2000s Bob Flesher Boucher-Style Minstrel 5-String Fretless Banjo

Overview: Bob Flesher (of Liberty Banjo Company fame) was mostly known for his heavily-inlaid, presentation-style instruments but for a while he made minstrel-style banjos (copycats of middle-1800s instruments) right alongside his loftier builds. This one dates from the late '90s or early '00s and is a take on a Boucher-style instrument of the 1860s/1870s era. It's fretless, has a "grain measure"-style rim, a big old 12" head, and a sculpturally-beautiful, flamed-maple neck. It's quite authentic as well.

Tone: It's got "minstrel" (down-tuned) Nylgut strings on it (for open E tuning) and, as you might expect, it has quite the antique sound. It's big, warm, mellow, and full-sounding but it doesn't have the indistinct or overly-tubby sound I associate with some makers in this style. It's got good note separation.

Feel: The first position part of the neck is comfy with a medium-C profile. After the "5th fret" transition (which starts just above the poke-out for the 5th peg) the sides of the neck get flatter but an oval shape remains on the rear.

Interesting features: It has a number of decorative cuts to the bass side of the neck and, interestingly, when the bridge is fit for a 26 1/2" scale length, these indents and spikes match-up quite well for "fret positions" up the neck, which is very helpful for maintaining good intonation as you play farther up. What else? There's, of course, the fact that the whole neck is gorgeous figured maple. The pegs are also nicely-fit and ebony and the headstock has the period-correct "beehive" glued to the top of the "scroll" peghead shape. All of the hardware appears handmade and is faithful to the style of the period which this copycats.

Repairs included: I reset the neck angle a bit with a shim at the top of the heel, locked the dowel in place at the neck joint a bit with some fill, and set it up and adjusted it. It's now playing nice and quick and is ready to go.

• Weight: 3 lbs 8 oz
• Scale length: 26 1/2"
• Nut width: 1 3/8"
• Neck shape: medium C, flat edges past 5th "fret"
• Board radius: flat
• Head diameter: 12"
• Depth overall at rim: 3 1/4"
• Rim wood: oak?
• Tonering: none
• Bridge: maple
• Fretboard: integral, flamed maple
• Neck wood: flamed maple
• Action height at 12th fret: 3/32” overall (fast, spot-on)
• String gauges: minstrel-gauge Nylgut
• Neck relief: straight

Condition notes: It's very lightly-used and shows very little wear and tear -- only the most minor of marks along the edges here and there. I have a plastic shim between the top of the heel and the tension hoop but it's otherwise all-original.

It comes with: The owner modified a nice hard case to fit it.

Consignor tag: LCJO