This banjo mandolin was made in Birmingham, England by George Houghton & Sons, (G.H.& S.) a firm that started in 1888 and survived until 1962. Houghton was one of England’s largest fretted instrument builders, but like Harmony, Kay and Regal in the US, they made lots of instruments for other companies so it’s uncommon to find a banjo with their name on it. This Model 14-S banjo mandolin was probably made in the late 1930s, but British banjo makers tended to stick with a style once they settled on it so if you told us this was made in the 1950s, we wouldn’t argue. (This banjo shares construction features with zither banjos, a style popular in the UK that dates back to the 1890s.)  We do know that Houghton added the lion to their logo in the mid-1930s, so it can’t earlier than that. 

This banjo mandolin is in excellent cosmetic condition but the action is quite high and it will need to be addressed if you want to play this as a mandolin. The previous owner set this up as banjo ukulele with nylons strings, but even with the lighter tension, the action is a bit high. This Model 14-S comes with its original chipboard case and includes a case key, head tightening wrench and bridge to convert it to a banjo mandolin. 

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