This banjo was an experiment prompted by a conversation with a fellow Hangout member (you can read more at the thread I started about this banjo linked below). He asked about the lightest openback banjo a bluegrass style picker might like...
My answer was found in this 1930s Kalamazoo 14 hook pot. I have a few Stew-Mac flat-heel kit necks lying around and the experiment was to see how these things would marry, how much they'd weigh and how they would sound.
As the thread details, one CAN put together lighter banjos but for those who enjoy the lower end prewar Gibsons, this is a 4.5 pound instrument that is both a strong clawhammer banjo AND an exceptional fingerpicker. If you want the original flatback resonator with modern L brackets/thumbscrews, add $300.
As pictured, the banjo comes in a new Superior gig bag and is a wonderful instrument through and through.
Discussion thread and video linked below.
