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Hunting
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The Mugwumps website says: "Beltone was a brand name used from circa 1920 by Perlberg & Halpin, a NYC distributor." This instrument was probably made by Harmony or Regal.
source: http://www.mugwumps.com/faq.htm
Good mechanical shape, scuffing and wear typical for a vintage instrument. Fingerboard is fairly nice wood, looks like rosewood.
Scale length = 13 3/4". I've got the action down about as low as it will go without buzzing; about 3/32" at the octave. The bridge is about 7/16".
Tone ring is like Vega Style N: partial metal cladding on pot rolled over a metal tone ring.
Neck was a bit wobbly, I shimmed it and it is now solid and true. Tailpiece is one of my brass 5-string tailpieces pierced for 8 strings. Strings are GHS Phosphor Bronze set A250 (light).
FLAWS:
Loud .... in the wrong hands this banjo-mando could drown out a small jam. Comes with one of my genuine, pre-war mutes (cube of foam rubber cut from an old sofa cushion).
This was probably marketed as a student instrument. Not really a flaw but a general comment - the instrument overall is typical of well-made but clearly mass-produced instruments.
The peghead was very dirty and scuffed. I cleaned it, inlaid a small MOP star, and finished with several rubbed-in coats of tung oil. The peghead finish is matte and does not look new.
Some rust on tension hoop and tuner plates. I rubbed w/ very fine steel wool and put on some paste wax.... should be good for another couple of decades.
ON THE PLUS SIDE:
Bright tone and plenty of volume. Good playability. I like the dowel tag that says: "The Instrument of Tone Quality". In my opinion, sounds best with a foam mute in place behind the dowel.
I saw a peghead tag on a Beltone 5-string banjo that said: "As Good As It Sounds". Beltone seems to have been a fairly laid-back marketer, unlike some others.
