1920s Stella (Oscar Schmidt) Resonator Tenor Banjo

I used to work on this style of Oscar Schmidt (made in New Jersey) banjo fairly regularly about a decade ago. When I saw them at auctions or antique stores or flea markets I'd snap them up. They're really lightly-built and have very thin rims and no tonering but the lightweight design makes them comfortable to play and carry-around and gives them a woody, chunky, poppy sound that's quite endearing. They're short scale and suited to playing melody or chord-backing just fine.

As with all thin-rimmed banjos, as you tension the head up the rim will want to drift a little out-of-round here and there. It's just something you have to deal with when you own one -- so just ignore it. The payoff is that instead of a 10lb monster you're toting-around a 3 lb breeze when it's on a strap and on the shoulders.

Repairs included: a fret level/dress, replacement (vintage) bridge, side dots, cleaning, and setup.

Weight: 3 lbs 4 oz

Scale length: 21"

Nut width: 1 1/8"

Neck shape: medium V

Board radius: flat

Head diameter: 10 3/4"

Resonator diameter: 12 1/4"

Depth overall at rim: 3"

Rim wood: birch?

Tonering: none

Bridge: Grover 2-foot maple/ebony

Fretboard: ebonized maple

Neck wood: poplar

Action height at 12th fret: 1/16" overall (fast)
String gauges: 32w, 20w, 13, 9 for CGDA (standard) tuning

Truss rod: none

Neck relief: just very minor relief tuned to pitch

Fret style: small/low

Condition notes: it's mostly-original but is missing its tailpiece cover and has a replacement head and bridge. There's a small slot cut into the edge of the resonator (though I have it tucked into below the heel so it's not obvious). There's also the usual wear and tear to the finish (light scratching, nicks, dings, etc.) throughout. The tuners are the original Grover Champion friction pegs and they hold pitch but can be a bit of a pain to use as they're 1:1 like fiddle pegs. I always suggest upgrading to Gotoh geared banjo pegs but that's something like a ~$70 upcharge.

It comes with: an original hard case in good order (not pictured).