Cammeyer 5 String Zither Banjo, c. 1909, made in London, England, serial # 3906-565, natural varnish finish, maple neck and rim with ebony fingerboard, period black hard shell case.
This beautiful instrument is a superb example of the classic English Zither Banjo, a style little known in the US but once "All the rage" in the UK. These instruments 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 over 135 years!
Specific quirks of this banjo variant include the slim slotted headstock with 6 guitar-style tuners (only 5 are actually used!) with the drone string running in a tunnel under the fingerboard to the peghead. 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. He was granted UK Patent No. 14,724 in 1900 for "an improvement in the construction of banjos" for this design.
Following a suggestion from British opera diva Adelina Patti, American banjoist Cammeyer 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 unique zither-banjo designs under the "Essex & Cammeyer" brand, setting up a London manufacturing facility. The partnership dissolved in 1900; Cammeyer opened his own workshop and continued to make mostly zither-banjos until retiring in 1939; the firm continued on for decades after. Other English builders (notably Windsor) made instruments to the same design and they are still played in England today.
A man named Sidney W. Young was in charge of the Cammeyer workshops; he was largely responsible for the designs of the "Vibrante" and "Vibrante Royal" zither-banjos as well as "New Era" banjos bearing the Cammeyer name. While this banjo is very similar to the celebrated "Vibrante" model with a 9" diameter head it is not marked as such, the pearl disc in the headstock being engraved simply "A.D. Cammeyer Patent". This is a very fancy banjo with beautiful grained flame maple for the neck and rim and elaborately engraved shaped pearl inlay in the fingerboard and headstock. The metal chasing around the resonator edges is delicately engraved as well. The tuners are beautiful engraved brass plate 19th century guitar machines with bone buttons.
The upper side of the neck heel is stamped in block letters "The Cammeyer Music & Manufacturing Co. 97a Jermyn Street London S. W. Patent No. 14,724" with Cammeyer's signature stamped into the heelcap. The serial number is stamped into the back of the headstock; the company's system for higher end models was quite detailed. This banjo's first number 3906 is from the sequential shop ledger series applied to every model. The second half is a style specific sequence, indicating this is the 565th banjo in that series. Combining these indicators available information dates this banjo to around 1908-09, the height of the opulent Edwardian era before the First World War.
The stringing, technique and sound of the Zither banjo are unique and unfamiliar to most American players, but still played in the UK and Commonwealth countries. The classic Zither banjo stringing specified by Cammeyer himself is a unique mixed setup: plain steel first, second and fifth strings, gut third and silk-cored wound fourth. These give the instrument its distinctive voice; although many later players have opted to simply string them with all steel, some of the distinctive character is lost. This instrument is correctly strung with the historically accurate mix. This is a very high-grade example of an original Cammeyer banjo, quite simply the nicest we have seen and an excellent player as well.
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 an extremely clean instrument, in superb all-original condition well over 115 years on. It shows light general wear overall with small dings, dents and scuffs; there are sone deeper scratches to the resonator back and sides but nothing too severe. There are no visible repairs or alterations, and all hardware remains original with typical ageing.
The neck is not 100% straight (few century-old Zither banjos are) but is still pretty close and quite playable within the stringing and style these instruments are designed for. It includes a 1920s period US-made case that appears to have been with it a long time. This is a real museum piece, quite the nicest Zither banjo of any make we have had. Overall Excellent Condition.
