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Grafton 19 fret tenor banjo, hand built in Faversham, Kent. This is the tubaphone tonering model which has been recently replaced by the white lady tonering model. As you can see from the photos the banjo has been well cared for by its ‘one owner’ and never been taken out for sessions. My young lad started on a Grafton 17 fret little gem model and played it for a few years before upgrading. They are a solid built banjo by the folks at Andy Banjo Works with quality imported parts and definitely outweigh their foreign counter parts by a mile, for tone and playability.

Banjo Details

Scale length: 23″ with 19 frets

Rim: 11″ diameter x 15mm thick 3-ply laminated maple

Brackets: 24 x heavy-duty brackets with 24 notch heavy-duty tension ring

Tone ring: Tubaphone style

Head: Standard Remo 11″ head

Neck: Solid maple neck with separate hardwood fingerboard; diamond-shaped position markers; solid 2 point neck-to-rim fixing

Binding: Smooth ABS binding down both sides of the neck with dot position markers

Truss Rod: Double action steel truss rod, fully adjustable in either direction

Fretting: 19 frets, carefully levelled, crowned, polished and hand-dressed for smooth playability

Top nut: Bone, precision hand-slotted for the gauge of strings fitted for optimum action at the first fret

Neck attachment: 2-point neck attachment with twin co-ordinator rods for optimum stability

Tuners; Good quality planetary tuners with 4:1 ratio

Armrest: Solidly mounted Gibson-style armrest

Tailpiece: Heavy, good quality cast “New Kerschner” style

Strings: Brand-new, top-grade hand-made strings  gauges 12/18w/28w/38w

Bridge: Top quality maple and ebony bridge, precision hand-slotted for optimum playability and action

Resonator: 14” nominal outside diameter with 4-point thumbscrew fixing – the flange is attached to the banjo body rather than to the resonator so it stays in place when the resonator is removed

All this adds up to a serious semi-pro-grade standard-scale tenor banjo that will last you many years

Comes with a quality heavily padded soft case

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1926 Paramount Aristocrat Tenor banjo from the Rettburg & Lange Company, New York. Serial number on persch pole and rim is #6543 which dates it to 1926.

The neck is made from 5 piece walnut with centre maple and aqua blue dyed pear wood either side. The top laminates are matching maple and dyed pear wood with an ebony fretboard. The head stock is decorated in beautiful mother of pearl inlay floral design with ornate shaped mother of pearl position markers along the fretboard. The neck is straight and action is low, it has the broader frets which is preferred by my trad players. The tuners have been replaced with quality brand new gold plated Grover geared tuners.

The rim is constructed from multiply maple covered in walnut veneer which houses the metal supports holding the tone ring in place. The outer shirt is plated in gold as is the flange with cut out circles. There are 28 shoes, bracket hooks and nuts, Paramount swivel tailpiece, flat bar armrest, fitted with a newly installed Remo white head for a beautifully balanced tone. The scale length of the neck is 23″. The resonator is made from laminated maple and walnut veneers with circular maple rings inlaid in the back with centred strip matching the neck. Fitted with a hand made Marinie Toman solid ebony bridge with pearl inset and new bronze phosphor strings. A very nice banjo to play, great looking and with a beautiful tone…

All metal parts throughout are in good clean condition with some wear through in places.

Comes with original Paramount vintage solid case with crushed red velvet lining/accessories pockets and a new leather replacement handle.

For Sale £1650