Vintage Stella 5-String Openback Banjo

Description

Vintage Stella 5-String Banjo.
This is an old Stella Open back I found at a backcountry yard sale. It’s got the original calfskin head on it, in surprisingly good condition (there’s no way of knowing if it’s the truly original head, but it’s ancient regardless.) Everything but the bridge, nut and tailpiece are also original- the mechanical friction tuners, rim, and hardware all appear very old but in perfectly functional condition. There is no tone ring, the head just sits on the rim as pictured above. The tailpiece is a brand new no-knot that I put on after I got it, and the bridge was handmade by one the previous owners. I was going to replace it but I couldn’t find a bridge that fit the banjo as good as that one, so I just kept it on.
After doing some research I’ve come to the conclusion that Stella mostly made tenor banjos in much the same fashion as this one all throughout the first half of the 20th century, and they produced a much smaller quantity of five strings in the 20s, 30s, and 40s. Judging from the headstock, I believe this one was made in sometime in the 1920s.
This is a great little banjo — built like a tank — and the old hide head gives it a super plunky old-time sound. Any claw hammer player who likes obscure vintage banjos would get a kick out of playing this one. The only reason I’m selling it is that I need to free up some space for more instruments, haha.
Thanks for looking and have a good day