Just posted in classifieds. I'm open to trades and reasonable offers

http://www.banjohangout.org/classified/26549 

Just so I'm clear on the description. This banjo is a combination of parts from two 19th century banjos? A neck from a Dobson and the pot from a Bay State?

Sorry for the delay, I just saw your question. Yes, it is a frankenbanjo. Neck is from a Dobson, pot and hardware are from a BayState

YouTube video. Excuse the goofs....I haven't been Playing this and am not used to it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrPVWXU8vVk

Price drop to $40O, reasonable offers, or 5 string open back trades

Hi. I'm new to vintage banjos but am interested in possibly buying your cello banjo.
What's a Dobson neck like? Similarly, is there anything particular about the pot or the banjo as a whole?

Biggest question is shipping - I live in Tasmania, Australia. Any way to figure out postage costs? Like I said- I'm interested

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Originally posted by tasrev

Hi. I'm new to vintage banjos 

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I'm not clear that you'd call this a vintage banjo.  It seems more like an agglomeration of spare parts than a representative of a traditional banjo of the past.

Vintage cellos are few and far between.  They are a product of the short-lived banjo orchestra days, and while an orchestra might have ten or fifteen tenor banjos it would only have one, maybe two cellos.  When the orchestras died out tenor banjos found a place in jazz bands or solo acts and continued to be produced as well as handed down through the generations.  Cellos didn't fit into either jazz or solo acts and weren't  handed down, didn't remain in production.  

The renaissance of the cello started with Mike Seeger who lent his to Marcy Marxer.  When eventually he asked for it back Marxer found it difficult to find vintage cellos so she approached Gold Tone (or the other way around) who began to produce four, then five-string cellos.  The idea caught on and now several independent luthiers are making them, but I'm not aware of a production model outside of Gold Tone.  Mine was made by Doc Huff.

To return to the cello in question -- I'm not clear what makes it a cello.  I think this is the one I saw being auctioned on eBay and when I raised the question with the auctioneers I was told "we don't know 'nothin 'bout no banjos, we just go by what the estate tells us."  I have not heard the banjo in question but nothing about the scale or pot size says "cello" to me.  And it's not vintage, if by "vintage" we mean "a production instrument used by many people fifty or more years ago."  The instrument would have to be in large part an original passed down through the generations.  I don't think the seller is trying to pull the wool over anyones eyes, as he describes it as being a collection of this make pot with that make neck connected by whatever hardware was around.  No, I think the wool gathering started with the auction house who, when faced with =yet another= tenor banjo asked themselves "OK, how do we sell =yet another= tenor banjo?" The pot size being an inch over normal, I think the banjo became a cello on the spot.

That being said it's probably a perfectly nice frankenstein banjo (many many banjos are pulled together from disparate parts) and may well sound fine.  At $400 it's priced to move.

Unstrung's comments add helpful context to this cello banjo.

Here's the active link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrPVWXU8vVk

David

My 'vintage' question had more to do with the reliability/condition/playability of the parts that have made up the frankenbanjo - obviously not being able to see something nor having never seen a neck or pot of those types I was more interested in the 'vibe' of the instrument.

A cello banjo for me would be nice but the extra price in having to get one shipped to Australia from the US distributors has meant a Goldtone CB5 is just that bit too much.

gerry hales guitar gallery in melb has one

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Originally posted by skip sail

gerry hales guitar gallery in melb has one

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Perhaps this is the one you're writing about?

http://www.guitargallery.com.au/proddetail.php?prod=GoldToneCelloBanjo

At close to $1,700 the price seems high.  Converting AU to US that would be $US 1800, or 800 above street value here.  Does it cost $AU 700 to ship a banjo?  Dunno.  Buying used could save even more.  Finally, there are three Gold Tone dealerships in AU, on in Claremont and two in Melbourne/South Melbourne:

http://tinyurl.com/887kalz

OK, let me be clear, for those who have not read the ad, so there is no more speculation. This banjo was indeed on ebay, but it is not the one un5trung is thinking of, I dont think. It was not out of an estate sale (as far as I know). This was a one off project done by Vintage Banjo Works out on Cape Cod. They sold it directly and did NOT present it as a cello banjo. Their goal was to see if it was feasible to economically create a playable banjo from vintage parts. It was not, and was indeed sold on ebay. It was not presented as anything but a Frankenbanjo by them or by me. And to be clear again, the pot, hardware,tailpiece and dowel are all BayState. The neck is Dobson. All parts except the fingerboard, which has been replaced, are vintage parts, but y'all can debate what "vintage" truly means to your hearts content.

