McLauchlin 1902 Cammeyer Banjo Restoration

The owner has put this banjo up for sale. 

If you are interested, call Keith at 

706-923-0031. 

Includes an excellent new hardshell case in tan tweed.

The repair of this Cammeyer banjo is to be as a sentimental object bought in London at the Portobello Road Market in 1971 when the owner was in college. We believe it was made around 1902 in London. I've not yet found a reference to identify it by it's serial number. In addition to the regular stamp marks on the base of the neck / on top, there is a stamp on the base of the neck / on the bottom that says "MOET&C - BOMBAY". Today this is a liquor company. So It's conjecture on my part to imagine it was a promotional item in India for Moet, distributed to hill stations for entertainment. (If anyone reading this knows if this is a common stamp or unusual. Or any other details about these stamps, please contact me. I'd be very grateful)

The condition is about average for a 125 year old instrument. I believe is has been repaired before because there are some nails where I think they probably wouldn't have been. And the finnish on the back is rough.

This is a fairly rare banjo, at least on the auction market in 2019. I only found three with prices. In great shape a similar banjo is offered at $600. One other fancier model from this maker was listed at over $1000, and I saw one in  Australia priced at $6000.

The appalachian clawhammer style of primitive american music is experiencing a resurgence of late, which spawns more interest in instruments of the period. Nothing is more "cool" than to show up at your jam with an antique instrument in good working order.

I've cleaned and restored the instrument, interfering with the original material as little as possible, while repairing what's necessary to make it "playable".
A genuine antique from England, it's certainly worth repairing it to make it playable and put it in good shape to use. But I resisted replacing the very worn and deteriorated parts with new parts, in favor of stabilizing and repairing the existing.

How the London address label came to be in the case

The owner was a student when she bought this banjo and took it with her on a ski trip to switzerland. She accidently left it behind when she returned. Her friends mailed it back to her in london and it found her even though the address was incomplete. The shipping label has stayed with it since.

#1 / 5
Inspection / Condition assessment.


#2 / 5
Tuning Pegs Consolidation


#3 / 5
Back / Binding / Finish


#4 / 5
Fretboard
#5 / 5
Final Setup
#6 / 5
Test Drive