Bacon & Day ‘Silver Bell’ Tenor Banjo 1927

The Bacon & Day ‘Silver Bell’ line of banjos was introduced in 1923 as Bacon & Day’s high-end range in the jazz age, considered top quality instruments then and now, especially among tenor and plectrum players.

Made at the height of banjo popularity in the USA in the 1920’s, this B & D Silver Bell No.1 is in unusually fine original condition, featuring 19 frets and 24 tone ring brackets, with 32 hand cut f-scroll carvings  adorning the silver plated resonator flange. Traditional snow flake and bowtie pearl neck inlays mark the fret numbers and other decorations include the floral inlays on the front of the headstock as well as a small diamond pearl inlay on the back of the headstock. The 11″ body pot is dark, fine-grained Walnut. The neck is dark-stained flame Maple, with Ebony centerstrip and stinger at the rear of headstock/neck. A Martin style metal non-adjustable truss rod has kept the neck straight.  The nut is Ivory and the bound fretboard is Ebony and the bar frets are all in smooth original condition. The natural skin head is in excellent shape with minimal wear and no damage.  The hinged tailpiece incorporating fine tuners is also in excellent all-original order.  This fine almost 100-year-old banjo comes with its original 1920s purple-lined black formfit hard case in good condition. A beautiful and functional heritage banjo.