To be honest, I know very little about banjos. I’m more of a guitar guy. That said, I’ll do my best to describe this item. I’ve included 20 photos to help you. This is a New Yorker 4-string tenor banjo made in Brooklyn New York by the Fred Gretsch Company in the mid to late 40’s. I have already carefully boxed this up for shipping, so I may be slightly off on a couple of measurements or details. For example, I believe that the overall length is about 34”, and if my memory serves me correctly, this instrument has 19 frets. Also, it takes what appears to be a standard 11” head.

This banjo once belonged to my uncle. His daughter discovered it in the basement, and knowing that I tinker around with guitars, she asked me if I would consider cleaning it up and see if somebody might be interested in buying it. I reluctantly took on the project, and when I was about 90% of the way through it, the “pot” (which is the round metal part of the body) cracked and broke. These were made of die cast metal which is kinda brittle and prone to stress cracks.

If you look at the photos, you will see what I mean, as additional cracks are evident. I cleaned the head as best as I could, re-glued the mother of Pearl overlay on the headstock, polished the frets, oiled the fretboard, repainted the pot which was originally painted gold, but most of the paint had peeled off. I also fixed the back wooden cover which was delaminating at the bottom, (possibly due to exposure to moisture), and touched up the stain as best as I could. That part came out really nice, and as you can see. You’d really have to be looking for that damage to even notice where it was repaired.

I polished up the hardware as best as I could, and when I began to gently reassemble the instrument I heard a pop, only to find that a couple of pieces shattered from the pot. For what it’s worth, I kept the pieces. Suffice to say, that was the end of the project for me.

I’m hoping to find someone who can use this banjo for parts. Perhaps you have one with a solid pot and a warped neck, or maybe missing the back or a few tension rods? If you can use this old girl for any reason, feel free to bid. Everything looks original, and all the parts are included. I have taken the time to carefully pack this item, including double boxing it to avoid any further damage. The number stamped on the back of the headstock appears to be 1567 (see photos). I think the neck is made of maple and the wooden back cover looks like mahogany. Also, I’m pretty sure that it has the original bone nut. That’s about all the info I can offer. There’s not a lot of info online about these, but I’ve seen a couple similar to this one selling around $300.00 in playable condition. Thanks for looking!