MG, a fretless banjo has a quite different sound from a fretted one, so it's more than image. And, a Profitt-style banjo has a quite different pot (less head and more hard rim, like the one pictured on Keith Young's site above), so I expect that would affect the sound, as well. I didn't see any Frank Profitt-style banjos on the Elderly site, though they have a number of fretless banjos.

~ Becky in Tucson