1920s Lange-made Slingerland Melody King Resonator Tenor Banjo
Tenor banjos like this definitely do it for me. While the headstock reads "Slingerland Melody King," I'm absolutely certain that this was made by Lange in New York for the brand. It's like a slightly-altered copy of Lange's own Orpheum and Paramount instruments from the same time in the mid-'20s. It's a perfect trad jazz tenor banjo but also does Celtic and old-time-centric stuff well, too, if you like the crisp sound.
It's got egads-amounts of volume and push but, unlike other makers (*cough* Bacon *cough*), when you hit it really hard or get carried-away with strumming, Lange-style instruments of this grade don't give you a pingy or harsh treble snap in response. Instead they just increase in volume with an overall sweeter, more sustained sound. I never feel like my ears are getting "cleaned out" from the treble response on Paramounts or Orpheums and the same holds true for this guy. As you can hear in the clip, it also does melody work or chordal work very well.
My friend Wayne found this guy and it arrived in pretty good shape but needing glorified setup work. I gave it that work and now it's playing fast, fast, fast. I currently have it strung for "traditional" CGDA tuning, but can set it up and restring for whatever preferred tuning its next owner desires.
If you haven't paid attention to the details, yet, feast your eyes on the engraved inlay of crowns up and down the neck and the profuse amount of "marquetry-style" inlay banding the rim and the green accents to the decorative touches (back-strapping!) on the instrument.
Repairs included: fret level/dress, replacement bridge, cleaning, and setup.
Rim wood: ply mahogany
Tonering: Lange-oriented (set on brads) design, with a "donut"-like interior
Bridge: ebony/maple, older
Fretboard: ebonized maple?
Neck wood: maple
Neck shape: medium C/V
Board radius: flat
Neck relief: straight
Fret style: medium/low
Scale length: 22 5/8"
Nut width: 1 1/8"
Head diameter: 10 7/8"
Resonator diameter: 13 1/4"
Depth overall at rim: 4 1/4"
Weight: 9 lbs 5 oz
Condition notes: everything is original except for the bridge and older Remo synthetic head. I can't tell if the finish is original or not for sure, but I'm guessing pretty hard that it was refinished some 50+ years ago, as the colors are bright and clean in the trim, though the finish itself looks like it's had decades of use. The hardware shows tarnish throughout but looks good, overall. The head has some wear and tear but that also gives it the "lived-in" feel.
It comes with: a 1950s/1960s hard case.
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