1920s Bacon & Day Silver Bell Resonator Tenor Banjo

Overview: This old B&D Silver Bell has, of course, the flathead-like Silver Bell tonering under the hood. It gives this thing a huge amount of volume, snap, and cut that's best-used for the chord-chopping accompaniment that trad-jazz bands require to break through their wall of brass. That said, these are also popular for down-tuning and playing melody in Celtic bands, too, provided you don't mind playing on a longer-scale neck. 

This particular instrument hit some rocky patches in its life and when it arrived here, it had a chunk broken-out of its fretboard (as if someone had hacked at it with a screwdriver) and several pieces of inlay were missing as well. It needed a head, it was grungy, and the resonator back was held-on with four oversize screws instead of ones matched to the rim's depth. The tailpiece and bridge were missing, of course, too. It's now done-up decently and, while a bit rough and ready, is a proper player's instrument.

Repairs included: It got a level/dress of the frets, lots of cleaning, a new head, new tailpiece, new bridge, some fill for the missing inlays (they could always be replaced later if desired), some fill for the gouge in the middle of the fretboard, and general setup and adjustments. It's solid, playing spot-on, and ready to go.

• Weight: 7 lbs 11 oz
• Scale length: 23
• Nut width: 1 1/8"
• Neck shape: deep V
• Board radius: flat
• Depth at first fret: 57/64"
• Depth at seventh fret: 1"
• Head diameter: 11”
• Resonator diameter: 13"
• Depth overall at rim: 4"
• Rim wood: ply maple
• Tonering: Silver Bell (like flathead)
• Bridge: maple/ebony new
• Fretboard: ebony
• Neck wood: maple
• Action height at 12th fret: 1/16" overall (fast, spot-on)
• String gauges: 32w-9 for CGDA
• Neck relief: straight
• Fret style: narrow/smaller

Condition notes: Most of the hardware is original, but the head, bridge, tailpiece, and mounting screws for the resonator are replacements. There's fill in place of some of the pearl inlays. There's a filled gouge in the middle of the fretboard. There's general medium wear and tear throughout the finish and tarnish on all the hardware, but overall it's in good order. The tuners have a few slightly-bent shafts. It is -- what it is!

It comes with: No case, sorry.

Consignor tag: MKWD