Official Luthiers Forum!

Hey guys,

Here's an 1890's Acme Banjo,(made by S.S. Stewart), which needed a slight over haul. It was missing over half of the inlays and had numerous sections of fretboard missing.
We decided to replace the fretboard, all the inlay, and re-finish/ repair the headstock.


Here's the fretboard removal!
They had cut every inlay slot completely through the board. (Where was dremel company )


The completed restoration.


Pale red ab and pewter for the vine.


this last image includes the only inlays salvageable- The "flower pot" at the bottom. most of the inlays were only about .008, probably due to the fretboard being sanded down during it's lifetime.


I took plenty of photos and measurements prior to beginning the job to keep everything as close as possible to the original,(including the flower pot slightly off center!)
It was truly interesting to uncover the techniques that were used to cut and inlay back then, without any type of router.


Thanks for looking...........

Paul

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Paul Bordeaux
http://www.bordeauxinlay.com

Paul,

I love old banjos.

Fantastic piece of work! But then I guess that's nothing new, from what I've seen of your work on the web.

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now known around here as Pat Foster
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

Now you see I just don't like abalone and pearl on a guitar at all, but on an old banjo, it just looks right! Fabulous job.

Shame you have to marry your cousin before you can play one, . Whoops, I do play one!

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

Fantastic job Paul, you never cease to amaze me brother!

That red ab is Gorgeous!

Wow!! Beautiful work Paul.

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Beautiful and unusual tone woods at a reasonable price.
http://www.rctonewoods.com/RCT_Store
The Zootman
1109 Military Rd.
Kenmore, NY 14217
(716) 874-1498

Paul, that is fantastic!

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Support the OLF! Bookmark our STEWMAC link Today!
Lance@LuthiersForum.com

[QUOTE=Colin S] Shame you have to marry your cousin before you can play one, . Whoops, I do play one!

Colin[/QUOTE]
Say Hello to your significant...Cousin

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Paul Bordeaux
http://www.bordeauxinlay.com

Paul, that was courageous of you. But the owner's faith was not misplaced, you did an outstanding job!

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Paul, that is great work!!   Although there several around this forum who probably appreciate the "before" picture more.


Ron

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OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......

I love those old banjos, and I am happy to admit that I play one as well. I wish I had the old Stewart that I was loaned as a kid of a tender 16 years...but the old lady who loaned it to me took it back! But I still love the banjo.

The inlay work on the old Stewarts wasn't very well done, and your inlay is better done than the original as far as I can see!

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Mark Swanson
Swanson Guitars
http://www.MarkSwansonMusic.com

[QUOTE=old man] Paul, that is great work!!   Although there several around this forum who probably appreciate the "before" picture more.


Ron[/QUOTE]

Ron, I never had a fretboard come off in pieces before;
Now that I think about it, it was enjoyable!!!!

The headplate inlays were actually cut to fit the existing recesses, which had lost most of the shell.

I was even able to save the old skin by resoaking it.

Overall a great learning experience!

Paul

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Paul Bordeaux
http://www.bordeauxinlay.com

Beautiful restoration Paul. I have a feeling the restoration probably looks better than the original inlay!

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Joe Breault
Merrimack, NH
Perpetual novice

Very well done indeed!! I'm about to start cutting new fingerboard
inlay for an Orpheum #3 special. I'll post pics when she's done.

Louis

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- Louis Freilicher

Oh No! Not another learning experience!