1926 Bacon Style C Tenor Banjo

This is the 2nd of two nearly-identical Bacon style C tenor banjos I finished up Friday night. This one's all-original save a replacement (1920s) bridge and newer Remo frosted-top synthetic head. It's a got a good, loud, chipper, and crisp/clean sound.

It plays and sounds great and like the other Bacon style C, work included a fret level/dress, cleaning, and setup. This had the same minimal neck relief that the other one had and the fret level compensated it out of the neck.

The no-tonering design works well for this type of head as these heads are naturally bright. With just a shaped-top rim, this means overall the tone winds up crisp and clean but with a mellow/warm undertone.

Like the other Bacon style C, the fretboard and headstock veneered are dyed maple (I think). The pegs are standard friction types but they do have nice ivoroid buttons.

Pearl dots.

It's a nicely no-frills instrument.

The maple used on the dowel has some good flame in it. The rim is also layered laminations of maple while there's mahogany veneer on the interior and exterior walls. The neck is one-piece mahogany.

Heel cap and good heavy-duty neck brace.

The serial number on this guy places it at 1926.

The hardware is pretty darn clean!

The old Non-Tip Grover bridge is from my parts bin, though the simple tailpiece appears original.

The banjo comes with a later, simple, chip case.