c.1920 Wurlitzer Banjolin
No serial number. Wurlitzer was a large-scale distributor of musical instruments between the middle 1800's and later 1980's. Although most famous for their organs and jukeboxes, Wurlitzer marketed instruments of all varieties, including every string instrument imaginable. The Banjolin was a popular thing in the early 1920's allowing the masses who, ten years earlier, had studied Mandolin to apply their talents to the then-newly-popular banjo. Many were built by the large Chicago manufacturers, including this one.
10-1/8" diameter maple rim with folded brass tone rings, 20 brackets, laminated maple neck with 13-1/8" scale and 17 frets. Ebonized maple fingerboard, pearl inlays; rosewood headstock overlay, original Waverly tuning machines, period after-marked add-on Elton resonator.
Completely original but for a slight modification to the dowel-stick attachment hardware, the instrument looks great. Set-up in our shop, excellent playability, fairly unworn frets.
With period chipboard case
10-1/8" diameter maple rim with folded brass tone rings, 20 brackets, laminated maple neck with 13-1/8" scale and 17 frets. Ebonized maple fingerboard, pearl inlays; rosewood headstock overlay, original Waverly tuning machines, period after-marked add-on Elton resonator.
Completely original but for a slight modification to the dowel-stick attachment hardware, the instrument looks great. Set-up in our shop, excellent playability, fairly unworn frets.
With period chipboard case