W.A. Cole Cole's Eclipse Vintage 5-String Open Back Banjo Boston MA 1900s

For sale is an early 1900s-era Cole's Eclipse 5 String Open Back banjo in good playing condition. This is a high quality build from a small maker out of Boston, MA and shows all the signs of nice craftsmanship and vintage desirability. It has a very sweet and esteemed tone with easy playability. Solid one piece mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard, abalone inlays. The pot is good condition and outfitted with 26 lugs in good shape. Players will appreciate the soft v carve neck shape and solid hardware for stable tuning and performance. Replacement 5th string tuner, replacement bridge and bone nut. Original tuners in decent working order. It was re-fretted and minorly dressed long before it came to us and there is minor fret wear. The neck itself does not have a truss rod and there is slight bow, but the instrument sets up well as is with good intonation, easy playability. The action currently reads 7/64" bass side at the 12th fret uniformly when the first fret is depressed, 3/32" on the treble side. The pot was ground down long ago to facilitate better string clearance. There was a repair done on the headstock by the high D string tuner Some missing inlays that do not affect playability, minor cosmetic wear throughout (see photos). Included is a very basic nylon gig bag for safe shipment.

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