Tech: Help dating a banjo

Subject: Tech: Help dating a banjo
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 06 Feb 06 - 09:13 AM

Hi all you banjo experts out there, can you help me date this banjo which I intend to sell, it's a Bacon ' Orchestra ' style C short scale, open back tenor, serial number 9115 made in Groton, Connecticut.

I've searched for ages and can't find a date.

Thanks, eric

Subject: RE: Tech: Help dating a banjo
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Feb 06 - 10:05 AM

I've searched for ages and can't find a date.

. . . try getting a haircut, lose a little weight, get in shape . . .

Subject: RE: Tech: Help dating a banjo
From: GUEST
Date: 06 Feb 06 - 10:22 AM

You shouldn't really need help dating a banjo. Buy them a drink and they'll go out with anyone!

Subject: RE: Tech: Help dating a banjo
From: BanjoRay
Date: 06 Feb 06 - 10:24 AM

Go to this page and join the banjo list. Someone WILL answer your question!
Cheers
Ray

Subject: RE: Tech: Help dating a banjo
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 06 Feb 06 - 10:46 AM

Yo Stilly River, I need to lose more than a little weight, stopping drinking so much could help too, but I can't be arsed, I like it too much.

eric

Subject: RE: Tech: Help dating a banjo
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 06 Feb 06 - 11:21 AM

Do the frets have a t-shape or wedge-shape cross-section?

Subject: RE: Tech: Help dating a banjo
From: Charley Noble
Date: 06 Feb 06 - 01:02 PM

The banjo hangout website also has a chatroom which is often useful in getting more information about a banjo. You probably need to take some digital photos and link them to the website so that people can see what you have.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Tech: Help dating a banjo
From: katlaughing
Date: 06 Feb 06 - 01:56 PM

Boy, this goes way beyond cross-species dating!:-)

Check the links in several of the posts in THIS THREAD, when my sister had a related question. Bacon & Day were in Groton. One of the links led to an info page on the company, etc.

Good luck!

kat

Subject: RE: Tech: Help dating a banjo
From: katlaughing
Date: 06 Feb 06 - 02:41 PM

According to this fellah, Bacon started out about 1920. I thnk it changed to Bacon & Day in the late 20's. Anyhow, hoep that helps!

Subject: RE: Tech: Help dating a banjo
From: Sorcha
Date: 06 Feb 06 - 02:43 PM

Blokes are more fun...they buy YOU beer!

Subject: RE: Tech: Help dating a banjo
From: GUEST,Frug
Date: 06 Feb 06 - 06:27 PM

but a banjo always wears a G string !!!

Frank

Subject: RE: Tech: Help dating a banjo
From: JennyO
Date: 06 Feb 06 - 08:44 PM

They ARE a little highly-strung, though.

Subject: RE: Tech: Help dating a banjo
From: Charley Noble
Date: 06 Feb 06 - 08:52 PM

A highly strung G-string is something to fret about!

Here's the link to the Banjo Hangout: click here for website

Happy surfing!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Tech: Help dating a banjo
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 07 Feb 06 - 01:42 AM

Hello Malcolm, the frets look like T shape in cross section.

I can find loads of info about Bacon, Bacon and Day etc. but putting a date on certain models is confusing to say the least, where are all you experts ?

eric

Subject: RE: Tech: Help dating a banjo
From: Charley Noble
Date: 07 Feb 06 - 08:17 AM

Eric-

Dating a particular model is a question for experts. Do feel free to post a link (a "blue cliky") to some images of the banjo in questions. I'd be curious to see it.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Tech: Help dating a banjo
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 07 Feb 06 - 09:33 AM

The fret type can sometimes help; if they are wedge-shaped the instrument is likely to be earlier than c 1933 (I can't recall the exact date) when the t-shape was introduced. Of course that's no help if they have been replaced since, but you can sometimes tell; the original fret slots will be deeper than usual and will probably have been filled.

Beside the links above and in the earlier thread, these may provide useful background info, though it seems that the numbering sequence changed when Gretch bought the company:

A Summary of Bacon Serial Numbers

Bacon Banjo Company Banjos

The Bacon Banjo Company

Subject: RE: Tech: Help dating a banjo
From: beardedbruce
Date: 07 Feb 06 - 10:22 AM

So, it looks like 1920-1923 frrom the serial number...

How thick is the ring? I have an unmarked tenor that seems from the period 1920-1930, which has a solid resonator and a thick ( 3/4 inch?) wood ring. It was at the Getaway.

Subject: RE: Tech: Help dating a banjo
From: Barbara Shaw
Date: 07 Feb 06 - 04:23 PM

Being married to a banjo, I came into this thread to warn the poor soul who wanted help dating one, but I see all the aspersions have already been cast.

Subject: RE: Tech: Help dating a banjo
From: GUEST,accordion
Date: 07 Feb 06 - 04:31 PM

I once dated a banjo but we broke up because we couldn't imagine how the kids would turn out.

Subject: RE: Tech: Help dating a banjo
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Feb 06 - 04:38 PM

They'd be strung out for sure.

Subject: RE: Tech: Help dating a banjo
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 08 Feb 06 - 04:26 AM

Hi y'all thanks for helping , I've now got the correct date from a Bacon expert, Ed Brittles, who had my request passed to him by Mike Holmes of Mugwumps. It turns out to be early to mid 1923.

thanks Malcolm for your info, which I will find very usefull.

eric

Subject: RE: Tech: Help dating a banjo
From: Charley Noble
Date: 08 Feb 06 - 09:15 AM

Eric-

Nothing like reaching the experts.

Charley Noble