Search this site

AV Ebblewhite established a wholesale and retail musical merchandise establishment and between the years 1901 and 1918 they sold (as wholesalers and retailers) a great number of zither banjos bearing the name of AV & Co as maker but these were made by Arthur Windsor, (Birmingham, a personal friend of Ebblewhite), Wilmshurst (of London) and Matthew (of Birmingham). October 2012: It is clear that Ebblewhite exported a lot of Windsor Banjos under the brand name of "Challenge" bearing all the characteristics of Windsor made banjos including; the standard Windsor Popular plain "paddle" peg head, the inlay pattern (see Barnes & Mullins as well) but most typical of all, the chromed steel friction pegs which worked reliably and well. These banjos were made to a price and often had very thin ebony veneer for fretboards while Barnes & Mullins and other customers of Windsor specified 5/32nd" or thicker for their better banjos. Pictures courtesy of Intermountain Guitar and Banjo AV & Co next maker

...was born in 1848 in the Parish of St Georges Middlesex, son of a wheel wright and saddle maker he initially helped his father with his business as a trainee harness maker. By 1881 he was married and was residing at 26 Edgeware Road London with his wife Minnie (Mary), five years his younger and was registered as a Musical Instrument Maker working from home. In 1891 he was still working from home but was now recorded as a Musical Instrument Dealer with four children aged between ten and twenty one. By 1911 his children had all flown the nest and at 63 years old he was a Piano Tuner living with his wife, youngest daughter Mary who was now thirty and her family in Wandsworth SW London. Thomas W Upcott 1848 to 1922 next maker

From early 1927 to late 1940 a Miss Elizabeth Buchanan of 6 Granville St. West, GLASGOW, C.3. advertised herself as a teacher of the Banjo, Tenor-banjo, Mandolin, Guitar and Ukulele and, for a period, her advertisements included "instruments repaired on the premises". A display advertisement in the April 1928 issue of "B.M.G." proclaimed:- BUCHANAN BANJOS Makers and repairers of all fretted instruments. Models included a highly decorated short scale 6 string with slotted peg head and with an all metal pot vented at the side. Images courtesy of MD Collectables Elizabeth Buchanan next maker

.. was was born in Colchester, Essex and became a musical instrument merchant in London from the late 1880's. By 1910 he was employed as a jewellery wholesaler and trader. Joseph Kingsley Simson 1860 to ... next maker

.. established a wholesale musical instrument business at 31 Aldermanbury, London, EC in the 1880's and subsequently in Pinder Street, Bishopsgate, London. Although they marketed banjos bearing their name as maker they were made by Matthew and Houghton of Birmingham. They also sold SS Stewart banjos during the 1890's which were stamped on the dowel stick Ball, Beavon & Co London, under the neck clamp, alongside the Stewart label. In the days of the 7-string banjo, they sold an unfretted instrument with 40 brackets on the hoop and fitted with push in pegs. The firm went out of business during the First World War, probably due to the cessation of supplies and of cheap musical instruments and merchandise from the Continent. Images courtesy of Jim Leith Ball, Beavon & Co next maker

Leon Eugene Clerc was born in London and made his debut as a banjoist at the age of 18 with "The Star Minstrels", an amateur organisation. When he was 22 he had become established as a teacher of the banjo in London's East End and about the year 1888 he opened a factory at 44, 46 -& 48 Commercial Street, Shoreditch, London, for the manufacture of musical instruments and his banjos and zither-banjos carried the brand names of "Athena", "Crescent" and "Marvel." In 1891 he formed the "Athena Quartet" which became known in all the best concert halls in and around London and did much to publicise Clerc’s own make of instruments. Production appears to have ceased about 1908. He died in Wokingham, Berkshire aged 76 Images courtesy of Glen Morris Leon Clerc 1865 to 1941 next maker

