1920s Lange-made Orpheum No. 3 Mixmash Plectrum Banjo

July 12, 2018

1920s Lange-made Orpheum No. 3 Mixmash Plectrum Banjo

While this banjo is mostly Lange product throughout (save Gibson-style resonator bolts and flange bits as far as I can tell), it's a hodge-podge mix of Lange parts. The neck is off of an Orpheum No. 3 plectrum banjo (with a long, 28" scale and oodles of pretty inlay and trim) and the rim is a whopping 12" and has a full (non-original?) resonator to fit it. Holy shimoli! This thing is like a trad jazz warrior!

My own work included a fret level/dress, new bridge, and setup. Unfortunately, being a plectrum and with a long scale and the owner's desire to use strings heavier than something comparable to 5-string "lights," the neck has a hair of relief tuned to pitch. I'd removed said relief effectively with the level/dress job, but the tension pulled a bit back. Still, it plays like a dandy with 1/16" action at the 12th fret, anyhow. The owner plays it guitar-style so it's tuned to DGBE rather than CGBD at the moment.

Specs are: 28" scale, 1 1/8" nut width, 15/16" string spacing at the nut, 1 5/16" spacing at the bridge, 12 1/16" rim diameter, and 3 1/2" depth overall.

I forgot that I added a new bone nut, too.

Check out the pickwear at the end of the board! That's what I like to see on a plectrum banjo -- someone playing the heck out of this in the "sweet spot."