A.A. Farland Artists Grand #2, 5 string banjo, made by Rettberg & Lange. Two Farland labels inside the rim and dowel stick, the one on the rim reading "The A.A. Farland Beveled Top Wood Rim Banjo" with a photo of Farland. Very nice condition overall, with some playing wear on the ebony fretboard in the first 2 frets. The original pot hardware is identical to that used by Fairbanks with a grooved stretcher band and cobra hooks, and exhibits some tarnish. Very nice birds-eye maple rim with ebony cap inlaid with purfling; the maple dowel stick capped in ebony with a purfling strip, has a 5/16" hole drilled through it 3 1/4" from the end, for a mute that has been removed.. Birdseye maple neck with multiple maple-ebony-red-green laminations, elegant vine pattern carved heel, complete fancy pearl inlays to headstock and fingerboard, large pearl and abalone fleur de lis on the back of the headstock. Original gold 1/1 tuners with solid pearl keys.. The Farland has no metal tone ring, Farland's advertising from the period railed against "metalic tone" in the era's banjos. Instead the rim used a ring of ebony beveled away from the edge and produced a darker tone, supposedly preferred by John Hartford and now copied by most of the current old time banjo builders. The frets were recently levelled and the fresh skin head presently is outfitted with a 5/8" bridge.
Additional photos upon request.
