1870'-1890 Antique Vintage Brass Fretless Eagle Bracket 5-string Open Back Banjo

Description

1870's-1890 Antique Vintage Brass Fretless Eagle Bracket 5-string Open Back Minstrel Banjo
This is a long-used fretless Minstrel Banjo with no maker's mark or label.  Cast brass "eagle" brackets like those on this banjo were fairly common in the post civil war era but only a small minority of the banjos made in that era had them, so they are very rare today. This is not a reproduction of a 19
th
Century banjo but the actual original item with a solid Black Walnut neck, and a solid bare brass "spun over" rim and 16 original cast brass "eagle" brackets.  Brackets, nuts, and hooks like the ones on this banjo are listed in musical merchandise catalogs into the early 20th century - long after whole new banjos of this configuration had ceased to be popular or available.  The wooden tailpiece (Cocobolo Rosewood) is an authentically designed reproduction of an old "fan" shaped tailpiece.  The tailpiece is tied on to the round dowel rod with a Kevlar cord where the dowel protrudes through the rim.  The 5/8" tall Maple bridge is a minstrel-style reproduction.  An Antique banjo collector, re-enactor or old time banjo music enthusiast would really enjoy the playability and patina of this survivor.  The neck is Black Walnut and has a hand-rubbed oil finish. The fingerboard has no frets, markers, or kerfs. This banjo has a 5th string peg which is inserted into the neck perpendicular to the fretboard as most modern banjos do.   From previous experience, I believe that the fifth string nut is a brass tack with a drop of solder on it, which then had a saw kerf cut into it to guide the string. The 5 solid ebony tuning pegs work easily and smoothly .  There is an old Walnut nut for the first four strings.  I am including (in case the new owner finds it interesting) a couple of old, non-functional hand-whittled pegs which came with the banjo as well as a nail that was once hammered through the neck dowel for some unknown reason (the hole is still there).   The banjo has a new set of classic Nylgut banjo strings installed.  An added layer of sheet brass has been soldered to the neck area and the tail area to stabilize the rim; This was necessary, in part, because a previous owner had revised the location of the hole where the dowel pokes through the rim in order to
lower
the string action. There is finger wear and some darkening of the wood from fingering evident on the fingerboard above the fifth string nut, Please look carefully at the photos.
Measurements: 35" long, 2-1/2" deep, approx. 11"rim with calfskin head, approx. 1-5/16" main nut, approx. 25.5" scale
Shipping will be a flat rate of .00 economy shipping, fully insured, to anywhere in the 48 contiguous U.S. states and actual cost elsewhere; please ask for a shipping quote if you'd like to know how much it will be before you buy.   Local pick-up is free if the banjo has already been paid for via PayPal. Please ask any questions you have before bidding. Thanks for reading the entire description.