... of St Louis, Missouri was a cultured gentleman of considerable means who went into the business of manufacturing banjos about the year of 1850, out of the pure love of the instrument and was a most ingenious maker. He made a success of the venture but was indifferent to whether he made any money or not. Banjo making was his recreation and his hobby. He always used the best materials, finest workmanship and gave a superb finish to all the banjos bearing his name. MacCord became interested in the banjo in the early 1840’s when he learned to play. With good mechanical knowledge he fashioned several banjos entirely different to others of the period. He is said to have been the first to use 22 frets on banjos – on his wood rimmed instruments made in 1859. One of these models also dispensed with the side 5th peg the string being carried to a scroll peg head housing 5 pegs. The fifth string passed through a slot in the side of the neck to a point where the 5th peg is usually placed and was carried in a groove at the side of the neck to another slot near the nut and then to the peg. In 1884 he was granted a U.S. patent for tunnelling the 5th string under the fingerboard to the peg head. One of his 1880 “patent” banjos had an all metal hoop with a domed back similar to that (in wood) used for the zither banjo. This instrument was described by Clarence L Partee, who said the hoop and the back was not in a solid piece but was in the form of strips of metal strips, about an inch wide with equal spaces between them. Wires were connected to the bezel and these extended down inside each metal strip to meet at the apex of the dome back, where they were fitted to a tightening nut. The idea was that the vellum could be tightened with a single turn of this nut. According to Partee this style banjo had a tremendous volume and brilliance of tone (although predictably somewhat metallic) as was used extensively by such artists as Cha. E Latshan and “Joe” Hart. MacCord retired from banjo making in 1890 and bequeathed some of his experimental banjos to Partee who in turn presented the two oldest instruments to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City where they were displayed in a glass case labelled “Banjos of the 19thC”. see here banjo 1 & banjo 2 Hercules MacCord Do you have a pre 1940's banjo by this maker? can you supply us some images? next maker

In "The Banjo World" of May 1894 a classified advert appeared offering for sale a 5-string "C" banjo by Emerson of New York. No details of’ this maker or his products have been discovered. Pictures courtesy of Jerry McHugh D Emerson next maker

.. was a drum maker from Baltimore, Maryland, and is said to have been "a fine banjoist and a fine craftsman" . He was one of the first men in America to make banjos on a fairley extensive scale and is said to have made the first "screw head" type banjo, with 6 brackets on the hoop, in 1845. This banjo has a sigmoid peghead and was fitted with a parchement to the top and the base of the hoop. It is on display at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. Boucher subsequenatly dispensed with the double vellum idea and constructed an improved instrument with fourteen brackets on the hoop in 1847. Joel Sweeny teamed up with Boucher when the former retired from the entertainment business in 1845 but what his role was is unknown. William E Boucher .. mid 19th C Do you have a banjo by this maker? can you supply us some images? next maker

... of 184 Tottenham Court Raod, London was an important music publisher, teacher and dealer in musical instruments in the earl 1880’s (he published several tutors for the 7, 6 and 5 string banjos in 1883). He sold many banjos bearing his name as maker but most were made for him by Edward Spratt (c1823-1884) and Temlett . At a later date he changed his label to read “ Manufactured expressly for C. Roylance". Charles George Roylance 1841 - Do you have a pre 1940's banjo by this maker? can you supply us some images? next maker

.... served an apprenticeship with the firm of Ball Beavon . He left at the outbreak of World War I to serve in France. Upon demobilisation, he and his brother formed the firm of Rose Brothers and they dealt in the wholesale supply of all kinds of musical merchandise including banjos and zither- banjos made in the Birmingham and London factories. When the banjo started to be popular during the dance band boom of the early 1920s, Rose Brothers manufactured and sold to music shops their "Savana" range of inexpensive banjos. (The name was coined from the Savoy Hotel and its broadcasting "Havana" band.) In 1923 the Rose brothers took into the business the brothers Morris and the title of the firm was changed to Rose, Morris & Co. Ltd. (See John Grey .) Stanley Rose next maker