said:

These CE 'Professional' banjos have always been a bit of a mystery to me, I don't think that they were made by Weaver - he didn't make banjos for anybody else after 1906. These banjos have some of his characteristics such as the very large nuts, inside the hoop, which hold the bracket shoes on, but the heel shape is always wrong and the spliced neck is not a Weaver thing, and the screw, presumable fixing the perch pole in the heel is definitely not Weaver; all the banjos made by him which I have seen, had one piece, perch pole/neck construction.

 

Weaver did make a lot of the early CE 'Special' banjos, and these are indistinguishable from the banjos made under his own name.

 

The 'Professional' hoops are generally pretty deep and impart a very booming, and to my mind 'tubby' sound to the instrument.

 

I wonder who did make them?

[thereallyniceman]

It is interesting what Richard says, but we can only guess at the moment.  It appears that the wood hoop inside the spun over brass on my CE Professional is OAK... Weaver used oak for his hoops and I don't know of others who did.  Maybe is was an early example of sub-contracting the build?  Neck made here, hoop made there etc.

[Sylvia]

Just  spent an interesting few minutes watching ( not bidding ) the sale of the CE Prof.   I also liked the fluted ring and am thinking of having one make for my cheapie Banjo. 

Trapdoor2 said:

Hmmmmm. I don't suppose one of our UK brethern could pick this one up and ship it over here...?

 

Not that I need another banjo, y'know. I've always thought that scalloped tension hoop was cool.

[Jody Stecher]

A fluted "bezel"  is likely to cost more than the value of your banjo. CE used this attractive feature on several other models such as XX Special and Paragon. The metal is heavy and very high quality and keeps its luster  for an amazingly long time. I had a Barnes & Mullins #1 Perfect that had such a tension hoop (bezel) but now a student has it. If you have a machinist in your family I suppose you could have it done. Otherwise I would anticipate a high cost. Do let us know if you have success. We'll all be wanting one or twelve.

Sylvia said:

Just  spent an interesting few minutes watching ( not bidding ) the sale of the CE Prof.   I also liked the fluted ring and am thinking of having one make for my cheapie Banjo. 

Trapdoor2 said:

Hmmmmm. I don't suppose one of our UK brethern could pick this one up and ship it over here...?

 

Not that I need another banjo, y'know. I've always thought that scalloped tension hoop was cool.

[Sylvia]

Hi Jody, will let you know how I get on with enquiries re the fluted " bezel ".  I don't have a machinist in the family but think there may be some light engineering around where I live.  At the moment a fluted bezel  is on my wish list, however if it is too expensive it will have to stay there..... Wonder who got the CE.

Jody Stecher said:

A fluted "bezel"  is likely to cost more than the value of your banjo. CE used this attractive feature on several other models such as XX Special and Paragon. The metal is heavy and very high quality and keeps its luster  for an amazingly long time. I had a Barnes & Mullins #1 Perfect that had such a tension hoop (bezel) but now a student has it. If you have a machinist in your family I suppose you could have it done. Otherwise I would anticipate a high cost. Do let us know if you have success. We'll all be wanting one or twelve.

Sylvia said:

Just  spent an interesting few minutes watching ( not bidding ) the sale of the CE Prof.   I also liked the fluted ring and am thinking of having one make for my cheapie Banjo. 

Trapdoor2 said:

Hmmmmm. I don't suppose one of our UK brethern could pick this one up and ship it over here...?

 

Not that I need another banjo, y'know. I've always thought that scalloped tension hoop was cool.

[David Wade]

Time was when we knew who was bidding on things and could keep out of each others way.....I did once pick up a tutor book in front of Dr K - did not go down well! But Keith W; Tom; Clive and myself used to be able to spot each other.

So £396 plus carriage makes for £410 (?) plus new vellum from Chris - £35 was minor cosmetics .........it going to be a 500 quid 'jo. Ok if your going to keep it but not much margin for selling.

Sylvia said:

Hi Jody, will let you know how I get on with enquiries re the fluted " bezel ".  I don't have a machinist in the family but think there may be some light engineering around where I live.  At the moment a fluted bezel  is on my wish list, however if it is too expensive it will have to stay there..... Wonder who got the CE.

Jody Stecher said:

A fluted "bezel"  is likely to cost more than the value of your banjo. CE used this attractive feature on several other models such as XX Special and Paragon. The metal is heavy and very high quality and keeps its luster  for an amazingly long time. I had a Barnes & Mullins #1 Perfect that had such a tension hoop (bezel) but now a student has it. If you have a machinist in your family I suppose you could have it done. Otherwise I would anticipate a high cost. Do let us know if you have success. We'll all be wanting one or twelve.

Sylvia said:

Just  spent an interesting few minutes watching ( not bidding ) the sale of the CE Prof.   I also liked the fluted ring and am thinking of having one make for my cheapie Banjo. 

Trapdoor2 said:

Hmmmmm. I don't suppose one of our UK brethern could pick this one up and ship it over here...?

 

Not that I need another banjo, y'know. I've always thought that scalloped tension hoop was cool.

[Trapdoor2]

Scalloping a tension hoop isn't all that complex. Especially with todays CNC machines. Simply a bit of programming, etc. Bill Rickard (Canada) would be the person to contact for production quantites. The hoop (bezel) on my CE is very thick and heavy...very easy on the old arm, no need for an armrest.

Bill also makes excellent spun over rims (and a variety of other banjo-things), but not quite as deep as the CEs (which are slightly over 3" deep). His are truely spun, no brazed joints, etc. Probably the #1 banjo-stuff mfg. today.