The "Hewett Patent Banjo"-with its all-metal hoop, extremely thin square-topped brackets for pulling down a flange-type bezel, and all-metal pegs with a built- in locking device was advertised as being "individually made by its inventor T. Hewett" by the Stainer Manufacturing Co., of 92 St. Martin's Lane, London, W.C. The Stainer Manufacturing Co. consisted of Thomas Hewett, his wife and his daughter Christine. The premises in St. Martin's Lane consisted of a large shop at the back of which had been built a "platform" workshop in which Hewett did his work of making and repairing. His wife and daughter attended to the serving in the shop. In addition, Christine, as "Miss Evelyn Christine" managed "The Dixies", a "banjo team" which could he booked for "Concerts, At Homes, Banquets, etc.". In addition to making, his banjos, Thomas Hewett repaired any musical instrument, from a violin to a bassoon. he was the "local" repairer to musicians at the near-by "Palace", "Empire" and "Alhambra" theatres, each with an orchestra at that time of 50 to 60 musicians. He started his business some time prior to 1900 and in a January 1909 advertisement stated his banjos were made in five sizes (81 in. to 12 in. hoop) and in seven grades (£4.4.0 to £15.15.0). In addition to the banjos of his own unusual design he also sold (under his own. name as maker) conventional banjos which appear to have been made for him by Windsor . He closed down his business during the first world war. Pictures courtesy of Steve Prior Thomas Hewett next maker

... see Joseph Riley Pictures courtesy of Skip Sail Riley - Baker next maker

… was born in Virginia and was an early minstrel entertainer who learned to play the banjo from local plantation workers. He is widely credited with the development of the format of the five string banjo, based on a drum rather than a gourd and including the 5th string, although earlier documentation shows that these features were already in existence. However he can be credited with being the first to promote and popularise this format amongst white Americans and Europeans and having started playing public in the early 1830s he even toured Great Britain in 1843 with Frank Brower of the Virginia Minstrels who was a bones player and in 1847 he published “Sweeney's Virginia Melodies”. Do you have a pre 1940's banjo by this maker? can you supply us some images? Joel Walker Sweeney 1810 to 1860 next maker

In 1924 C F Martin Inc. of Nazareth, Pa., started to make tenor-banjos. These sold for $65 having been designed by their craftsmen in conjunction with A D Grover, the well-known American banjoist, inventor and designer. A special feature of this instrument, of which only about one hundred were sold before manufacture ceased in 1925, was the brackets for tightening the vellum. These passed through vertical holes in the all wood hoop and a metal flange was incorporated in the mounting of the vellum. In addition it had a metal resonator – made of heavy brass, nickel plated and shaped like a saucer which was mounted inside the hoop. In keeping with every Martin Instrument ever made it was devoid of all unnecessary decoration but beautifully fashioned and finished. In 1925 the demand for Martin ukuleles was such that the company ceased all other instruments, enlarged its factory, and devoted all its labour force to making them, and they never made any more banjos. C F Martin Do you have a pre 1940's banjo by this maker? can you supply us some images? next maker

The range of banjos sold under the name of "Broadcaster" were stamped: "Made by J. & A. M. of London." In actual fact they were made by the huge furniture, gramophone and radio company J.& A.Margolin Ltd. The banjos were inexpensive instruments, their wooden hoops being covered with nacrolaque, as were the fingerboards. The metal work (bezel, shoes, brackets, tailpiece, etc.) was of very thin lacquered brass. "Broadcaster" Do you have a banjo by this maker? can you supply us some images? next maker

Three banjos by JH Foote of New York of New York City, c 1882 are in the Smithsonian Institute, Washington DC, see Stratton and Buckbee . J H Foote Do you have a pre 1940's banjo by this maker? can you supply us some images? next maker

Born in St Pancras London in 1858, he was the youngest with three elder sisters and it appears he never knew his father. At aged 13 he was living at 121 Gt College Street with his mother Helen (b 1827) who was a Pianoforte seller. He moved to Birmingham where at aged 22 he was working as a "music seller" and “living in” as a servant to a Mr E A Barton. In 1885 his son was born but his wife soon died and by 1891 he was living with his 5 year old son George Philip and mother-in-law in Birmingham where he established a factory firstly in Hockley Street and then at Soho Hill Works, and was listed as an instrument maker and employer. He married his 2nd wife Sara Sparrow in 1899 and by 1911 had retired from the business and moved to Strathmore, Southbourne Grove, Prittlewell in Essex with three daughters aged 7, 5 and 3. He died there on the 26th February 1929 leaving his estate of £5091 to his widow Sara. Not only did he sell a wide range of instruments bearing his own name but he made banjos and zither-banjos for other wholesale and retail firms (such as Ball Beavon , Rose Brothers , J. Thibouville, Lamy & Co ., Rose Morris & Co. ) to brand as their own. "Down South" was a brand of JTL made by Matthew. N ote: So that he could maufacture "without orders" but still be able to sell to a retailer Matthew tended to put his makers mark, hidden, on the reverse side of the perch pole i.e. facing the inside of the vellum. .. and the heel on an early Matthew banjo is very recognisable. Often the last three digits of the serial number were also printed on the pot usually by the neck clamp. George Paradice Matthew 1858 to 1929 next maker

