Hi all! I recently picked this old mando-banjo off of eBay, and I was wondering if anyone can help me figure out its history. To take a wild guess, I'd say this was a one-off custom instrument made made in the 20s or 30s. I wonder who B was?
The layered neck made me think of Lange, but the construction (and coloring) isn't the same. I've never seen a mando-banjo with a 9th-fret neck join. The 11" rim has 3 of these odd lateral braces (including one right above the dowel stick), as well as sound ports spaced around it. It's a very thick rim, with essentially an archtop wooden "tone-ring." The resonator is glued on! The fingerboard has a center stripe of maple, and some imperfect arrow-shaped inlays. The ebony bridge is weird, too, with a big cutout in the middle of it, and a sinuous curve to the top.
So, any thoughts? Thanks so much!
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