Cammeyer Vibrante 5 String Zither Banjo (1920)
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Item # 10492
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Cammeyer Vibrante Model 5 String Zither Banjo (1920), made in London, England, serial # 4634-104, natural finish, laminated walnut rim, rosewood neck with ebony fingerboard, original brown leather case.
This instrument is a classic English Zither Banjo, a style little known in the US but once "All the rage" in the UK. These instrument have their own specific stringing, style and lore dating back to the 1890s in England. While based on a designs brought to the UK by Brooklynite Alfred Cammeyer, the zither banjo has remained a largely English (and Commonwealth) favorite for well over 135 years now! Some of the specific quirks include the 6 tuners (only 5 are actually used!) with the drone string running in a tunnel under the fingerboard to the headstock. The metal rim-inside-the-resonator was Cammeyer's patented system, and was highly influential on banjo design on the continent as well as the UK while largely forgotten in the US.
Following a suggestion from British opera diva Adelina Patti, the celebrated American banjoist Cammeyer first traveled to London in 1888. Soon he was performing for London's high society; Sir Arthur Sullivan (of Gilbert & Sullivan) encouraged him to compose solos for the banjo, which became very popular. In 1893 Cammeyer partnered with Clifford Essex to produce his zither-banjo designs under the "Essex & Cammeyer" brand, setting up a London manufacturing facility. The partnership dissolved in 1900 but Cammeyer continued to make mostly zither-banjos until retiring in 1939. Many other English builders made instruments to the same design, notably Windsor, and they are still played in England today.
The man in charge of the Cammeyer workshops was Sidney W. Young who was responsible for the designs of this "Vibrante" model as well as "Vibrante Royal" zither-banjos and "New Era" banjos bearing the Cammeyer name. Cammeyer himself retired in 1939, but some were still made afterwards. Cammeyer's serial number system for the "Vibrante" models was quite detailed. This banjo's first number 4634 is the sequential sequence in the shop ledgers, applied to every model. The second half is a sequence specific to the Vibrantes, indicating this is the 104th banjo in that series. Available information dates it to around 1920, just as Britain was recovering from the First World War.
This is a Standard Vibrante model with a 9" diameter head; the Vibrante Royal had a larger 9.5" head size. This is a very fancy banjo with beautiful grained woods and elaborately carved inlay in the fingerboard and headstock. The stringing, technique and sound of the Zither banjo are unique and unfamiliar to most American players, but as these instruments go this is a very high-grade example.
Overall length is 38 in. (96.5 cm.), 9 in. (22.9 cm.) diameter head, and 2 3/4 in. (7 cm.) in depth at side. Scale length is 27 1/4 in. (692 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3/8 in. (35 mm.).
For its age this is a clean instrument, with some older restoration but generally in very good shape for over a century on. The entire banjo including the fingerboard has an old noticeable clear overfinish, likely done many decades ago (this was a popular thing to do in the '50s and '60s among banjo enthusiasts, to make the older instrument new and shiny again). It shows only very light subsequent wear overall and no other visible repairs or alterations. There are some old dings and laminate checks on the back of the resonator under the finish, so they have been there a long time.
The banjo is set up with a hand-tucked plastic head, an unusual way to do it but perfectly functional. The neck is not 100% straight (few century-old Zither banjos are) but quite playable within the stringing and style these instruments are known for. It includes the original leather case, a real museum piece mostly well preserved if not really functional for traveling as the leather straps are broken. Excellent Condition.
This instrument is a classic English Zither Banjo, a style little known in the US but once "All the rage" in the UK. These instrument have their own specific stringing, style and lore dating back to the 1890s in England. While based on a designs brought to the UK by Brooklynite Alfred Cammeyer, the zither banjo has remained a largely English (and Commonwealth) favorite for well over 135 years now! Some of the specific quirks include the 6 tuners (only 5 are actually used!) with the drone string running in a tunnel under the fingerboard to the headstock. The metal rim-inside-the-resonator was Cammeyer's patented system, and was highly influential on banjo design on the continent as well as the UK while largely forgotten in the US.
Following a suggestion from British opera diva Adelina Patti, the celebrated American banjoist Cammeyer first traveled to London in 1888. Soon he was performing for London's high society; Sir Arthur Sullivan (of Gilbert & Sullivan) encouraged him to compose solos for the banjo, which became very popular. In 1893 Cammeyer partnered with Clifford Essex to produce his zither-banjo designs under the "Essex & Cammeyer" brand, setting up a London manufacturing facility. The partnership dissolved in 1900 but Cammeyer continued to make mostly zither-banjos until retiring in 1939. Many other English builders made instruments to the same design, notably Windsor, and they are still played in England today.
The man in charge of the Cammeyer workshops was Sidney W. Young who was responsible for the designs of this "Vibrante" model as well as "Vibrante Royal" zither-banjos and "New Era" banjos bearing the Cammeyer name. Cammeyer himself retired in 1939, but some were still made afterwards. Cammeyer's serial number system for the "Vibrante" models was quite detailed. This banjo's first number 4634 is the sequential sequence in the shop ledgers, applied to every model. The second half is a sequence specific to the Vibrantes, indicating this is the 104th banjo in that series. Available information dates it to around 1920, just as Britain was recovering from the First World War.
This is a Standard Vibrante model with a 9" diameter head; the Vibrante Royal had a larger 9.5" head size. This is a very fancy banjo with beautiful grained woods and elaborately carved inlay in the fingerboard and headstock. The stringing, technique and sound of the Zither banjo are unique and unfamiliar to most American players, but as these instruments go this is a very high-grade example.
Overall length is 38 in. (96.5 cm.), 9 in. (22.9 cm.) diameter head, and 2 3/4 in. (7 cm.) in depth at side. Scale length is 27 1/4 in. (692 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3/8 in. (35 mm.).
For its age this is a clean instrument, with some older restoration but generally in very good shape for over a century on. The entire banjo including the fingerboard has an old noticeable clear overfinish, likely done many decades ago (this was a popular thing to do in the '50s and '60s among banjo enthusiasts, to make the older instrument new and shiny again). It shows only very light subsequent wear overall and no other visible repairs or alterations. There are some old dings and laminate checks on the back of the resonator under the finish, so they have been there a long time.
The banjo is set up with a hand-tucked plastic head, an unusual way to do it but perfectly functional. The neck is not 100% straight (few century-old Zither banjos are) but quite playable within the stringing and style these instruments are known for. It includes the original leather case, a real museum piece mostly well preserved if not really functional for traveling as the leather straps are broken. Excellent Condition.