WS15-20

Fairbanks                     Electric No. 3                    5 String

 

S/N: 19049       1900                        10 ½ x 25"                     4 7/8 lb.

 

Originality: Excellent except for the heel. When I acquired this banjo it had sustained a severely shattered heel that had been poorly re-oriented. Worse yet, it was done using epoxy.  T. J. Thompson should be given board certification in plastic surgery for the cosmetic restoration he did. Obviously purchasing an instrument with this kind of damage violated my general rule but the details listed below should make it understandable.

 

Condition: Restored to excellent condition.

 

Background: With the No. 5 & 6 s sharing top spot and no evidence that No. 4s were made, No. 3 Electrics were next to the most elaborate offerings by Fairbanks until 1901. While not common, survivors suggest they sold better than No. 2 models did.

 

Features of this model: Necks are mahogany. Pegheads are inlaid with 5 piece floral designs and board inlays are elaborate Art Nouveau shapes. The heel carving is a fairly short floral pattern. Pots are full spun and some have attractive veneers lining the inside surface. In the early years tuners and tailpieces were of elaborately carved ivory, which later gave way to metal patent tuners with celluloid knobs.

 

About this instrument:

1) Attractive decorative marquetry inside the rim. Although S. S. Stewart fairly commonly used this technique, it was extremely rarely done by Fairbanks even on his custom and presentation grade banjos. In fact, Jim Bollman is only aware of this on 2 banjos.

2) Fancy carved ivory tailpiece of the design usually seen on Electric No. 5s.

3) Quite uncommon ( perhaps rare) variety of patent metal tuners. In profile, the 4 tuners in the peghead resemble the shape of nuclear reactors and ( in tiny print ) all 4 of their celluloid knobs are stamped “ Pat. Apr. 30, ‘85 “.

4) In addition to the mahogany neck, under the board is a thick veneer of the same wood.

5) Very thick ebony back strap and heel cap.

6) Superb inlay engraving.

7) Dowel stick has the metal Fairbanks name plate and the long decorative stick cover.

8) The tension hoop has a higher inner surface that sticks up above the hooks and a lower outer surface that hides the flesh hoop.

9) The banjo’s dimension are “ lady-like”. Considering several of the features above and especially the marquetry inside the rim, I suspect this was a custom instrument for a man’s wife.

 

Click to enlarge: