... was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire but moved to live with his brother in Broughton, Lancashire , where in 1881, he was a musical instrument maker, including organs. By 1901 he was married with two daughters living in Stockport, Cheshire, and was a self employed piano tuner and musical instrument repairer. He had also changed his name to Crosbie. Joseph Crosby 1857 to .. next maker

In the early 1920’s The Regal Musical Instrument Co., of 3211 W Grand Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, included banjos amongst instruments they made and these were mainly sold through the big American wholesalers, e.g. Tonk Brothers of Chicago and Bugelesein & Jacobean of New York. It is not known when they left Chicago but in 1965 Fender Sales Inc., of Santa Anna California were marketing five models of “Regal “banjos which, it was stated, were “distributed exclusively” by Fender. Picture courtesy of Bruce K . Regal Next Maker

... was born in Clapham, Surrey and out of 9 Falcon Road, Battcrsea, London, S.W., he was initially known as a maker of flat-back mandolins of his own design but he did make a number of banjos and zither-banjos; mainly for other firms, to sell as their own make. In 1896 he was granted a patent pertaining to zither-banjo construction in conjunction with J E Brewster . In February 1899, in conjunction with W E Temlett , he was granted a patent for a roller-"nut" but there is no indication how he came to co-operate with Temlett. However in 1911 at age 34 he was recorded as a Banjo Maker, married with two sons and two daughters, not as an employer but working for others, and living at 25 Khyber Road, Battersea S W. He died in the late 1940s when Clifford Essex & Son acquired his stock of timber, etc Frederick Langham 1877 to c 1947 Do you have a pre 1940's banjo by this maker? can you supply us some images? next maker

John Clamp Snr 1833 - 1907 next maker .. born in Durham, Northumberland was a cabinet maker who in 1881 was living at 8 Sandyford Square in the centre of Newcastle, with five daughters and a son. By 1891 he was registered as a Banjo Manufacturer working from home and 1898 he had moved to 22 Simpson Street in the St Andrews district still making banjos at home and by 1901 his 24 year old daughter Cecilia Clamp was a "Teacher of Banjo" and performer. No doubt her students provided a ready market for his banjos. His son John had by now married but carried on with his father’s original profession as a Cabinet Maker in the Tyne & Wear shipyards. Among the banjos he made were ornately inlaid, high quality instruments with carved heels and heads. Initially fretless and subsequently fretted. His early range of flush fret banjos across three styles were available in over 120 different options of pot size, scale length, materials and 5, 6 and 7 strings. They were named the Trick , Drawing Room and Stage models with pot sizes from 9-13" and priced between £3.0.0 and 12 Guineas. He had been a banjo manufacturer for 25 years by the time he died and initially with a family of six to support. Hence the evidence is, contrary to the AP Sharpe article in BMG that he "made only 30 banjos in his lifetime", that he made many hundreds of banjos and it is likely that what was said was "30 banjos per year during his lifetime." It would appear he actually made 550+ during his lifetime. Images courtesy of Gene Parsons at STRINGBENDER PRODUCTS . Clamp fretless images courtesy of Alec Somerville

, .. of Stockwell, London flourished from 1880 to 1912. during which time he advertised himself as a "Professional Banjo Maker" and sole manufacturer of the “lmproved Eureka Banjo." Do you have a pre 1940's banjo by this maker? can you supply us some images? A J Shepherd next maker

