• Rim: Maple
• Neck: Maple
• Hardware: Presto tenor tailpiece, Grover Planetary tuners

I know very little about this banjo, but it’s an open-back, best used for old time clawhammer/frailing. I bought this in the 80’s in Berkeley from a dude on the street who had the floating bridge secured to the head with wood glue! The pot has a 30 hole tone ring, with “13221” and “Pat.Pend.” stamped into the rim…Vega or Fairbanks, perhaps? Anybody?

The neck, which features a wooden dowel and no name on the headstock, as well as no position markers (I put them on myself with nail polish) might be a Bacon, or perhaps home made. These are only guesses.

A previous owner stripped the finish off the back. The neck at present is pretty warped, which makes it virtually unplayable above the 4th fret, but it has a really neat tone, rather biting for an open back.

Currently it has a Presto tenor banjo tailpiece, which will need replacing, a wood armrest scavenged from an old Aida clunker that I learned on, and I put a Remo Renaissance head on it which is similar in tone to an old style cow hide head — the original head I had autographed by The Kingston Trio.

I am talking to Goldtone about having them put a long neck with dual coordinator rods on it so I can bring it back to life and use it for folkie/KT/Pete Seeger type applications.