Orpheum Brass Band Model 5 String Banjo, c. 1912, made in New York City, serial # 7615, shaded mahogany finish, laminated maple/mahogany rim; laminated maple neck with ebonized fingerboard, original black hard shell case.
This is a beautiful and rare 5-string banjo from New York's premier makers of the 1910s, Rettberg and Lange. The fancy Orpheum Brass Band was a special higher-end model in the company's line offered in the 1910s. The rim is an oversize design at well over 13"; combined with the patented Orpheum arch-top tone ring and long 28 1/2" scale, this gives the Brass Band model a huge, powerful sound with more depth than most banjos from any era. The company bragged it was as loud as a brass band, hence the name!
The banjo features fancy shaped abalone inlay pieces with superb pink-and-green color in the fingerboard and the face of the headstock, wood binding, multiple contrasting wood laminations on the neck, and a half-herringbone marquetry strip around the rim. The heel is carved in a floral pattern and the headstock has multiple laminations and an ebony backstrip. This banjo is a quite rare 5-string model representing Rettberg & Lange's instrument craft at its finest. It is a fine playing and great sounding example of a top-quality 1910s-era large-rim banjo.
Overall length is 38 3/4 in. (98.4 cm.), 13 1/4 in. (33.7 cm.) diameter head, and 2 5/8 in. (6.7 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 28 1/2 in. (724 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3/16 in. (30 mm.).
This banjo shows wear general overall, most notably play wear with a number nicks and dings to the back of the neck. Some are fairly deep but worn smooth enough to not be distracting during play. The original neck finish is worn down to the maple over about a third of its length. The rim finish is more intact, with dings and dents and a bit dirty in spots but not heavily worn.
This banjo does have one "old man" modification; the original nickel-plated hardware has been overplated in chrome. This was fairly common in the 1960s and '70s as many older players of the time wanted their vintage instruments to look "like new". The hardware is all original; it seems a few nuts escaped this process, but the plating is chrome on everything else, including the friction tuners and cool cammed no-Knot tailpiece. At least this one escaped the all too common refinish that often accompanied this process.
This lovely banjo is a very good player; the neck is nice and straight and the original thin frets have some moderate wear but not enough to cause any issues. The sound is huge but never muddy; we can't guarantee it will drown out a genuine brass band but it is plenty loud enough for most applications! It is set up with steel strings over a calfskin head with an older bridge and sounds very authentic; it would also handle gut or nylgut strings fine. The banjo still rests in a VERY battered but still intact and functional (and rare!) original HSC that looks like it has traveled a lot in over 100 years. Very Good + Condition.
