Banjo shame

[Nil]

I have a banjo.

Yes, I know I should be embarrassed, and I am, truly. But it is what it
is. I wanted to get rid of it, but I was afraid that if I left it on
the front seat of the car in a bad neighborhood, someone would break in
and leave me a second banjo. So it's been sitting in the back of the
closet for maybe 25 years.

It's a cheap piece of shit that I think I paid $30 for back in the day.
It's been good enough to make the occasional banjo noise for recording
purposes.

I recently wanted to make another banjo noise and thought of it. It
needs strings and the 5th string peg is missing, but I can make do. I
was curious, though - what's the brand name? Does anyone recognize the
logo (kind of a diagram of an atom, with electrons orbiting a nucleus?)

Loading Image...

On the back of the headstock, it says, "Model No. 319.12540300 / Made
in USA". I found some references to similar model numbers being
associated with Silvertone, but none had this logo The neck is wood,
the body appears to be plastic.

Anybody know what this hunk 'o junk is?

[l***@gmail.com]

Post by Nil
I have a banjo.
Yes, I know I should be embarrassed, and I am, truly. But it is what it
is. I wanted to get rid of it, but I was afraid that if I left it on
the front seat of the car in a bad neighborhood, someone would break in
and leave me a second banjo. So it's been sitting in the back of the
closet for maybe 25 years.
It's a cheap piece of shit that I think I paid $30 for back in the day.
It's been good enough to make the occasional banjo noise for recording
purposes.
I recently wanted to make another banjo noise and thought of it. It
needs strings and the 5th string peg is missing, but I can make do. I
was curious, though - what's the brand name? Does anyone recognize the
logo (kind of a diagram of an atom, with electrons orbiting a nucleus?)
http://rednoise.vacau.com/temp/banjo2.jpg
On the back of the headstock, it says, "Model No. 319.12540300 / Made
in USA". I found some references to similar model numbers being
associated with Silvertone, but none had this logo The neck is wood,
the body appears to be plastic.
Anybody know what this hunk 'o junk is?

I think that it might have been made by Harmony or perhaps Kay for Sears Roebuck. The logo looks like a stylized SR. I have seen banjos with that logo before. All were low end 5-string models.

Good luck,
Lulu : )

[Pudentame]

Post by l***@gmail.com

Post by Nil
I have a banjo.
Yes, I know I should be embarrassed, and I am, truly. But it is what it
is. I wanted to get rid of it, but I was afraid that if I left it on
the front seat of the car in a bad neighborhood, someone would break in
and leave me a second banjo. So it's been sitting in the back of the
closet for maybe 25 years.
It's a cheap piece of shit that I think I paid $30 for back in the day.
It's been good enough to make the occasional banjo noise for recording
purposes.
I recently wanted to make another banjo noise and thought of it. It
needs strings and the 5th string peg is missing, but I can make do. I
was curious, though - what's the brand name? Does anyone recognize the
logo (kind of a diagram of an atom, with electrons orbiting a nucleus?)
http://rednoise.vacau.com/temp/banjo2.jpg
On the back of the headstock, it says, "Model No. 319.12540300 / Made
in USA". I found some references to similar model numbers being
associated with Silvertone, but none had this logo The neck is wood,
the body appears to be plastic.
Anybody know what this hunk 'o junk is?

I think that it might have been made by Harmony or perhaps Kay for Sears Roebuck. The logo looks like a stylized SR. I have seen banjos with that logo before. All were low end 5-string models.
Good luck,
Lulu : )

That looks like a pretty good guess.

http://www.banjo-brands.com/banjo-87896-Harmony-5-String-Banjo-Sears-Roebuck-1950s-USA-Made

[%]

Post by Pudentame

Post by l***@gmail.com

Post by Nil
I have a banjo.
Yes, I know I should be embarrassed, and I am, truly. But it is
what it is. I wanted to get rid of it, but I was afraid that if I
left it on the front seat of the car in a bad neighborhood, someone
would break in and leave me a second banjo. So it's been sitting in
the back of the closet for maybe 25 years.
It's a cheap piece of shit that I think I paid $30 for back in the
day. It's been good enough to make the occasional banjo noise for
recording purposes.
I recently wanted to make another banjo noise and thought of it. It
needs strings and the 5th string peg is missing, but I can make do.
I was curious, though - what's the brand name? Does anyone
recognize the logo (kind of a diagram of an atom, with electrons
orbiting a nucleus?)
http://rednoise.vacau.com/temp/banjo2.jpg
On the back of the headstock, it says, "Model No. 319.12540300 /
Made in USA". I found some references to similar model numbers being
associated with Silvertone, but none had this logo The neck is wood,
the body appears to be plastic.
Anybody know what this hunk 'o junk is?

