Paramount Style A Model Tenor Banjo (1924), made in New York City, serial # 4307, natural varnish finish, laminated maple rim, laminated maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, black hard shell case.
This is a well-worn but playable example of Paramount's Style A, the plainest-grade instrument in the company's professional standard "letter series" line. Retailing originally at $130.00 in the 1920's this was still a fancy and expensive instrument. This one has seen a lot of use; it is a solid player but does have some warp to the neck so is priced accordingly.
Along with Vega's Vegaphone models William Lange's Paramount line were the most popular of all the orchestra banjos of the 1920's and basically set the pattern for the "modern" resonator banjo. These banjos were the lynchpin of the rhythm section of every jazz and dance band in the country, as well as a featured soloist's instrument.
This veteran Style A is worn in with features typical of the earlier 1920's Paramounts, not as heavily decorated but with all the same playing features as the high grade instruments. The neck and rim are of laminated all-maple construction with rosewood-bound edges. The rosewood fingerboard has notched diamond pearl inlay, there is a marquetry strip under the fingerboard and a particularly fancy and attractive peghead design with elaborate engraved pearl inlay. This 1924 Paramount retains the original-pattern vastly superior milled-housing Page tuners that still work well a century along; later examples fitted cast versions that are nearly always broken by now.
The tailpiece is the standard 1920s Paramount adjustable tension style, marked as "Improved Paramount Pat. Pend'g" on the hinged cover. The armrest is the earlier style bent flat wire piece. This Style A is a medium-level tenor by 1920's standards but retains all the quality and sound of the best Paramounts. Despite having some a slight but noticeable warp to the neck this 100+ year old banjo is still fully playable and ready for another century.
Overall length is 33 1/2 in. (85.1 cm.), 11 1/4 in. (28.6 cm.) diameter head, and 3 1/4 in. (8.3 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 23 in. (584 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3/16 in. (30 mm.).
This banjo shows general wear overall; it is fitted out with a modern Fiberskyn style head but otherwise has all original components. One oddity is some of the hardware appears to have been painted gold long ago, specifically the original milled-housing Page tuning pegs, the tailpiece and the nuts. This is still visible though much has worn away.
There is wear overall, the thin original finish is ambered darker with rubbed-down spots, chipping and flaking to the original thin varnish in many places. The sides and back of the resonator appear to have had a light overfinish added many decades ago, now also well worn. The back of the neck shows wear down to the wood over some of its length with a few small dinks. All of the ambered lacquer has flaked off the heavily inlaid headstock facing, but the engraving fill is still crisp and it still looks beautiful.
Most of the plating is in decent shape; although most of the hooks show corrosion fairly heavily and the armrest is quite worn. The hoop is a bit chewed into on its top rim from multiple re-headings. All hardware on the rim including the tailpiece, armrest, hooks and nuts remains original and complete.
The banjo retains its original thin frets with some wear; despite a not completely straight neck it plays clean and sounds great, a good gigging example of a classic era mid-1920s Paramount, one of the standard orchestra tenor banjos of that or any era. It includes a very worn but functional 1950s era HSC with some vintage sticker decoration. Overall Very Good Condition.
