1930s Gretsch Broadkaster Resonator Tenor Banjo

I have been working on scads of tenor banjos lately. This Gretsch looks like it's part of the company's Broadkaster line and has an all-metal, one-piece-cast rim and flange and thus an "integral" tonering -- the rim itself! It's the least-fancy version I've seen and came to the shop with a repaired split to the heel, bad head, and no resonator.

Now that I've got it humming, it sounds just like you'd expect a mid-grade, long-scale tenor banjo to sound -- chipper, clean-sounding, somewhat poppy, and with decent volume -- but not a barnstormer like a Lange/Paramount or Bacon. They make good chordal strummers and pick lead well, too.

Repairs included: a fret level/dress, side dots install, new Elite banjo head install, new 5/8" ebony/maple bridge, replacement tailpiece, some stiffening of the neck joint connection, new resonator made from a carved antique fruitbowl, cleaning, and setup.

Setup notes: it plays perfectly with 1/16" action at the 12th fret and has a straight neck. It's currently setup for standard tuning (CGDA) with gauges 32w, 20w, 13, 9.

Scale length: 23"

Nut width: 1 1/8"

String spacing at nut: 7/8"

String spacing at bridge: 1 5/16"

Head diameter: 11"
Resonator diameter: 13"

Rim depth: 3 3/4" + some reso depth

Rim material: one-piece metal

Neck wood: poplar

Fretboard: ebonized maple

Bridge: new 5/8" ebony/maple

Neck feel: medium C/soft V shape, flat board

Condition notes: old repair to a split heel (well done and stable, but not visually ideal), non-original ('60s-era) Grover tuners, head+bridge+tailpiece unoriginal, and replacement resonator. There's average wear and tear throughout and the cast rim has definitely corroded to a nice dull/gunmetal color.

The Grover guitar tuners might look out of place compared to banjo pegs, but they work nicely. I left them because this instrument is definitely more suited to functionality than prettiness.