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... of 344 Broome Street, New York, N.Y. advertised thenselves as “Manufacturer of High Grade Musical Instruments.” including “Puntolillo’s Famous Banjos”. The were granted a patent on designs for a Tone Chamber in the early 1920's ( June 2nd 1920 ). See Majestic Guitars for more information on this maker Pictures courtesy of Anthony Marchitelli Gaetano Fransisco Puntolillo 1880 .. next maker

... a well-known teacher of the banjo, mandolin and guitar was born in Hove and settled in Brighton, Sussex in 1883. For many years he conducted a successful teaching studio there and led an amateur B. M. & G. orchestra in the seaside town. At the turn of the century he established a teaching studio at John Alvey Turner' s in London which he attended twice a week and for some time he also conducted a London amateur B. M. & G. Orchestra. He was a self-taught player of the banjo, having started to play on seven string instrument. He became well-known as a banjo soloist after he changed to the five-string instrument and until 1893 used a Weaver banjo. He started to play and sell his "own make" banjos but the instruments bearing his name as maker, were made for him by John E.Dallas . Images courtesty of Chris Irving William H Plumbridge 1864 to 1925 next maker

"Taylor of Liverpool" Born in Retford, Nottinghamshire, to a father who was a sadle and harness maker he initially became a Gun Smith and in 1881 aged 23 he was living in Leeds Yorkshire. The 1891 census shows Walter Taylor at 142 Kirkdale Road, Liverpool, banjo maker and twenty years later with his wife and son as 'assistants in business' Examples of his innovative metal working as well as wood working skills, clearly learned in the Gun Smith trade are evident in his unique instruments. Research courtesy of John Bolton Images of the interesting fretless Taylor banjo courtesy of Richard Evans Imagest of another courtesy of Vic Wilcox both with all metal pots next maker Walter Taylor 1858 -

In 1881 Thomas William Fowle is recorded as an Instrument Maker in Pheasant Road, Rocherster, Kent and zither banjos by him have occasionally come onto the market. 10 years later he had moved to 143 King Street and he moved again to 4 King Street Rochester in 1911 when he was widowed. An Edward J Fowle, possibly a relation was both a musician and teacher working out of 11 Union Street, in nearby Chatham, Kent in 1891. TW Fowle c1846-c1920 next maker

John Eastwood Dallas 1856 to 1921 next maker .. born in Preston Lancashire ... started to make banjos with J E. Brewster in a small workshop in London's Oxford Street in 1873 and two years later set up as a publisher and banjo maker at 415 Strand, from which address it is said he made banjos for the Moore & Burgess Minstrels and the Mohawk Minstrels. Dallas was a fine wood craftsman who fashioned some exceptionally high-class banjos and zither-banjos. By 1893 the demand for his instruments made it necessary for him to take over the entire premises at 415 Strand; enlarge. his workshops; and employ men to make the large range of instruments he had put on the market. For some years he advertised that he personally tested every banjo and zither-banjo before it left his workshops. At the height of the banjo boom he was making banjos and zither-banjos for other firms and teachers and some of the latter whose "branded" instruments were made for them by Dallas included W.H. Plumbridge (Brighton), J. E. Brewster (London) and Norton Greenop (London). In 1905-6 the three sons of John E. Dallas were rewarded for their work with the firm and were made directors and the firm's title changed to John E. Dallas & Sons. In February 1914 the firm moved to 202 High Holborn and by the late 1920's the banjos and zither-banjos bearing the company's name were truly mass-produced instruments and started to bear the trade name of "Jedson." John E. Dallas died in 1921 and in August of that year the firm became a private limited company. Soon the activities of the company had spread far beyond the fretted instruments and with it came growth. In 1926 the firm moved to larger premises , at 6-10 Betterton Street, Covent Garden, London, W.C.2 and there started to lay the foundation for the large wholesale distribution of everything musical for which the firm is today known. In 1937 the house of Dallas moved to Ridgmount Street and finally to the present address in Clifton Street, E.C.2. In June 1947 John E. Dallas & Sons Ltd. became a public company with an issued share capital of £500,000. With the outbreak of World War II, Dallas ceased to make banjos but in 1947 they started to produce in small quantities the inexpensive banjos which have been sold by music shops throughout the country. These bear the "Jedson" trade mark but are in no way comparable to the pre-war instruments bearing the same name. It was in 1963 that the Houghton works in Birmingham were closed down and George Houghton set up workshops for the Dallas company at Bexleyheath, Kent and it was from here that most of the post-war banjos bearing the Dallas name have been made. Universal Favorite & Jedson 4 string pictures courtesy of Steve Prior

In the June issue of “The Cadenza” it notes that EN Guckert, of Toledo, Ohio is the owner of the Union Music Co, “ a concern which manufacturers the ‘Duplex” banjos and publishes chord books for stringed instruments. Guckert wrote and published a chord book in 1919 and 2 years later this was followed by a tenor-banjo chord method, but it is doubtful when he actually manufactured instruments. Duplex Do you have a banjo by this maker? can you supply us some images? next maker