I think that it might have been made by Harmony or perhaps Kay for
Sears Roebuck. The logo looks like a stylized SR. I have seen
banjos with that logo before. All were low end 5-string models.
Good luck,
Lulu : )

That looks like a pretty good guess.
http://www.banjo-brands.com/banjo-87896-Harmony-5-String-Banjo-Sears-Roebuck-1950s-USA-Made

that's the one i posted

[Nil]

Post by Pudentame
That looks like a pretty good guess.
http://www.banjo-brands.com/banjo-87896-Harmony-5-String-Banjo-Sears-Roebuck-1950s-USA-Made

Yeah, that looks just like mine, except there's no cap on the back of
mine. Otherwise it appears to be identical - same logo, tailpiece, plastic
or bakelite body, tuners, bridge. The head looks different, but mine
has probably been replaced. The model number is a little different
(theirs is 319.12501900, mine is 319.12540300) but I'm thinking the
last few numbers might be a serial number. Anyway, it's very close.

[l***@gmail.com]

Post by l***@gmail.com

Post by Nil
I have a banjo.
Yes, I know I should be embarrassed, and I am, truly. But it is what it
is. I wanted to get rid of it, but I was afraid that if I left it on
the front seat of the car in a bad neighborhood, someone would break in
and leave me a second banjo. So it's been sitting in the back of the
closet for maybe 25 years.
It's a cheap piece of shit that I think I paid $30 for back in the day.
It's been good enough to make the occasional banjo noise for recording
purposes.
I recently wanted to make another banjo noise and thought of it. It
needs strings and the 5th string peg is missing, but I can make do. I
was curious, though - what's the brand name? Does anyone recognize the
logo (kind of a diagram of an atom, with electrons orbiting a nucleus?)
http://rednoise.vacau.com/temp/banjo2.jpg
On the back of the headstock, it says, "Model No. 319.12540300 / Made
in USA". I found some references to similar model numbers being
associated with Silvertone, but none had this logo The neck is wood,
the body appears to be plastic.
Anybody know what this hunk 'o junk is?

I think that it might have been made by Harmony or perhaps Kay for Sears Roebuck. The logo looks like a stylized SR. I have seen banjos with that logo before. All were low end 5-string models.
Good luck,
Lulu : )

Here's a nice example of a Harmony Reso-tone in an unaltered, original state. Lucky "under the bed" find!

Lulu ; )

[%]

Post by l***@gmail.com

Post by l***@gmail.com

Post by Nil
I have a banjo.
Yes, I know I should be embarrassed, and I am, truly. But it is
what it is. I wanted to get rid of it, but I was afraid that if I
left it on the front seat of the car in a bad neighborhood, someone
would break in and leave me a second banjo. So it's been sitting in
the back of the closet for maybe 25 years.
It's a cheap piece of shit that I think I paid $30 for back in the
day. It's been good enough to make the occasional banjo noise for
recording purposes.
I recently wanted to make another banjo noise and thought of it. It
needs strings and the 5th string peg is missing, but I can make do.
I was curious, though - what's the brand name? Does anyone
recognize the logo (kind of a diagram of an atom, with electrons
orbiting a nucleus?)
http://rednoise.vacau.com/temp/banjo2.jpg
On the back of the headstock, it says, "Model No. 319.12540300 /
Made in USA". I found some references to similar model numbers being
associated with Silvertone, but none had this logo The neck is wood,
the body appears to be plastic.
Anybody know what this hunk 'o junk is?

I think that it might have been made by Harmony or perhaps Kay for
Sears Roebuck. The logo looks like a stylized SR. I have seen
banjos with that logo before. All were low end 5-string models.
Good luck,
Lulu : )

Here's a nice example of a Harmony Reso-tone in an unaltered,
original state. Lucky "under the bed" find!
Lulu ; )
http://youtu.be/H-taMk7Uw4A

i saw that one but didn't post it because it has a music note top ,
i looked for one with an atom print top

[%]

Post by Nil
I have a banjo.
Yes, I know I should be embarrassed, and I am, truly. But it is what
it is. I wanted to get rid of it, but I was afraid that if I left it
on the front seat of the car in a bad neighborhood, someone would
break in and leave me a second banjo. So it's been sitting in the
back of the closet for maybe 25 years.
It's a cheap piece of shit that I think I paid $30 for back in the
day. It's been good enough to make the occasional banjo noise for
recording purposes.
I recently wanted to make another banjo noise and thought of it. It
needs strings and the 5th string peg is missing, but I can make do. I
was curious, though - what's the brand name? Does anyone recognize the
logo (kind of a diagram of an atom, with electrons orbiting a
nucleus?)
http://rednoise.vacau.com/temp/banjo2.jpg
On the back of the headstock, it says, "Model No. 319.12540300 / Made
in USA". I found some references to similar model numbers being
associated with Silvertone, but none had this logo The neck is wood,
the body appears to be plastic.
Anybody know what this hunk 'o junk is?

http://www.banjo-brands.com/banjo-87896-Harmony-5-String-Banjo-Sears-Roebuck-1950s-USA-Made

[l***@gmail.com]

Harmony made a Reso-tone model that had a bakelite body IIRC. Maybe your banjo is basically the same model that was cloned for Sears? Foggy on this, but it seems that they had a white dot in the middle of the body back.

