Antique and Vintage Banjos
Strummin' on the Old Banjo: How an African Instrument Got a Racist Reinvention
By Ben Marks — What’s the difference between a banjo and a lawnmower? You can tune a lawnmower. What’s the difference between a dead skunk in the middle of a road and a dead banjo player in the middle of a road? There are skid marks in front of the skunk. Speaking of which, how many banjo players does it take to eat a possum? Two, one to eat it and the other to watch for cars. And last but definitely not least, what do you call 100 banjos at the bottom of the ocean? A good start. "The banjo in postwar...
Youngbloods Guitarist Banana Talks Vintage Banjos and the Late Earl Scruggs
By Maribeth Keane and Joyce Millman — I bought my first really good bluegrass banjo in 1963 from a banjo player who lived in New York. His name was Winnie Winston, and he was a mentor of mine. It was a great banjo, a Gibson RB-1 Mastertone, and I played it for a few years. Then, in 1966, it was stolen out of my Lower East Side apartment. I looked in vain for it in pawnshops and all the old instrument shops. Finally, I gave up. Then, about four, five months ago, it showed up on online. I got in touch with the guy who was...