This instrument started life in the 1920’s, probably as a banjo mandolin made in a Chicago factory. I got just the rim in a box of banjo parts from another builder and decided to make a new neck for it. The rim is Maple and Rosewood with a steel or nickel silver tone ring. I added a new skin head, brass tension hoop and brass hardware. I then made a new neck of Maple and Texas Ebony and finished the whole thing in amber shellac to match. It is all carefully done, but looks suitably antique, in my opinion. The neck has a carbon fiber truss rod for stability, geared tuners, a bone nut and a 20” scale.