Very Good + Condition.My wooden-rim banjos are made for playing contemporary "Old Time" stringband music, with aesthetic elements of Victorian-era banjos. The neck is not absolutely straight but the banjo plays well strung with Nylgut strings and offers a lovely authentic 19th century sound. All hardware appears original (except one hook and a new bone nut), including the patented Champion pegs, Elite tailpiece, and Cole neck setting hardware. The finish on the wood is better preserved with just some gently worn areas, and the frets and fingerboard have hardly any wear. There is a lot of wear to the plating, which is largely gone down to the metal on much of the hoop and many of the hooks and nuts. This banjo remains practically all original, showing a decent amount of use but mostly the results of time stored in less than ideal conditions.
(5.7 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. It is a delightful instrument from one of the late 19th century's most elegant and distinctive builders. This banjo is set up with Nylgut classical strings and a vintage "Ludwig & Ludwig selected quality" skin head from the 1910s or '20s, unusually mounted with the tuck on the underside, but still great-sounding.
This instrument would have been one of Cole's lower grade models at the time but is still a very high quality instrument. Cole left the Fairbanks & Cole company in 1890, he quickly launched his own banjo-making operation.across the street from his old partner! The Eclipse line created there ranks among the most interesting and artistic banjos of the late 19th century, but all Cole banjos are very nicely made regardless of grade. The dowel is stamped "W.A.Cole Maker Boston Mass" and carries serial # 190. Some signature Cole features are present, including the unique "boat" shaped heel, the patent neck angle adjustor, and half-spun black painted maple rim.
This lower-grade model does not have the Eclipse tone ring or elegant teardrop bracket shoes, but otherwise is structurally similar to the famous Eclipse models. It is a fairly simple design but does have some lovely shaped pearl inlay in the fingerboard. This is a nice example of a very early-production Cole banjo dating to the first years after Cole's splitting with his partner Fairbanks. Cole 5 String Banjo (1892), made in Boston, Mass., serial # 190, black varnish finish, half-spun maple rim, mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard, grey chipboard case.
0 kommentar(er)
