Circa 1895 Thompson & Odell Artist Model 5-String Banjo

Description

Thompson & Odell "Artist" model banjo circa 1895. Part of a local estate that must be sold at auction, note the "Peghed" tuners!
Serial number is 2751, Thompson & Odell was a Boston firm active from 1873 to about 1905, so our 1895 date is a guess. Metal-clad shell is 10 1/8 inches in diameter, mahogany neck has real ebony fingerboard with 19 frets. Neck is 1 9/32 inches wide at the nut, string scale is 24 3/8 inches. The 24 hook & nut sets appear to be original and all match. Finish appears to be original, and the neck has only slight relief and frets are solidly seated and show little wear.  There's a railroad spike at the 7th fret for the 5th string.
Note the crude but effective bracket at the end of the dowel stick which "re-sets" the neck angle to lower the string action.   As it is now, the string action is too low for most open-back playing styles, so one or more of the washers used in this bracket could probably be removed.  This banjo is quite functional, thanks to the  "PegHed" geared tuners on the headstock (the set of four black tuners sells for 0). Since the whole instrument is only 32 inches long it's almost "travel banjo" size, yet delivers a clear bright tone (but not tinny). An attractive turn-of-the-last-century Boston banjo with nice inlays and a unique headstock shape. There is no case but we’ll pack it securely for shipment.
We ship on the Tuesday following the end of the Sunday auctions.