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1925 Paramount Style A 19 fret tenor banjo from the famous Rettburg & Lange factory New York.  This Style A is in excellent condition throughout both lacquer finish and nickel plating as shown in the photographs. The serial stamped number stamped on the perch pole and inner rim #5975 which makes it late 1925, serial numbers from 6000-7000 where built in 1926.

The ‘Style A model’ were made from quality rock maple tone wood, and with ageing the patina of the lacquer turns to beautiful amber tones. The banjo has a perfectly straight neck with good original frets and low string action. Fitted with 12, 17, 26, 36, bronze phospher Harmonic German strings and setup for trad playing. Fitted a new Remo white smooth top 11 – 2/16″ head which produces great crisp sustaining tones from the arch top tone ring. All of the hooks and nuts are all original Paramount. Comes with newer black leatherette hard shell case finished with inner black lining. The banjo has been very well cared for throughout its lifetime as seen from the photos, if you require any more info please let me know. Please check out the video below performed by Annie Smyth from Co. Armagh.

Banjo details

• The headstock has mother of pearl inlay with elaborate floral designs
• Maple neck with centre walnut strip and purfling on the sides of the neck
• Rosewood fretboard with diamond MOP inlay position markers
• 23″ scale length neck from nut to bridge
• 24 bracket hooks & nuts supporting archtop tone ring
• Round hole flange plate
• Paramount swivel lock tailpiece
• Paramount flat bar adjustable armrest
• Remo white smooth top 11 – 2/16″ head
• Fancy wood marquetry wood banding on rim

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Top of the line Paramount Style F 19 fret tenor banjo, the original highest grade model in William Lange’s professional banjo line. The Style F was originally Paramount’s fanciest and most attractive instrument, and also embodied Lange’s theory that rosewood was the “positively the finest material for tone”. The neck, rim and resonator of this banjo are all made of Indian rosewood which, William Lange preferred to the Brazilian variety. The resonator back is not laminated-it is made of two substantial solid slabs of bookmatched rosewood!

The Style F sold originally for $350 — at the time a Ford model T automobile cost $260 — and thus was affordable only to the most serious professional users. Every surface is richly decorated with elaborate coloured wood marquetry and laminated underlay, with the dark natural finished rosewood setting off the chain pattern wood edging, wood binding, and brightly coloured marquetry inlay. All metal parts are “quadruple” gold plated and elaborately hand engraved. The multi-laminate rosewood neck with coloured wood centre strips has a fully carved heel, carved peghead back and multi-layered wood marquetry trim and binding. The headstock face and fingerboard have extremely fancy engraved pearl inlay.

This banjo features the preferred ‘indestructible’ Page tuners with genuine pearl buttons all working perfectly and holding tune. The matching serial numbers on the perch pole and rim #5518 dates to 1925. The gold-plated Paramount adjustable tailpiece hold the string tension in place although the spring is not attached.

Overall length is 33 3/4 in. (85.7 cm.), 11 1/8 in. (28.3 cm.) diameter head, and 3 1/8 in. (7.9 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 23 in. (584 mm.). Width of nut is 1 1/8 in. (29 mm.). This banjo remains in very fine original condition and may have had the gold hardware replated at some time.

The frets are good and the neck is straight, there looks to have been a new bone nut fitted. I have recently set the banjo up for Trad playing and it does play beautifully, with ease.

This is a fine example of a high-grade Paramount and the second one I’ve had on Pure Banjo, it plays and sounds exactly as it should. It is set up with a modern plastic head with new bridge and strings. Best of all it comes with its original case with the double inner pockets and dust zipped cover and plum coloured velvet lining. Banjo is on consignment and currently with me at present.

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