THIS BUTTERFLY BANJO IS A VINTAGE 5 STRING RESONATOR BANJO FROM THE 70'S/80'S, KNOWN FOR IT'S DISTINCTIVE PEARLOID BUTTERFLY INLAYS ON THE EBONY FRETBOARD AND RESONATOR, HEAVY TONE RING, AND OFTEN 7 PIECE MAPLE/WALNUT NECK. IT WAS BUILT IN ASIA (LIKELY JAPAN BY MATSUMOKU). IT'S CONSIDERED A WELL CRAFTED, DECENT-SOUNDING IMPORT THAT OFFERED GOOD VALUE, OFTEN FEATURING A BRASS NUT AND SOMETIMES AN EXOTIC WOOD RESONATOR, MAKING IT RECOGNIZABLE AND SOUGHT-AFTER MODEL FOR PLAYERS LOOKING FOR A SOLID VINTAGE INSTRUMENT. I WASN'T ABLE TO FIND ANOTHER ONE LIKE THIS ON THE INTERNET TO GET AN EXACT DATE, AS THEY WERE VERY LAX IN THEIR DATING AND SERIAL NUMBERS. I BOUGHT THIS BANJO AS IS. I'M NOT A BANJO PLAYER, BUT IT SEEMS TO BE IN PRETTY GOOD SHAPE.