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Hunting
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Village of Baoma, Sierra Leone
No serial number, no maker's marks. Ten5tatively identified by neck, peghead, and pot shields.
Set up with scale length 23 1/4 in.
12 hooks
Head dia. 12 in.
No tone ring, skin rests on wooden rim.
I bought this at an auction of the estate of a Civil War re-enactor. It was strung with gut strings, and after I played it for a couple of weeks the fingerboard began to develop ruts. I'm pretty sure the neck is a replica. I put on a durable rosewood fingerboard.
This banjo taught me some new things about fretless banjo setup. The span of the strings at the nut is wide (1 1/4 in) and the span of the strings at the heel is 1 3/4 in. The action at the heel is almost 3/8 in., so it chops off notes in a very pleasing way.
This banjo is the most sensitive to humidity of any that I've ever owned. Throughout the year, it hangs on my wall and pops at me as the head shrinks and swells.