Lulu ; )

[%]

Post by l***@gmail.com
Harmony made a Reso-tone model that had a bakelite body IIRC. Maybe
your banjo is basically the same model that was cloned for Sears?
Foggy on this, but it seems that they had a white dot in the middle
of the body back.
Lulu ; )

i used the model number you provided

[l***@gmail.com]

Post by %

Post by l***@gmail.com
Harmony made a Reso-tone model that had a bakelite body IIRC. Maybe
your banjo is basically the same model that was cloned for Sears?
Foggy on this, but it seems that they had a white dot in the middle
of the body back.
Lulu ; )

i used the model number you provided

Do you have a link?

Lulu ; )

[%]

Post by l***@gmail.com

Post by %

Post by l***@gmail.com
Harmony made a Reso-tone model that had a bakelite body IIRC. Maybe
your banjo is basically the same model that was cloned for Sears?
Foggy on this, but it seems that they had a white dot in the middle
of the body back.
Lulu ; )

i used the model number you provided

Do you have a link?
Lulu ; )

didn't i post it in my reply i was sure i did ,
if you give me the number again i'll try and find it again

[notbob]

Post by l***@gmail.com
Harmony made a Reso-tone model that had a bakelite body IIRC.

notbob, here. Guitar player turned banjo picker.

You recall correctly. I have one!

They are excellent banjos. I play mine all the time while I'm waiting
for a part to repair my cheapo Recording King Asian-made banjo, which
is questionably a better banjo, which I dropped on the deck and the
tuning head split nearly off (been since re-glued/repaired).

I would need to see the pot (body) of the banjo. Reso-Tones were made
by Harmony in its waning days of the 60s and early 70s. I don't know anything
about Kay's, but if it is a Reso-Tone, it will have a Bakelite pot
with cast-in flange.

<http://www.banjohangout.org/group/bakelitebanjos_harmonyreso-toneownersgroup>

If I was gonna ask about a banjo's pedigree, I'd ask at BHO. ;)

If I wanted to see some good pics of a Reso-Tone, I'd look here:

<https://www.elderly.com/harmony-reso-tone-1960-s.htm>

Strangely enough, Harmony Reso-Tones rarely fetch more than $300.
This despite being great banjos. The Harmony bass (H22) I bought new,
in the 60's, is now fetching in excess of $1,0000USD, despite coming
from the same era and costing almost the same as their plastic
brethren. ;)

nb

[Nil]

Post by l***@gmail.com
Harmony made a Reso-tone model that had a bakelite body IIRC.
Maybe your banjo is basically the same model that was cloned for
Sears? Foggy on this, but it seems that they had a white dot in
the middle of the body back.

After searching around the web more, I think you're exactly right. My
banjo appears to be a Harmony Reso-Tone that was re-badged and sold by
Sears Roebuck in the late '50s or early '60s. Now that it's been
pointed out, I see that the "nuclear" logo actually has the letters S
and R embedded in it! The body (or "pan", I learned it's called) is
probably bakelite. The black dot you mention is probably on the
resonator, a cap that covers the back, but I think this model was
always open-back with no resonator.

For a 60-year-old instrument this thing is in pretty good shape.
There's no rust on the metal parts, and the painted neck has no dings
or chips. I need to replace the missing 5th string tuner and 5th string
nut, and try to get the action a little lower, but I think it can be
made into a funky but chic little player.

[Pudentame]

On Wed, 07 Jun 2017 22:12:41 -0400, Nil

Post by Nil
I have a banjo.
Yes, I know I should be embarrassed, and I am, truly. But it is what it
is. I wanted to get rid of it, but I was afraid that if I left it on
the front seat of the car in a bad neighborhood, someone would break in
and leave me a second banjo. So it's been sitting in the back of the
closet for maybe 25 years.
It's a cheap piece of shit that I think I paid $30 for back in the day.
It's been good enough to make the occasional banjo noise for recording
purposes.
I recently wanted to make another banjo noise and thought of it. It
needs strings and the 5th string peg is missing, but I can make do. I
was curious, though - what's the brand name? Does anyone recognize the
logo (kind of a diagram of an atom, with electrons orbiting a nucleus?)
http://rednoise.vacau.com/temp/banjo2.jpg
On the back of the headstock, it says, "Model No. 319.12540300 / Made
in USA". I found some references to similar model numbers being
associated with Silvertone, but none had this logo The neck is wood,
the body appears to be plastic.
Anybody know what this hunk 'o junk is?