... of Gloucester, was a banjo enthusiast who made (and sold privately) several conventional banjos when he was a pupil of S.E.Turner of Cheltenham. In 1927 he conceived the idea of making an all wood instrument. Basically, the hoop of this banjo (which he patented in 1928) consisted of a series of blocks glued together in a ring and turned to a section similar to that of a bell. A metal band was fitted under the"shelf" of the hoop to act as a wearing plate for the nuts of the tention brackets, thus eliminatingthe neccessity for the conventional shoes. Mr Merriman sent his prototype to Windsor of Birmingham who made about half a dozen instruments to his design. They were sold privately. In 1932 about the same number of instruments were made for Mr Merriman by J.G.Abbot and he advertised them in the June 1932 "BMG". When these were sold Mr Merriman retired from the field of commericial banjo making. In later years Harold was the Landlord at the Royal Exchange Public House in Hartpury Gloucester. Pictures countesy of John Craze of a banjo made by Merriman in 1943 while serving in Kenya. He and John's father Frank Craze played with the Phil Barker Banjo Boys from Gloucester. Harold Thomas Merriman 1903 -1977 next maker

When the banjo started to be popular with 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.) Go to Stanley Rose Savana next maker

From about 1850 the Dobson brothers in America had as much to do with the keeping up of interest in the banjo as anyone. .. except perhaps SS Stewart. As performers, teachers and instrument makers their names became household words wherever the instrument was played. Henry C Dobson opened a studio in New Your City in 1853 “to combat the prejudice that the banjo was an instrument meant only for Negros” and he numbered the cream of American society amongst his pupils. The first banjo he designed along modern lines was made for him by Buckbee who subsequently made all the Dobson banjos (see below) Dobson was the inventor of the so called “silver bell” banjo (c1858) with the all metal hoop which became popular on both sides of the Atlantic and was the inspiration for many other makes of banjos. Henry Dobson’s banjos were sold with 9”, 10” 11” and 12” hoops and he claimed to be the first to fit raised fret as per the guitar in 1870 although it is know that these occurred well be for this time. Dobson’s “Bell” banjo was a great success and many thousands were sold in America and Great Britain and for the English market he even made 6 and 7 string versions. Clarence Partee mentioned that in one Chicago music store’s window he saw “at least a hundred” Dobson banjos on display. In 1901 Henry went bankrupt, declaring that the day of the banjo was over but “The Crescendo” said at the time that his failure was due to his lack of progress and enterprise and not any decline of the banjo as an instrument. He died on May 29th 1908. David McLaughlin wrote (2013) " Buckbee did not subsequently make all the Dobson banjos of his later modern line, the Great Patent Silver Bell. Actually, though it is true that a vast majority of the Silver Bells are assembled from some if not all Buckbee parts, the final assembly (and sometimes finishing) was done at Henry Clay's studio shops, first at 1237 Broadway and then at 1368 Broadway from 1883 through the 1890s. Some HCD banjos are nearly entirely Buckbee parts, some have a mixture of Buckbee parts with those of other suppliers, and some, if few, have no Buckbee parts at all. And of course, in 1897 Rettburg & Lange bought out Buckbee and upped the quality of those parts that HC was buying. Even though Buckbee made banjos, they were mostly a banjo and drum parts supplier, similar to Stew-Mac and other parts suppliers of today. So, sadly, the consequence is that it is almost universally believed and accepted that each and every banjo made with Buckbee parts was entirely assembled and finished at the Buckbee factory and delivered as a completed banjo. Another problem with people's understanding of Henry Clay's Silver Bell is that it is always assumed they are all "from the early 1880s" because of the patent dates stamped into them. Many of these Silver Bell banjos are from the late 1880s and all through the 1890s, and can be dated by their parts, assembly features, varnish used, etc., but not as easily by any numbers stamped into them." NOTE: At Sale of Musical Instruments in July 1911 through well-known London Auction House Puttick & Simpson of London lot 167 was: A nickel hoop banjo by Dobson, in case, with plectrum. In scribed” Presented to Birdie Brightling, Opera Comique, London 28th November 1881, from HRH Prince of Wales. Birdie Brightling was the stage name used by American female banjoist Mrs Alice Lyman who was a success at a Clifford Essex , Kensington Town Hall Concert in 1910. Brewster was her teacher. pictures courtesy of The Guitar Factory Henry C Dobson 1831 to 1908 next maker

The zither-banjos stamped on the heel "Made by J. Newel, 402 High Street, Manor Park" S London were in fact made by Windsors . They were the standard "shoulder" model made by Windsor, sold at the same price, but without the Windsor name on them minus the '“Castle" nameplate in the centre of the back of the hoop. Newell was a successful player and teacher. J Newel Do you have a pre 1940's banjo by this maker? can you supply us some images? next maker

Do you have a pre 1940's banjo by this maker? can you supply us some images? next maker ... had begun to teach the banjo in 1881 and had first met AO Windsor in 1885 whilst trying to find a good banjo of English make to sell to-his pupils. They did business together for some time before entering into a deed of partnership. It was at this time the firm of Windsor & Taylor started to make open-back banjos. In January they organised the Birmingham B.M. & G. Orchestra which gave its first public concert in March of that year. These concerts became regular affairs (at which the leading soloists of the day appeared) and the orchestra also visited such places as Coventry, Leamington, Liverpool, London etc. . In 1901, Taylor left the firm. Banjos with the logo of " Taylor Liverpool " have been seen but it appear that these are two different makers as the 1911 census shows the former still living in Birmingham. Arthur John Taylor 1861 to ..