Fairbanks Imperial Electric 5 String Banjo (1902)
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Item # 10307
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Fairbanks Imperial Electric Model 5 String Banjo (1902), made in Boston, Mass., serial # 21407, natural varnish finish, laminated maple neck and rim, ebony fingerboard, black hard shell case.
This is a truly lovely, rare and interesting early 20th century banjo, a Fairbanks "Imperial Electric" made around 1902. This beautiful piece has had some finely done and sensitive restoration and is simply a joy to play, hear or just behold. The company's banjos (before and after they were bought out by Vega in 1904) pretty much define to this day what folks expect in an "old time" 5-string, and this instrument catches them just making the leap into their fully perfected 20th century designs. This 1902 Imperial Electric was far from the fanciest grade of Fairbanks, not as opulent as the high end gilded age models but structurally and tonally one of the finest banjos in the world at the time.
The A.C. Fairbanks company was still an independent entity in 1902, not yet having been bought out by the Vega operation. By this point manager David Day was calling the shots, founder Alfred Conant Fairbanks having left his firm in 1895 to get into bicycle manufacturing (another popular late 19th century innovation). With Day at the helm the company's banjos were rapidly evolving into what many consider the defining open back "old time' instruments and almost inarguably the best in the world at the time.
Original Fairbanks instruments can vary widely in appointments and details. This "Imperial Electric" is quite different from both earlier and later iterations, with many features shared the then newly introduced Whyte Laydie, which became the iconic Fairbanks model soon after. This banjo is from this transitional era has an interesting mix of features.
The 10 3/4" rim is made of 1/2" thick laminated maple, the 26" scale neck is laminated maple as well. These are finished in natural varnish instead of stained dark, a new look at the time that defined the recently-introduced "Whyte Laydie" model. "Imperial" and "Electric" are stamped on the dowel but there is no style number. The rim features the same scalloped "Electric" tone ring carried forward on the Whyte Laydie but lacks that model's revolutionary bracket band. This configuration is a classic old-time 5-string and produces a sound that few others, new or old, can match.
Essentially this banjo is a later style Electric rim with an early Whyte Laydie #2 neck. most features are generally similar, notably the beautiful engraved Gryphon inlay on the peghead with smaller inlaid designs on the headstock and fingerboard. The tone is comparable, the absence of the bracket band does not seem to have much sonic effect. This is simply a wonderful playing and sounding banjo, and a very cool piece of Fairbanks history
Overall length is 35 1/2 in. (90.2 cm.), 10 3/4 in. (27.3 cm.) diameter head, and 2 7/16 in. (6.2 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 26 in. (660 mm.). Width of nut is 1 1/4 in. (32 mm.).
This rare 120-year-old banjo remains largely in its original configuration, with some expert restoration required to make it a playable instrument. The fretboard, peghead overlay and heelcap were originally made of "ebonized" hardwood. The dying technique used in 1902 often causes the wood to decompose and crumble over time, so a replica ebony fretboard with correct grained ivoroid binding has been fitted. The first fret inlay is original, the other fingerboard inlays are replacements engraved by master artist Kevin Enoch. The peghead overlay and heel cap were similarly replaced with maple dyed to resemble the early ebonized wood using the original gryphon and trefoil inlays, with a replaced star also by Kevin Enoch. All this work is exceptionally well done, and extremely accurate to the original look and feel.
The finish remains largely original with only some very minimal wear. The parts on the rim are original with the exception of 2 shoes cast from the mold made from an original one. The calf skin head is an older high-grade Rogers, and the bridge is modern. The original early-pattern "No-Knot" tailpiece is intact. The original non-geared friction tuners were replaced by modern Planets with grained ivoroid buttons, making the banjo an excellent steel-string player. This is an exceptional find in a classy but not overly fancy old-time banjo, a truly superb instrument residing in a newer hard shell case. Overall Restored to Excellent Condition.
This is a truly lovely, rare and interesting early 20th century banjo, a Fairbanks "Imperial Electric" made around 1902. This beautiful piece has had some finely done and sensitive restoration and is simply a joy to play, hear or just behold. The company's banjos (before and after they were bought out by Vega in 1904) pretty much define to this day what folks expect in an "old time" 5-string, and this instrument catches them just making the leap into their fully perfected 20th century designs. This 1902 Imperial Electric was far from the fanciest grade of Fairbanks, not as opulent as the high end gilded age models but structurally and tonally one of the finest banjos in the world at the time.
The A.C. Fairbanks company was still an independent entity in 1902, not yet having been bought out by the Vega operation. By this point manager David Day was calling the shots, founder Alfred Conant Fairbanks having left his firm in 1895 to get into bicycle manufacturing (another popular late 19th century innovation). With Day at the helm the company's banjos were rapidly evolving into what many consider the defining open back "old time' instruments and almost inarguably the best in the world at the time.
Original Fairbanks instruments can vary widely in appointments and details. This "Imperial Electric" is quite different from both earlier and later iterations, with many features shared the then newly introduced Whyte Laydie, which became the iconic Fairbanks model soon after. This banjo is from this transitional era has an interesting mix of features.
The 10 3/4" rim is made of 1/2" thick laminated maple, the 26" scale neck is laminated maple as well. These are finished in natural varnish instead of stained dark, a new look at the time that defined the recently-introduced "Whyte Laydie" model. "Imperial" and "Electric" are stamped on the dowel but there is no style number. The rim features the same scalloped "Electric" tone ring carried forward on the Whyte Laydie but lacks that model's revolutionary bracket band. This configuration is a classic old-time 5-string and produces a sound that few others, new or old, can match.
Essentially this banjo is a later style Electric rim with an early Whyte Laydie #2 neck. most features are generally similar, notably the beautiful engraved Gryphon inlay on the peghead with smaller inlaid designs on the headstock and fingerboard. The tone is comparable, the absence of the bracket band does not seem to have much sonic effect. This is simply a wonderful playing and sounding banjo, and a very cool piece of Fairbanks history
Overall length is 35 1/2 in. (90.2 cm.), 10 3/4 in. (27.3 cm.) diameter head, and 2 7/16 in. (6.2 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 26 in. (660 mm.). Width of nut is 1 1/4 in. (32 mm.).
This rare 120-year-old banjo remains largely in its original configuration, with some expert restoration required to make it a playable instrument. The fretboard, peghead overlay and heelcap were originally made of "ebonized" hardwood. The dying technique used in 1902 often causes the wood to decompose and crumble over time, so a replica ebony fretboard with correct grained ivoroid binding has been fitted. The first fret inlay is original, the other fingerboard inlays are replacements engraved by master artist Kevin Enoch. The peghead overlay and heel cap were similarly replaced with maple dyed to resemble the early ebonized wood using the original gryphon and trefoil inlays, with a replaced star also by Kevin Enoch. All this work is exceptionally well done, and extremely accurate to the original look and feel.
The finish remains largely original with only some very minimal wear. The parts on the rim are original with the exception of 2 shoes cast from the mold made from an original one. The calf skin head is an older high-grade Rogers, and the bridge is modern. The original early-pattern "No-Knot" tailpiece is intact. The original non-geared friction tuners were replaced by modern Planets with grained ivoroid buttons, making the banjo an excellent steel-string player. This is an exceptional find in a classy but not overly fancy old-time banjo, a truly superb instrument residing in a newer hard shell case. Overall Restored to Excellent Condition.