The "cello banjo" designation is my own, I admit, and have been clear about that with folks who have emailed with questions. It originally came with steel strings on it and nothing I did with it made it sound like anything but garbage. I changed to nylons which improved things somewhat but it was still thin, with passable volume. I did some research and despite the idea that "nothing on it says cello" I found numerous references to cello banjos being made by a variety of 19th century manufacturers in sizes ranging from 13 inches in diameter on up. This banjo is 13 inches, with a thin spunover pot, and is very shallow at 3 inches depth. This is not atypical of cellos made then, or now for that matter. With a modicum of additional information I strung it up with medium weight gold tone cello strings and it FINALLY sounds like something. it has good tone and volume, and I think sounds like it is heading in the right direction (despite my lousy video and playing of it.) I might move it down to light cello strings to make it more playable, and change out the bridge when I get the chance just to mess with it a bit.

Is the scale right? of course not! Lets not nitpick...it's had a non original neck put on it. Is it playable as a cello banjo, with potential to sound really great? Yes it is! Am I a banjo expert? no. Can I assure you 100% it's a cello? no, but I'm being honest with potential buyers about how I came to this conclusion, why, and have provided as good of a sound byte as I can so folks can hear it for themselves and make their own decision. I'm priced fairly too, considering I'm including a case which itself is worth well north of $100.

So anyway, if you disagree, I guess don't buy it.
 

Edited by - csbdr on 02/22/2012 09:36:57

I actually think its a great price for what it is,i would buy it if the postage was affordable to Oz. Re the retailers markup on the goldtone CEB5,I agree,Australian retailers are living in the past,back when the importer/wholesaler could set the price and the public just had to wear it.nowadays most people here are aware of USA prices,and will shop overseas if the postage costs allow,however if the instrument has to go via a shipping company ie UPS,FEDEX etc,the costs are enormous.
For example,a banjo that UPS quoted $420 to ship was sent via USPS postal service for $95! it hinges on whether you can sneak it in under the size limit.

I'd like to speak up for CSBDR and his "cello" banjo. He and I talked a possible trade and we exchanged lots of information. I think the video he posted provides a good picture what this banjo. I thought it had a cello sound. And it is clearly playable.

My interest in the banjo was two-fold. I own two Bay State banjos and enjoy them. I've curious about cello banjos and wondered if I could use one playing at contra dances. And the price is less than half the going rate. I decided not to move forward with trade because I wasn't sure how I might use it and, at 65, I don't feel I need to pursue too many impulses that involve more banjos. At 55, I would be playing this banjo already. Also I'm not sure I'd buy any banjo now that wasn't short scale -- just my preference.

CSBDR was forthright in every way and we had nothing but positive communications. With any old banjo, you have pluses and minuses. True of new ones too. There will a happy buyer for this banjo.

David

He has gone to a lot of trouble to provide a great deal of honest and forthrite info,something a lot of ebay sellers DONT do. Kudos to him! I have had a bit of experience with cello banjos,and from what i can hear on the u-tube video,it sounds pretty good.

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Originally posted by un5trung

quote:

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Originally posted by skip sail

gerry hales guitar gallery in melb has one

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Perhaps this is the one you're writing about?

http://www.guitargallery.com.au/proddetail.php?prod=GoldToneCelloBanjo

At close to $1,700 the price seems high.  Converting AU to US that would be $US 1800, or 800 above street value here.  Does it cost $AU 700 to ship a banjo?  Dunno.  Buying used could save even more.  Finally, there are three Gold Tone dealerships in AU, on in Claremont and two in Melbourne/South Melbourne:

http://tinyurl.com/887kalz

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I contacted Goldtone regarding their Australian distributors and the CB5 - they (Oz companies) either didn't answer their phones or have any in stock (nor likely to order any).
Banjocrazy.com quoted around $1100(?) for one shipped.

CSBDR - No offense meant at all, nor was I having a go at your description etc.
 Thanks for giving more info.

No offense taken in any regard,I just wanted to clear up what may have been developing into some misperceptions about what this was purported to be and why. ; )

Banjo is sold