.. in 1893 started making mandolins with a carved front and back in a small room over a shop in Main Street, Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA and such beautiful works of art were his instruments that he had no difficulty in selling them. A true craftsman he took pride in the production of the revolutionary mandolins he fashioned with loving care. Some 450 miles away in Rochester New York an enthusiastic teacher of the mandolin names L A Williams had been buying Gibson mandolins by mail to sell to his pupils but could not get enough instruments to meet his demands. In the summer of 1902 Mr Williams travelled to Kalamazoo and after lengthy discussions with Gibson tool a leading part in the promotion of the Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Co. with the sole aim of increasing output. Sylvo Reams was appointed secretary and general manager. Bigger premises were acquired and woodworking craftsmen taken on to assist Orville. Under Reams’ guidance the company grew and flourished and with Williams in charge of advertising and promotion the products of the firm became more and more popular and well known the world over, but Reams died on 5th January 1917. Gibson, a genius at devising and manufacturing the unusual turned his attention to the banjo early in 1900; his main objective at the time being to add strength to the hoop of the banjo. In Boston, Mass (a hive of industry as far as the banjo was concerned) “tone rings” were being developed and launched along with various devices for improving both the necks and the hoops . Gibson devised an all wood hoop with a “shelf”, under which a metal “bracket band” was housed. Business boomed and in July the company opened its new $75,000 factory at 500 Parsons Street, Kalamazoo, but less than six years later he had to move to number 900 to what was claimed to be the fine s tans most up-to-date equipped factory of any in the industry at the time. For its “designer and acoustical engineer” the company has Lloyd a Loar a musician of the highest rank. He had studied harmony and theory and the physics of music at several American colleges and was a graduate in Physics, Geometry and Mechanics. His was the guiding hand behind the Gibson instruments for many years until his death in 1943. The next major development in the company’s banjos took place in 1922 when the “Gibson Tone Projector” was produced. This was a device, it was claimed “actually projects the tone” which resonators do not accomplish”. A year later LA Williams, who had done so much to make the company what is was, resigned due to ill health. Unlike most banjo makers of the period the early Gibson banjos were fitted with machine heads and not pegs. The next innovation was the famous “Mastertone” banjos and tenor-banjos, fitted with the normal type of resonator. At first the tenor banjos were made to a 19” scale – “just short enough to allow the average hand to use mandolin fingering: that is, seven frets up to the first position but long enough to give all the pep and snap allowed by law”. Soon after the company came into line with other tenor-banjo makers and lengthened the scale. From 1926 all “Mastertone” banjos were fitted with the normal type tone ring but during the period 1932 to 1935 the company also marketed a banjo without any tone ring and it is this instrument, using the full diameter of the 11” vellum, that finds great favour with present day American “Folk” banjoists. When America entered WWII in 1942 the making of banjos ceased because of the government’s limitations on the amount of metal allowed in any one musical instrument. The company was able to make mandolins and guitars and the factory also made aircraft components. In 1944 the Gibson name and plant was acquired by the Chicago Music Instrument Company of Chicago and in 1948 they started to make “Gibson” banjos and by the 1960’s were selling four models of tenor, plectrum and 5 string banjos incorporating the best features of the pre war instruments. Pictures courtesy of Smakulas Fretted Instruments Orville Gibson Next Maker

The Rosetti was one of their brands and "Lucky Joe" a model. for more information see Egmond Company www.egmond.se next maker

James W Skinner 1856 - next maker .... born in Berkshire he was married in 1880 when he was employed as a baker’s porter. In 1891 he operated his banjo retailing business out of 174 Friar Street, Reading, Berkshire at the peak of its popularity, he was recorded in the census as James S living with his wife Harriet E and four daughters at no. 127 Friar Street.. No doubt he was a contemporary of AW Deane . Ten years later he had three more children and was employed as an Engineers Fitter, living at 736 Harrow Road, Kensal Green, London.

...whose real name was William Dodds, was a highly successful Music Hall Artiste who used the banjo in his act at the turn of the 20th century. He used the name William Allen on official records. He was conducting a successful teaching studio at 38 Newington Butts, London, where he was born, but his increasing professional engagements made it necessary for him to finally give up teaching. In 1902 he toured the U.S.A. for twelve months. It is not known when he first started to make banjos, but his first models were called "Revelation", the wood hoop of which was covered by an S-shaped metal casing with a projecting flange at the bottom through which the brackets passed. When he went into partnership with Olly Oakley in 1926 with a shop at 61, Charing Cross Road, London, the “Will Van Allen" banjos, well made modern instruments, appear to have been products of the John G. Abbott workshops. He dissolved his partnership with Olly Oakley in 1929 or 1930 and very few Van Allen banjos appeared to have been sold after this date. Pictures courtesy of Fred Will Van Allen 1874 - next maker

George Washburn next maker see Lyon & Healey Images courtesy of Skip Sail

Reliance was the trading name of George Houghton & Son Reliance Do you have a pre 1940's banjo by this maker? can you supply us some images? next maker