August 21st, 2023

Hello friends,

      After 50 years in the business and having handled more than 15,000 banjos, sometimes I feel a bit jaded. I think I’ve seen it all…and then something like this appears. On our recent trip through Massachusetts, we were able to coax a friend into letting go of this very special instrument. He had purchased it 20 years ago from the family of the original owner. This is a Whyte Laydie No. 2 SPECIAL with unusual, inlay appointments. It has the fabled  "Gryphon" inlay in the peghead and other assorted engraved pearl inlays in the fingerboard and a large flame on the heel. The size is the very special 10-3/4  inch thin rim, and 26 inch scale neck. We have never seen banjo quite like this in all of our time of dealing vintage instruments. Not only is it exquisitely clean and extremely rare, but is it an exceptional player for steel strings or classical style. To top it all off, it comes in the original short bump case with a Fairbanks bracket adjusting wrench inside. The Whyte Laydie banjo, a design model of the Fairbanks company was introduced in 1900. It was a game changer in terms of banjo construction. Before that most banjos were lightweight, simple wooden rims or metal over wooden hoops, but Fairbanks, and specifically David L. Day came out with a design which dramatically improved upon  the 1890 "electric model" (not actual electricity, but an electrifying sound…a great marketing idea). The Whyte Laydie was a design that gave the banjo a powerful sound. For those less familiar with banjos, the addition of a scalloped metal piece sitting upon the wooden rim, changed the tone of instruments immensely.  It added tone and character and volume….and foreshadowed the sound that the banjo has today. That was the sound that Thomas Edison identified as the most favorable for his recordings made on the "talking machine". Because of the staccato sound of the banjo, it was the best instrument for those early recordings! The design has been copied by numerous builders over the last 100 years, and it’s still the banjo that always strikes a "twang" in my heart. That is exactly why we had the “Eastman” company build their famous EBJ, Whyte Laydie. This recent acquisition will be photographed and featured on our website sometime this week as soon as Sammy Hirsh gets back from his lovely vacation. We’ve got about 60 instruments ready for photographs! Sammy will be busy. 

   While I was in Boston I had an stimulating conversation about the values vintage banjos. I was in the company of James Bollman who is the greatest collector of vintage banjos,  particularly those of the Boston area. But vintage and collectible banjos are not always great players. They are fancy and adorned with lots of mother of pearl but they are not always appropriate for today’s style playing. When they were built, they were meant for gut strings, and a classic style of playing. As a result many young players have turned to new makers whose instruments have big rims and short scales…..instruments suitable for steel strings to play the Round Peak style. And today there are many new makers that are producing fabulous instruments, but the problem is, that making a good instrument, and being successful in business requires capital; it requires commitment and investments, and it requires paying good wages to employees, and, as a result the prices have all gone up. Today, I am a dealer for many of these newer brands and they are a superb instruments BUT a new OME Wizard is now $4000 and a long waiting period to get one. Vintage banjos are readily available and if they are set up properly, they certainly can play well and get a great sound. Today many of the great vintage banjos are half the price or less than that of their newer counterparts. As the demand for good playing instruments increases, we will be doing our best to turn these collectible wall hangers into respectable players.

Best regards,

John Bernunzio

Learn to square dance…first time is free!