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Banjo

This instrument is made from two separate banjos married together. The neck and head, of mahogany inlaid with mother-of-pearl motifs and two yellow glass pastes, is from a hand-made minstrel banjo of the mid nineteenth century. The hoop, of ash and brass, is from a factory-made banjo of the late nineteenth or early twentieth century, c.1870–1910. Vellum-covered head. Replacement ebony nut. The instrument originally had seven strings, including the drone string for the thumb. It was later altered to six strings, leaving the original nut with 11 string notches. The nut was then inverted and cut again for six strings, resulting in very unevenly spaced notches and causing some splitting to the head. Due to this the original nut has been removed (1993) and a properly fitting replacement nut attached. Seven replacement strings, three gut and four overspun, have been added (1993), and are held by six celluloid pegs in the head and one celluloid thumb-peg. The mahogany dowel-stick has been re-cut at some point with a hand-saw, leaving irregular steps in it. The neck is attached to the hoop by means of a wedge-plate on the dowel-stick. This is a modern replacement (1993) since the existing wedge-plate was a badly fitted earlier addition. The dowel-stick has been shortened at some point, and a piece of wood added to it to accommodate the end pin screw. The hoop originally had 12 brass brackets. A further 32 have been added at some later date. A modern bridge of beech has been added (1993) and a better fitting bracket hook and nut on the tailpiece.

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  • Repository:National Museums Liverpool
  • Measurements:Total length 877mm, width of hoop 300mm, depth 65mm, length of neck including head 575mm, string length from nut 715mm