1900s Oscar Schmidt-made 5-String Openback Banjo
This student-grade instrument shares hardware specific to the Oscar Schmidt company out of New Jersey and I'm certain that's what it is. It's on the earlier side, though, but appears all-original save later (1910s/1920s) Champion friction pegs and a later (1930s) tailpiece. I'm sure it was intended for gut when it was made and probably used wooden pegs to begin-with.
It's owned by a friend of mine and he wanted it dolled-up to play "well enough" to kick around with. I think he'll be excited because as it turns out, it plays just as well as any other refurbed same-era 5-string after work. That work included fret seating and a level/dress, fill of the 5th-peg hole and reinstall of the 5th peg, much cleaning, stabilization of the neck joint (it'd been double-bolted and mucked-up a bit before me), change to the angle of the dowel inside the rim, a new nut, and a good setup with Aquila Nylgut strings.
Specs are: 25 1/2" scale, 1 1/8" nut width, 7/8" string spacing at the nut, 1 1/2" spacing at the bridge, 10 5/8" rim diameter, and 2 1/4" side depth. Action is spot-on for gut/nylon at 3/32" at the 12th fret and while the neck has some relief, it was mitigated via the level/dress job.
Materials are: poplar neck (with no fretboard), poplar or maple rim, nickel-silver spunover outer sleeve, bone nut, older Remo synthetic head, and newer Grover maple/ebony bridge.
It's owned by a friend of mine and he wanted it dolled-up to play "well enough" to kick around with. I think he'll be excited because as it turns out, it plays just as well as any other refurbed same-era 5-string after work. That work included fret seating and a level/dress, fill of the 5th-peg hole and reinstall of the 5th peg, much cleaning, stabilization of the neck joint (it'd been double-bolted and mucked-up a bit before me), change to the angle of the dowel inside the rim, a new nut, and a good setup with Aquila Nylgut strings.
Specs are: 25 1/2" scale, 1 1/8" nut width, 7/8" string spacing at the nut, 1 1/2" spacing at the bridge, 10 5/8" rim diameter, and 2 1/4" side depth. Action is spot-on for gut/nylon at 3/32" at the 12th fret and while the neck has some relief, it was mitigated via the level/dress job.
Materials are: poplar neck (with no fretboard), poplar or maple rim, nickel-silver spunover outer sleeve, bone nut, older Remo synthetic head, and newer Grover maple/ebony bridge.
I had to add "string trees" for downpressure on the strings at the headstock. It was cut at a very shallow angle from the factory.
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