Orpheum Custom Special

A little bit of Orpheum banjo history

Orpheum banjos were made by William Rettburg and William Lange, two music industry veterans who purchased the bankrupt Buckbee banjo company in 1897. In its day, Buckbee was the largest banjo maker in America, a firm that made instruments for Dobson, Benary, Farland, Bruno and perhaps a dozen more companies. The banjos made by Buckbee were primarily in what we think of as the minstrel style, with thin wooden shells, no metal tone rings and large, usually fretless necks. Rettburg and Lange had figured out early on that the instruments that Buckbee was making were quickly going out of fashion. By 1903 they had developed a simple tone ring that helped increase the banjo’s volume along with giving it brighter crisper tone. The Orpheum banjo proved to be a big success and by 1915, it was one of the most popular banjos styles in America.

Orpheum banjos came in a variety of styles including five-strings, banjo mandolins, plectrums and tenors. Orpheum banjos were very well made and they have a lighter, delicate tone than the instruments from Gibson and Epiphone that come out a few years later. The #3 Special was the fanciest model in the catalog although a couple of more ornate models were available by special order, as with this one made for ‘Lily C Jones’. This model boasts exquisite pearl inlay, heel carvings and wooden marquetry. The neck is made from multi-hardwood laminates including holly and the rim is made from birds eye maple. This particular custom built banjo is a very rare find in pristine condition.

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Lily C Jones Features

• Beautiful abalone inlays on the fretboard, headstock overlay and the heel cap.
• Elaborate floral heel carving and is adorned with other detailed marquetry throughout.
• 27 and 5/16″ scale ebony fretboard with intricate inlay marquetry
• Hand made custom Farquhar bridge
• 7 piece laminated neck made from mahogany and maple
• 8 piece laminated head stock in multi-coloured hard woods
• Birds-Eye maple rim hosting the patented Paramount tone ring (gold plated)
• Paramount badge with name ‘made by William Lange’ and serial number
• Maple resonator dark stained
• Gold plated ‘page one’ geared tuners
• Gold plated flange with scalloped designed side walls
• top tension hoop and hooks gold plated
• Gold plated Paramount tail piece and gold plated hot-dog arm rest
• low action and straight neck
• comes with original hard shell case
• No breaks, repairs or re-lacquer, totally original.

Irish trad session players will love this custom hand built 17 fret banjo with a short 21″ scale length, which makes it a great option for any mandolinist looking to get into tenor banjo.  It has a very clear, open and warm response that complements single-note melodies and fiddle tunes beautifully.

Banjo is now sold