c.2000 Winston Bish "Masterclone" 5-String Banjo

This banjo was in for a light fret level/dress and setup. It was made by Mr. Winston Bish in Connecticut but it bears a faux Gibson marker at the headstock. It's quite similar to fancy pearl-bedecked, flamed-maple (primary wood) Masterclones and (not surprisingly) has a cutting, gobs-of-volume tone to match.

Its owner has really put it through its paces since he picked it up and it came in with incredible amounts of grime and playwear. Some of the grime has been righted but all of the setup and playing wear issues have, of course, been solved. What is it with banjo players and grime?

The faux "Gibson" script matches that early-mid 40s style I'm familiar with. I like the pearl truss cover, too!

Rosewood board and headstock veneer... and plenty of hand-cut pearl in abundance!

This "Moon" style bridge was custom-fit with a Baggs transducer at some point.

How about that maple?

A lesson, folks: if your banjo pegs are slipping there are two reasons, generally: A) the buttons are just loose and the set screws on the rear need tightening or B) the hex nut at the top of the headstock is loose. On these 4:1 tuners it's almost always that the hex nut on top is loose as no one seems to think of tightening them during string changes...