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A little piece of history

19 fret tenor banjo from 1920’s made by the Puntolillo Company, New York. Around 1924 Puntolillo began building S. S. Stewart branded banjos and did so for several years, the Stewart Wondertone models are Puntolillo products. Before the big 20’s tenor banjo boom he was making open back 17 fret models under the names The Bell and Princess and they had a different tone ring design than Puntolillo’s later 1920’s 19 fret tenor banjos.  In the 20’s, of course, he had his own Majestic line and also produced banjos named Regina and Symphony. I suspect his instruments were an inspiration for the Clifford Essex Paragon as some models have the same vertical holes through the rim.

It’s archtop tonering patent was issued in 1920 to Gaetano F. Puntolillo and it is this which gives this instrument its unique tonal qualities. I would put this banjo on a power with most professional level banjos, it has a sweet sustain with bass resonance and a rich soft tone. His work is more creative, even fanciful, than many builders of his period. People have asked me from time to time to recommend a good quality tenor banjo and of course this could open a never ending debate. Of lately I have been setting up, servicing and restoring quite a few of the Majestic brand banjos for customers and they are truly individually, little understated treasures. If Puntolillo was alive today I would market his instruments,  I have this one for sale and another Deluke model on-route from Canada.

Banjo details

Flat bar archtop tone ring with side holes seated on metal grommets. In addition to the tonering the maple wooden rim is fitted with a nickel plated spun-over all in one flange which adds to the tonal values of this fine tenor banjo. It is in incredible condition for an early 1920’s vintage instrument which has been very well cared for over the decades.

The five piece neck is constructed from mahogany with double centre ebony strips and maple centre, with cream binding and triple wood laminate along the rosewood fretboard, which is perfectly straight with nice low playing action. The position markers have nice bird shaped mother of pearl inlays and there is little wear to the original vintage frets. The head stock is very tastefully decorated in beautiful mother of pearl floral inlay bearing the name ‘Globe’ (see foot note). The side walls of the stock head is horizontally multi-laminated in ebony, maple highlighted with a nice white binding edge. The original pancake tuners which may have stopped working over the years have been replaced with Grover type geared tuners which probably work much better at keeping tune.

The rim construction is 3/4 inch thick maple multiply laminate with outer mahogany veneer, housing the 20 circular shoes, hooks & nuts which remarkably resemble the Bacon & Day type. This lends me to think that Puntolillo bought various parts from Fred Bacon’s banjo company. The neck is attached to the rim by a centre 1/2″ circular bar. The construction of the multiply mahogany resonator is beautiful, centred maple circles and intricate wood marquetry along the edge. The banjo is fitted with a new Remo 10 – 15/16″ clear head. Other great features are the original Waverly Kershner tail piece and arm rest which is attached to the tension rim. Woodwork and nickel plating throughout is in excellent condition and comes with a brand new Stagg hardshell case.

SOLD

Foot note: The maker Gaetano Puntolillo was also known to make banjos for other companies i.e. Globe & S.S. Stewart but they are basically Majestic banjos. William Lange also sold banjos under different brand names like Langstile.

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Here we have a very beautiful original Epiphone Concert tenor banjo in all of its glory. Fully restored, refretted and polished it is fully setup for professional level playing…

Banjo details

The following information has been drawn from the early 1930’s Epiphone catalogue. The neck is made from lustrous Brazillian Rosewood, the fingerboard is of multiply construction faced with mother of pearl Pyralin. The Pyralin on the fingerboard and head plate is hand engraved and tinted in multicolour floral designs. The wood heel of the neck is hand carved in a beautiful design of flowers and leaves. The resonator is faced with gleaming amber tortoise shell Pyralin inset with innumerable lines of coloured wood marquetry, both around and across the resonator.

The original Grover Deluxe 4-1 gear tuners are all working perfectly and holding tune and the peg buttons are genuine mother of pearl of the finest quality. All of the metal work throughout is in excellent condition, beautifully hand engraved and quadruple gold plated. Grover Deluxe tailpiece with spring cover and adjustment screw.

Comes with a Epiphone vintage case in excellent condition.

SOLD

A little bit of history

In 1931 the Epiphone Company introduced a new Masterbuilt guitar series to effectively rebrand the company as a giant of the guitar world, this was due to the demise of the popularity of the tenor banjo. Just as Epiphone launched the Masterbuilt series around the dawn of the modern archtop guitar, they launched the Recording series around the dawn of the modern tenor and plectrum banjo. In 1934 the catalogue was still attributed to the Epiphone Banjo Corporation on the cover.

The company’s previous models had been solid enough instruments, but they were relatively mundane in terms of appearance. The Recording series changed all that, making extensive use of pearloid, sparkling Pyralin and engraving. The initial lineup in 1925 was (roughly) alphabetized: Artist, Bandmaster, Concert Art, Deluxe Art, and Emperor from least to most expensive. A few other models, including the Alhambra, Dansant and Concert Special were added in 1927, about the same time that the Concert Art and Deluxe Art were simplified into the Concert and Deluxe models. The “Art” series made extensive use of pearl inlays, with engraved dragons on the headstocks; their replacements relied heavily on engraved and painted pyralin to provide a flashy appearance.

The Concert sat in the middle of the Recording line, but as the entire range was aimed at professional players, it bore all the trademarks of a high-end banjo. The neck was made of Brazilian rosewood with a 3-layer center lamination for stiffness, and the heel was carved with a floral pattern. Like the rest of the Recording series, the rim was made of walnut (a material uniquely favored by Epiphone in the ’20s and ’30s). The hardware was all plated in gold. The Concert Special was structurally similar but featured a holly neck and lighter-colored pyralin veneers to match. Both listed for $300, though the price was up to $330 by the early 1930s. Minor cosmetic changes occurred often to both models, and it appears that Epiphone regarded catalogue specifications more like suggestions than hard and fast rules.

Like all the Recording series, the Concert had an archtop tone ring. By narrowing the vibrating surface of the head, this style of construction produces a bright sound that may be relatively light on bass but can cut through a band with ease. By retaining a full-size rim and resonator, the banjo maintains considerable volume. The Epiphone catalog also emphasized the single-piece flange whose L-shaped cross section was intended to stiffen and support the rim. The catalog also noted the bar of “specially tempered surgical steel” that acted as a non-adjustable truss rod, an unusual feature at the time.

This particular banjo dates from about 1932, roughly the peak of the tenor banjo’s popularity. While it would be several more years before guitars dominated Epiphone’s product line, the company would switch gears fairly rapidly in the mid 1930s. At that point, Epiphone discontinued all banjo production except for a couple of electric models. The brand did not make any more conventional banjos until the 1960s when Epiphone banjos were copies of Gibson designs.