1950s Old Kraftsman from the Spiegel catalog. Possibly manufactured by Kay? I replaced the “cheap hardware “ with quality hardware & parts.
This banjo has it original, cleaned tone hoop & a tapered pot top edge.
I installed stainless steel bracket screws & washers. Side position markers at 3,7,10,12 & 15 were added.
New Gotoh planetary tuners, a Japanese Presto tailpiece, a 10 7/8" Fyberskin head, a raw brass armrest.
The hex brackets, j-hooks & tension hoop are all original & cleaned.
It's a lightweight banjo, around 5.5 lbs.; makes a great openback too. The action is low, about 1/8" at the 12th fretwire.
The sound is what you'd expect from a properly tightened Fyberskin head over a tone hoop; not bright & sharp, nice & full.
Nice US made banjo with quality upgrades. Thanks for looking.
