1960s Harmony Resotone 5-String Longneck Banjo

Overview: We've had several of these old Harmony Resotone longneck banjos through the shop. They're basic, no-frills, lightweight instruments but they do have a nice, warm sound and a carefree feel about them. This one has a sliding capo installed and we've replaced the friction 5th peg with a geared one for ease-of-use. The rims on these are a composite material but this one is finished in chrome to fool you! For those not in the know -- longnecks are a Pete Seeger invention where "3 frets" are added to the first-position portion of the neck to allow for tuning down to E. Most players leave a capo on fret 3 (which puts it in G) and play as a normal banjo most of them, then remove it to get down to E, 5th-string-capo up to "1" for G# or "4" for B on the drone, and pick-on to play with guitar-slingers.

Repairs included: Max gave this a level/dress of the frets and set it up. I added bolts to tension-up the neck to the rim because these use a round dowel and the normal neck brace gizmo neither tightens nicely or locks the neck alignment in one position (I do this to all Resotones and many old Kays with the same problem). It's playing spot-on and ready to go.

• Weight: 4 lbs 12 oz
• Scale length: 31 3/4"
• Nut width: 1 3/16"
• Neck shape: medium- V
• Board radius: flat
• Depth at first fret: 59/64"
• Depth at seventh fret: 1"
• Head diameter: 11”
• Depth overall at rim: 2 5/8"
• Rim wood: molded
• Tonering: none
• Bridge: maple/ebony
• Fretboard: ebonized maple
• Neck wood: poplar
• Action height at 12th fret: 3/32” overall (fast, spot-on)
• String gauges: 9s
• Truss rod: non-adjustable
• Neck relief: hair of relief at pitch
• Fret style: narrow/low

Condition notes: There's a little wear and tear to the finish throughout but it's mostly-original. The head is probably later and the bridge, too. The sliding capo is more recent and the armrest may not be original. The 5th peg tuner is newer and we scrounged in our parts-bins to find a button that more-or-less matched the cheeseball tuner buttons at the headstock.

It comes with: It has an old chip case.

Consignor tag: BRDY