This is probably something that everybody already knew except me, but I noticed it among the instrument vendors, one in particular, at a recent festival. I saw numerous banjos for sale which, by their necks would seem to be one thing, but when you looked in the back at their tone rings they were something else again. For example, there might be a Vega Whyte Laydie neck, with the name stamped on the dowel, but on a body without the desirable Whyte Laydie tone ring, which is what makes it valuable enough to merit the price tag. There are a lot of nice tenor necks around because so many have been removed to be replaced by 5-string necks. So be especially careful when buying a banjo unseen, as in through a net auction. Unfortunately, the sellers often seem not to know what you mean if you ask a question like this.

In all seriousness, Chet