Joseph Bohmann 1848 - next maker Born in Czechoslovakia he emigrated to the USA and founded the Bohmann’s American Musical Industry in Chicago in 1878. The stringed instruments he made ranged from guitars, violins, banjos, and mandolins of which he was one of the first makers in the USA. He made all grades and variants of each instrument claiming to be The World’s Greatest Musical Instrument Manufacturer winning awards for the quality of build and tone of his instruments. The company continued making instruments under the guidance of his son up until the 2nd World War when the factory appeared to have been mothballed. The company also took out several patents on the construction and tone enhancements put into their instruments.

Wells of Reading Do you have a pre 1940's banjo by this maker? can you supply us some images? next maker In an article in an 1894 issue of "The Banjo World," it mentions that Wells of Reading (the banjo maker) "has just completed a zither-banjo with a zinc (instead of wood) back." No other details of this instrument or any others by Mr. Wells have been unearthed, but the, quoted article infers he was not an unknown person as a maker of banjos and zither-banjos. Note: A Deane was also making 5 string banjos in Caversham on the North bank of the river Thames at Reading about this time.

.. was born in Islington, London in 1875 and his father who was a banjoist taught his son, James Charles, to play the instrument at an early age. By 1897 J C Bertolle was playing duets in public with another banjo player named Heght and a year later organised a banjo club from his pupils. By then he had become a professional photographer with studios at 268 Caledonian Road, London, but managed to give between 30 and 40 banjo lessons every week. In 1898 he formed a playing partnership with Gordan Tait, calling themselves "The Dexters," made their concert debut at a Cammeyer concert. Within a short time they had played at most of the concert halls within fifty miles of London. They were hailed as the "British Mays and Hunter." The instruments they played were "Dexter" banjos sold exclusively by Bertolle who, in his advertisements said he made them - but this is doubtful. It has been found impossible to discover who made the high grade banjos but it could have been Richard Spencer as they have all the features of the early Spencer instruments. No "Dexter" banjos appear to have been sold after about 1930. Note: Bertolle also sold the "B&T" model (Bertolle & Tait), almost certainly made by Clifford Essex staff. Note the bracket nuts inside the pot which are identical to the CE "Imperial" model of the same period .. however it does have the "Spencer" style laminated neck. Similarly the Tester James C Bertolle ... 1875 -1951 next maker

Was born into the close knit Silk Weaving community of Bethnal Green, Middlesex, London. He started as a silk weaver like his parents, became a shoe maker and then an established drum maker by 1871 employing 3 “lads”. Having established his business, the following year he married Sarah Abercrombie, 12 years his younger and the daughter of another silk weaving family who had lived next door to his parents all her life, at 3 South Street, Bethnal Green (became Florida Street in 1902) 9 years later he has two children and had developed the drum making business to include banjos which was by then his primary business. By 1891 he was still manufacturing banjos and still lived in Bethnal Green, with 4 children. He died 4 years later aged 65. Charles Francis Sulley 1831 - 1895 Do you have a pre 1940's banjo by this maker? can you supply us some images? next maker

.. was one of the most sensational players of the banjo at the start of the 20thC.. Born in Canada in 1864 he was touring America in a circus when George L Lansing bought him to the attention of SS Stewart who presented him in a concert in Philadelphia which proved to be the start of Farland’s phenomenal career. In the beginning he had played a Dobson banjo and then changed to a Stewart (both with 22 frets – far in advance of his contemporaries who were still playing with a few if any frets) but finally he designed his own banjos which, although he always advertised them as “ his own make”, were made for him first by Buckbee and subsequently after 1897 by Rettberg & Lang . Farland patented his “metal head “ about 1890 and his “bevelled-top wood rim banjo” in 1900. It is interesting to note that his “metal vellum” was advertised as a “waterproof” head. His famous “harp” attachment was a atype of lever mute operating under the vellum, like the later Bacon “soft pedal” mute or the “S.X. Expression Stop”. Because of the special arrangements of operatic and classical works he performed ,Farland later needed (and marketed)a banjo with an extended fingerboard possessing 29 frets on which he played, amongst other things, Mendelsohn’s Violin Concerto. His hearing failed in 1939 and he died in 1954 aged ninety. Farland "Black Beauty" pictures courtesy of Steve Prior Alfred A Farland 1864 – 1954 next maker

One instrument made by Bradbury in the 1890s had a spun over rim with large independent tonering which fited over the rim. Prior to 1920 the firm of Kohler & Chase of San Francisco had made for them an instrument similar to a banjo which they called the “Bradbury patent”. The instrument was designed on the Zither banjo principle with an 8 ½” velum housed in an enclosed bowl type hoop .. but it had 10 strings (5 pairs?) and the scale length was the same as the banjo but no indication is known of the tuning of this instrument. It appears this instrument was discontinued in 1922. Bradbury Do you have a banjo by this maker? can you supply us some images? next maker

In 1960 the Ode Company, Mariposa Avenue, Boulder, Colorado was founded by Charles Ogsbury, a young engineering student of Colorado. In later incarnation of his business he changed its name to Ome. see Ode For more on Ome and Ode go here Images courtesy of Adams Toys and Collectibles Milwaukee WI Ome .. next maker

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