It could be worse. At least you're not an accordian player. 8-D

[Mike]

In article <***@wheedledeedle.moc>, rednoise9
@REMOVETHIScomcast.net says...

Post by Nil
I have a banjo.
Yes, I know I should be embarrassed, [...]

Nothing to be ashamed of. Roy Clark provided the initial spark for my
new found passion many, many, (many, ...) years ago. John Hartford
followed. Then, to my surprise, Steve Martin! I'm not there yet, but,
once I nail Foggy Mountain Breakdown, I'll be a happy man! (Hell, I'd
settle for Cripple Creek at this point) Bluegrass Banjo is high on my
bucket list (if not Bluegrass, then what's the point?), along with
juggling, sleight of hand, and a few other things that annoy the hell
out of my wife. One of my goals is to post a split screen video of me
playing Dueling Banjos on YouTube - me on the guitar and the other me on
the banjo. Someday, that'll be a reality.

[notbob]

Post by Mike
Nothing to be ashamed of.

No shame, here. I love the banjo. Not that I don't like guitar, but
banjo is so much more "fun". Haven't touched my amp and Tele in mos.

I hope alt.guitar continues to welcome us wayward banjoists. Despite their
being at least 3 banjo newsgroups, fer all practical purposes, they
are essentially dead. 8|

nb

[l***@gmail.com]

Post by notbob
I hope alt.guitar continues to welcome us wayward banjoists. Despite their
being at least 3 banjo newsgroups, fer all practical purposes, they
are essentially dead. 8|
nb

Alt.guitar is basically on life support. I hope that no one pulls the plug. Personally, I welcome almost any kind of post that is even remotely musical in nature. This used to be a fairly busy place. Life goes on.

Lulu ; )

[notbob]

Post by l***@gmail.com
Alt.guitar is basically on life support. I hope that no one pulls
the plug. Personally, I welcome almost any kind of post that is
even remotely musical in nature.

Agree.

Post by l***@gmail.com
This used to be a fairly busy place.

It'd be even more "busy" if I didn't hafta KF so many losers. ;)

nb

[Pudentame]

Post by l***@gmail.com

Post by notbob
I hope alt.guitar continues to welcome us wayward banjoists. Despite their
being at least 3 banjo newsgroups, fer all practical purposes, they
are essentially dead. 8|
nb

Alt.guitar is basically on life support. I hope that no one pulls the plug. Personally, I welcome almost any kind of post that is even remotely musical in nature. This used to be a fairly busy place. Life goes on.
Lulu ; )

I reckon it will last out the rest of my lifetime.

[l***@gmail.com]

Post by Pudentame

Post by l***@gmail.com

Post by notbob
I hope alt.guitar continues to welcome us wayward banjoists. Despite their
being at least 3 banjo newsgroups, fer all practical purposes, they
are essentially dead. 8|
nb

Alt.guitar is basically on life support. I hope that no one pulls the plug. Personally, I welcome almost any kind of post that is even remotely musical in nature. This used to be a fairly busy place. Life goes on.
Lulu ; )

I reckon it will last out the rest of my lifetime.

For some reason the cynical Russian phrase - You can't drown a man that is destined to be hanged - came to mind. I'm not exactly sure why?

Lulu ; )

[Flasherly]

On Wed, 14 Jun 2017 18:38:10 -0700 (PDT), ***@gmail.com
wrote:
For some reason the cynical Russian phrase - You can't drown a man
that is destined to be hanged - came to mind. I'm not exactly sure
why?

-
Maybe of obscurer operative devices caused by neuronic residuals --
'He who is fated to be hanged won't drown'. - Vladimir Putin

Oliver Stone of the film _The Doors_ fame, from the forthcoming
production of _The Putin Interviews_. A filmleakopedia tantalizer
regarding expatriated Edward Snowden and an inevitable host of links
between coups, past and present, and here and there.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/02/vladimir-putin-edward-snowden-not-traitor-god-knows-us-will/

-
O propheta, certe penis tuus coelum versus erectus est.

[Dang, hanged damned, with a priapism to show lusty angels.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_erection

[l***@gmail.com]

Post by Flasherly
-
O propheta, certe penis tuus coelum versus erectus est.
[Dang, hanged damned, with a priapism to show lusty angels.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_erection

Up and down . . .
Wiggle around!

Lulu ; )

Parliament -
Up For The Down Stroke