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This is a very interesting project I started a while back, I acquired a 1926 Liberty tenor banjo neck with the intentions of finding a good pot to build a quality hybrid tenor banjo. It took a few years and I eventually bought a plectrum banjo made by the famous Majestic Banjo Company from New York. A good friend of mine Patsy Toman machined solid brass coordinator rods and setup the sleek low action on this fine vintage banjo.

Rim/pot details

Made from 3/4″ maple with mahogany outer veneer, spun over nickel plated flange, 20 ball end shoes and bacon hooks and nuts. The tone ring hoop is suspended on metal brackets pinned to the rim and fitted with a Remo frosted top head. The resonator is made from mahogany with maple rings to back and sides and matches the neck perfectly. All metal plating is in excellent condition.

Neck details

19 fret mahogany neck with rosewood fretboard and diamond shaped inlay markers. Head stock has ebony face plate with mother of pearl centre design and ‘Liberty’ branded name. Fitted with original friction tuners but can be upgraded to geared tuners of choice at extra cost. The neck is straight and frets are good, the action is set low and the sound is rich, deep and has beautiful sustain. You’ll not find a better sounding vintage banjo in this price range.

A little bit of history

The Liberty Musical Instrument Company of Chicago were only in existence for a short two year period from 1926 – 1927. Of course with a lot of banjo manufacturing companies, their background came from drum making. Nokes & Nicolai was a Boston, Massachusetts based musical instrument manufacturing company from 1912 to 1926. Prior to partnering with Nicolai, Nokes had a drum repair business of his own as early as 1911. In 1922 Nokes & Nicolai acquired the banjo business of Boston’s F. E. Cole Company. In 1926 Nokes & Nicolai merged with the Liberty Rawhide Company of Chicago, which had previously made only calfskin drumheads, to form the Liberty Musical Instrument Company. By 1928 the Liberty Company was bankrupt and it’s drum building equipment was sold at auction to the Slingerland Company of Chicago. I’m sure you may be more familiar with the names ‘Slingerland’ & ‘Maybell’ banjos, for further information on Nokes & Nicolai click my source info here

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Weymann banjos were built by H. Weymann and Sons, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Originally produced with the name ‘Keystone’ in early 1900, in 1924 the Weymann name appeared and was used until 1934. Weymann instruments are known for high-quality construction and unique features.

This Weymann Style 2 has the same scale length as a 17 fret short scale banjo. There are 15 frets up to the edge of the heal and 7 frets which extend over the remo head, making it much easier to reach your little finger to the 7th fret. The first seven frets have now been refretted, so no worries about fret buzzing or future repairs.

The tiger maple resonator is press-fit, and doesn’t use screws to attach; this is to reduce rattling. The Weymann Patented Tone Resonator for the Orchestra banjo Style 2 is made with a curve instead of the usual sharp corner which throws the sound waves forward greatly increasing the carrying power for the player. It is fastened to the rim by felt covered spring clamps which eliminate objectionable vibrations found in screw or metal catch fastenings found on other banjos.

The outer edge of the resonator is rounded, which helps project the sound.  The ‘Megaphonic’ rim is composed of ten laminated layers with a conical interior,  and all the brackets pass through it so the inner and outer surfaces are smooth. All brackets are encased and countersunk so the outer surface is perfectly smooth. The neck and the distance between the fingerboard and strings is fully adjustable to suit the player through the use of the combination neck brace and adjuster by a simple turn of the nut in the center of the brace. The neck is seven-piece laminated figured maple reinforced with ebony veneer through the center and additional reinforcement of wood veneer (red died pearwood) between the neck and finger board.with the bound  fingerboard inlaid with fancy shaped pearl pieces. The headstock overlay carries a “Weymann” logo of inlaid pearl letters with an elaborate floral design, and mounts the company’s patented geared tuning pegs all in perfect working order with upgraded pearl buttons.

Rim is also made of beautiful figured tiger maple, upper edge and bottom bound with rosewood. There is a natural ebony armrest mounted to the hoop, another stylish unique Weymann feature. The top tension hoop is inlaid with non-tarnishable silver flash compound. Notched hoop, twenty brackets, all metal parts nickel plated.

The Weymann Style 2 Orchestra Model is a very well built professional level instrument. It plays well, has a nice feel to the neck for playing trad or jazz style and has a distinctive bright, vintage tone. All original and complete, set up with new strings and bridge. Comes with a newer style case….

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