Frank C Wilkes 1868 to 1929 ... was born in Salford, Manchester and in 1891 he was registered as a "banjo maker and music seller". In 1894, Frank Cecil Wilkes, of 19 Mount Street, Manchester, took out a patent involving a banjo with a "hole in the vellum" and started manufacture both banjos and zither banjos incorparating this feature. He applied in England (#1925) and the USA (#554967) when he was residing in Tib(b) Street, Manchester. The patent which was granted in 1896 in the USA. The aperture was surrounded by an elaboratedly-decorated celluliod ring to reinforce the skin. His banjos were made with hoops of 9" or 10" diameter with the back of the hoop enclosed by a rosewood soundboard. His early instruments had a groove on the outside of the neck (with an elaborate arrangement of slotted screw-nuts) to take the octave string from the side "pip" up to the peghead. Later he used the normal tunnel under the fingerboard (see images) producing traditional 5 string banjos with zither type slotted machine heads and closed backs! His business appears to have flourished as the name of the firm changed to F.C Wilkes & Co., with premises in 1911 at 6 Oxford Road, Station Approach, Manchester. At the turn of the century we was resident in Moss Side Manchester working on his own as a Banjo Maker & Music Seller and by 1911 had moved to Levenshume but appears to have gone out of business during the 1st WW. He died there in 1929. Wilkes replacement skin and other restoration work undertaken by Andy Fitzgibbon of Smakulas Fretted Instruments , Elkins, West Virginia. next maker

…. arrived in the US in 1832 from Germany and started his company in New York in 1834 and as the business developed became distributors for a wide range of types of musical instruments. In 1868 after the Civil War they started using the name C. Bruno and Son and imported a lot of the instruments they distributed from Europe. Charles Bruno Jnr developed the company after his father’s death manufacturing Instruments at 356 Broadway NY where, after a long period of ill health he committed suicide on 18th April, 1912, 3 days after Titanic sank. In the June 1928 issue of "The Crescendo" a list of banjo makers at that time included the firm of C.Bruno & Son Inc of New York City who were listed as making "The Royal Artist" and "Tempo Grande" instruments. During their long history banjos were made for them by several maufacturers including the Fred Gretsch Mfg. Co. of Brooklyn, N.Y. or William Lange Images of this "Magic Wonder" courtesy of Paul Dzwill Charles Bruno .... 1884 next maker

Located in New York City, this company went into business in the 1890s. Their first store was at 161 Bowery Street, and they later relocated to 200-201 Grand Street. During the 1920s over fifty workers were employed, making banjos, banjo-ukeleles, guitars, mandolins, ukuleles, and violins. The name was changed to Favilla Guitars, Inc. in 1959, and the business was moved to 57 Front Street, where it remained until 1963 when it moved again, this time East Farmingdale, Long Island. The last instruments were built in 1973. research courtesy of David E. Schenkman and for further detailed information on this maker see here Images courtesy of Shelly Shapiro Favilla next maker

.. well-known as a teacher of the banjo in and around Ilford, designed and made a special type of plectrum-banjo in 1927. It had a zither-banjo type hoop with a 10 in. vellum, with the neck joined to the body with "shoulders." The open-type back of the hoop incorporated a sunken reflector plate about 1 in. from the base of the hoop, the wall being made of metal with round outlet holes some 2 in. Apart. Mr. Edwards' father was a wood worker of some considerable skill who had taught his son to use the tools of his trade. Jimmie Edwards had also spent some time watching the young Jack Abbott making banjos and in 1927 he designed and started to make the instruments that bore his name. Over a period of years he made between 40 and 50, but increasing professional engagements and other activities connected with the entertainment profession eventually forced him to discontinue making banjos. In 1938 he commissioned Jack Abbott to make him a special banjo to his design and Jimmie Edwards used this instrument throughout World War II to entertain the troops in ten different countries. In 1963 Mr. Edwards resumed making banjos (copying this special Abbott-made instrument) but he is kept so busy teaching that his output has been limited to two or three instruments each year. Jimmie Edwards Do you have a banjo by this maker? can you supply us some images? next maker