1920s GH&S 5-String Pony Banjo
Oh-my-gosh, I worked on this and sold it back in 2013. I didn't even realize it when it came back in but I could tell by the way the frets had been dressed that I'd worked on it. Since then things have changed a bit on it and its owner recently sent it back for resale -- so new blog post!
It bears the Lion-style stamp/brand of George Houghton & Sons (Birmingham, UK) at the headstock and a "B&S Master" branding tag up there, too. It was definitely made by GH&S, however, as its appointments and build are typical of their style.
It's a short-scale instrument with a 20 1/4" scale length and so by necessity you either need to tune normal strings up to keep the tension right or use heavier strings to get to normal pitch. As there are plenty of normal 5-string banjos out in the world, I think it's more fun to tune this up to C (5 frets up) above normal G. That's cGCEG low to high instead of gDGBD -- and that's how it's strung/tuned right now.
After a fresh setup and level/dress of the frets, it's playing nice and quick and is ready to go.
Repairs included: a fret level/dress, side dots install, neck angle adjustment, restring, and setup. It'd previously had some work done by me before and after that its owner had a No-Knot-style tailpiece installed and 4:1 modern geared pegs installed at the headstock and 5th peg (a big upgrade compared to the original friction pegs).
Setup notes: action is spot-on at 1/16" at the 12th fret. The neck has a teensy bit of relief tuned-to-pitch but it's only ~1/64" overall. This had 10s on it when it came in and I reduced the gauges to 9s which has made the neck a little happier. The bridge is compensated.
Condition notes: overall it's in decent order, though when it came in to the shop to begin-with years ago it was missing rim hardware and so I modified its head/tension hoop to sit without that hardware (as I recall). Also, two rust spots at the edges of the head turned into small tears that were repaired at some point. They're stable so I didn't bother re-heading it -- I tensioned it up a little and they remained good to go. The original friction pegs and tailpiece are replaced with modern equipment and there are strap buttons added at the heel and tailpiece area. The bridge is not original. Otherwise, the rest of the instrument is original and the finish looks good.
It bears the Lion-style stamp/brand of George Houghton & Sons (Birmingham, UK) at the headstock and a "B&S Master" branding tag up there, too. It was definitely made by GH&S, however, as its appointments and build are typical of their style.
It's a short-scale instrument with a 20 1/4" scale length and so by necessity you either need to tune normal strings up to keep the tension right or use heavier strings to get to normal pitch. As there are plenty of normal 5-string banjos out in the world, I think it's more fun to tune this up to C (5 frets up) above normal G. That's cGCEG low to high instead of gDGBD -- and that's how it's strung/tuned right now.
After a fresh setup and level/dress of the frets, it's playing nice and quick and is ready to go.
Repairs included: a fret level/dress, side dots install, neck angle adjustment, restring, and setup. It'd previously had some work done by me before and after that its owner had a No-Knot-style tailpiece installed and 4:1 modern geared pegs installed at the headstock and 5th peg (a big upgrade compared to the original friction pegs).
Setup notes: action is spot-on at 1/16" at the 12th fret. The neck has a teensy bit of relief tuned-to-pitch but it's only ~1/64" overall. This had 10s on it when it came in and I reduced the gauges to 9s which has made the neck a little happier. The bridge is compensated.
Scale length: 20 1/4"
Nut width: 1 1/4"
String spacing at nut: 1 1/16"
String spacing at bridge: 1 11/16"
Head diameter: 7 1/2"
Rim diameter: 9 1/2"
Rim diameter: 9 1/2"
Rim depth: 2 1/4" +a little arch to the resonator/rear
Rim material: unsure
Neck wood: unsure
Fretboard wood: ebony veneer
Bridge: maple/ebony
Neck feel: medium-big V-shape, flat board
Condition notes: overall it's in decent order, though when it came in to the shop to begin-with years ago it was missing rim hardware and so I modified its head/tension hoop to sit without that hardware (as I recall). Also, two rust spots at the edges of the head turned into small tears that were repaired at some point. They're stable so I didn't bother re-heading it -- I tensioned it up a little and they remained good to go. The original friction pegs and tailpiece are replaced with modern equipment and there are strap buttons added at the heel and tailpiece area. The bridge is not original. Otherwise, the rest of the instrument is original and the finish looks good.
Comments