Bacon & Day Serenader Silver Bell 5 String Resonator Banjo , c. 1940

Bacon & Day Serenader Silver Bell Model 5 String Resonator Banjo, c. 1940, made in Brooklyn, NY, sunburst lacquer finish, laminated maple neck and rim.

This rare 5-string appears to be an early Gretsch-era B & D, built using original Bacon hardware. A really good sounding full resonator banjo, from a time when all banjos-especially 5 strings-were being made only in small quantities. The original Bacon & Day company wound down their operation in the late 1930's, and the name and remaining stock were sold to Gretsch in Brooklyn by 1940.

This early Gretsch product, while perhaps not as elegant or refined as most original Connecticut-built Bacon banjos, this is still a nicely made professional quality instrument. Typically Bacon features include a multi-laminate neck, engraved and painted ivoroid headpiece and bound fingerboard with characteristic shaped pearl inlay. Small unbranded geared tuners with typically late deco dark red/amber celluloid buttons, rare original 5-string Oettinger tailpiece and late Bacon-style cloverleaf flange. A neat, good sounding and authentic period original 5-string banjo.
 
Overall length is 37 1/4 in. (94.6 cm.), 11 in. (27.9 cm.) diameter head, and 4 in. (10.2 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 26 in. (660 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3/16 in. (30 mm.). Nicely original including tuners and tailpiece; there is an old heel repair and a repaired crack to the bass side of the neck around the first few frets with overspray to both areas. Finish generally clean otherwise with some fairly heavy finish wear to resonator back. Set up with an older plastic head, very snappy sound; a very good player's banjo. Generally Excellent Condition.

Item # 3767
 
This item has been sold.


 
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