1960s/1920s Gretsch/Orpheum Longneck 5-String Openback Partser Banjo

Here's partser banjo number three and the last of my "box of banjo parts" builds. It uses a 1960s Gretsch (these are often labeled Bacon) longneck 5-string banjo neck I had hanging-around mated to a 1920s Lange-made Oprheum rim with a big-old 12 1/8" head. Does it sound majestic and delicious? It does! Is it odd and wonderful? It is! Should you be 6' 5" to play it? Yeah, probably. Long arms help when playing-out to first position, though the average player uses these in G-tuning most of the time with a capo on 3... and thus transforming it into a "normal size" banjo for the left hand.

This definitely has its peculiarities and the rim is a little tired in looks, but it's turned-out as a great "cobbler's special." The big rim with the much-desired Orpheum tonering suits the lower tuning and it sounds fantastic and clear played fingerstyle or Seeger-style. It's less amazing as a "modern old time" frailing machine, though, and I found myself wanting to just keep playing my 2-fingers picking style while using it.

It has a friction 5th peg (original to the Gretsch neck) and 2:1 geared tuners from the '20s at the headstock. If this was going to be a daily driver, it might be worthwhile to upgrade the pegs, but they work fine as they sit. The frosted-top Remo head is nicely aged-in so that it matches the "folk boom monster" look the whole thing shoots out at you.

Playability-wise, it's spot on and has a straight neck and all that. The neck is fairly deep and chunky, though, so folks who want a narrow, quick-style neck -- look away!

Repairs included: parts mating, fret level/dress, side dots install, railroad spike capos for 5 frets, cleaning, setup, etc...

Rim wood: multi-ply maple

Tonering: Orpheum holed-hoop on brads on sleeve

Bridge: maple/ebony compensated

Fretboard: ebonized maple?

Neck wood: maple

Action height at 12th fret: 3/32" at the 12th fret (or 1/16" when capo'd to 3 -- fast, spot-on)
String gauges: 9s

Neck shape: medium-deeper C/U

Board radius: flat

Truss rod: non-adjustable

Neck relief: straight

Fret style: medium

Scale length: 31 5/8"

Nut width: 1 1/4"

Head diameter: 12 1/8"

Depth overall at rim: 2 3/4"

Weight: 6 lbs 14 oz

Condition notes: hah! Well, it took a bit of modding to get the neck fit to the rim. The dowel is basically for looks and a little bit of rim-roundness stability as the neck is now bolted through the rim Dobson/Gibson-style. It's secure and stable. The dowel itself is cut pretty thin near the neck joint and has an extender on the other side. The rim itself has some binding and purfling loss and general wear and tear. I'm pretty sure many of the hooks are replacements but the rest of the hardware is original. The tailpiece "leans" slightly to align with the neck. The nut is new and bone, the 5th pip is unoriginal, the tailpiece and bridge are older but not related to either banjo, and the tuners are the same. In the pics you can see that I lengthened the strings I had on hand by soldering ends to them -- regular banjo string sets will not need to have this done to them but the guitar bulk strings I use for everything were just a hair too short! Don't mind the mess. Oh, and one last thing -- the friction 5th peg on the neck is a little fussy like they all are and the tuners at the headstock actually rotate on the top surface backwards from what you do on the rear. It's a quirk of that particular design.

It comes with: sorry, no case.