Bacon FF Professional #2 Guitar Banjo (1921)
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Bacon FF Professional #2 Model Guitar Banjo (1921), made in Groton CT, serial # 6734, natural varnish finish, laminated maple neck and rim, ebonized fingerboard, black tolex hard shell case.
This is a rare and interesting pre-Bacon & Day instrument, a "Bacon FF Professional #2" Banjo-Guitar. While not a flashy piece like all Bacon banjos this is built to the highest quality standards. The early Bacon company sold a decent number of five-string banjos but not many of these; this is the first we have ever seen.
The Professional #2 is not a fancy style, built on a natural-finished multi-laminated maple rim and neck with a dot-inlaid bound ebonized fingerboard. All bindings and trim are wood; Bacon was a few years away from the extensive use of Celluloid that became a company trademark later in the '20s. The ebonized headstock face bears only an inlaid ivoroid Bacon script logo. The neck is fairly slim for the period with a deep very soft "V" profile shading to rounder as it approaches the body.
This is a late example of an "FF Professional" model, a mostly 1910s series built around Fred Bacon's patented internal resonator system. This consists of a hollow chambered rim, heavily built with a substantial air cavity between the inner and outer surfaces. There are just two f-holes on the back; earlier versions had soundholes all along the surface. The cupped Bacon tone ring is mounted under the head but not visible.
The hardware is good quality and original except for the tuners, which are period openback strips and the adjustable tension tailpiece, which was made by Weymann later in the 1920s. While plainly ornamented this is still a finely built instrument and a very good sounding 6-string banjo with the unique character of that Bacon internal resonator system. David Day's partnering with Fred Bacon the next year ended the run of these older models, paving the way for the Silver Bells. This is a cool and rare survivor of the "FF" era just before.
Overall length is 34 1/2 in. (87.6 cm.), 11 1/2 in. (29.2 cm.) diameter head, and 2 3/4 in. (7 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 23 3/4 in. (603 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.).
Overall this is a nicely preserved instrument showing a decent amount of play wear but no major repairs. The very thin original varnish finish has wear overall, mostly small dings, scratches and dents. The back of the neck is pretty much completely worn through to the wood, but has little in the way of dings or dents and none of the intrusive capo wear often encountered. The headstock face is fairly heavily scratched and dinged.
The rim has small laminate checks around the shoes but is completely solid, the resonator back has a small piece of maple patched in on the lower F hole. The hardware has general wear to the plating and heavier corrosion in spots; some of the hooks are fairly well rusted. The instrument remains original except for the replaced (but period) tailpiece and tuners, and a couple of mismatched shoes at the bottom of the rim.
The banjo retains an ancient "Ludwig & Ludwig Selected" branded calfskin head, probably as old as the instrument itself and of a quality pretty much unobtainable now. It is somewhat dirty but very solid. The fingerboard has some deep divoting in the lower positions; the first few frets have been neatly recrowned. The instrument is set up with LaBella 6-string banjo strings, sounds great and plays very well. This is simply a very cool Bacon rarity and a fine and unusual player's instrument. Overall Very Good + Condition.
This is a rare and interesting pre-Bacon & Day instrument, a "Bacon FF Professional #2" Banjo-Guitar. While not a flashy piece like all Bacon banjos this is built to the highest quality standards. The early Bacon company sold a decent number of five-string banjos but not many of these; this is the first we have ever seen.
The Professional #2 is not a fancy style, built on a natural-finished multi-laminated maple rim and neck with a dot-inlaid bound ebonized fingerboard. All bindings and trim are wood; Bacon was a few years away from the extensive use of Celluloid that became a company trademark later in the '20s. The ebonized headstock face bears only an inlaid ivoroid Bacon script logo. The neck is fairly slim for the period with a deep very soft "V" profile shading to rounder as it approaches the body.
This is a late example of an "FF Professional" model, a mostly 1910s series built around Fred Bacon's patented internal resonator system. This consists of a hollow chambered rim, heavily built with a substantial air cavity between the inner and outer surfaces. There are just two f-holes on the back; earlier versions had soundholes all along the surface. The cupped Bacon tone ring is mounted under the head but not visible.
The hardware is good quality and original except for the tuners, which are period openback strips and the adjustable tension tailpiece, which was made by Weymann later in the 1920s. While plainly ornamented this is still a finely built instrument and a very good sounding 6-string banjo with the unique character of that Bacon internal resonator system. David Day's partnering with Fred Bacon the next year ended the run of these older models, paving the way for the Silver Bells. This is a cool and rare survivor of the "FF" era just before.
Overall length is 34 1/2 in. (87.6 cm.), 11 1/2 in. (29.2 cm.) diameter head, and 2 3/4 in. (7 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 23 3/4 in. (603 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.).
Overall this is a nicely preserved instrument showing a decent amount of play wear but no major repairs. The very thin original varnish finish has wear overall, mostly small dings, scratches and dents. The back of the neck is pretty much completely worn through to the wood, but has little in the way of dings or dents and none of the intrusive capo wear often encountered. The headstock face is fairly heavily scratched and dinged.
The rim has small laminate checks around the shoes but is completely solid, the resonator back has a small piece of maple patched in on the lower F hole. The hardware has general wear to the plating and heavier corrosion in spots; some of the hooks are fairly well rusted. The instrument remains original except for the replaced (but period) tailpiece and tuners, and a couple of mismatched shoes at the bottom of the rim.
The banjo retains an ancient "Ludwig & Ludwig Selected" branded calfskin head, probably as old as the instrument itself and of a quality pretty much unobtainable now. It is somewhat dirty but very solid. The fingerboard has some deep divoting in the lower positions; the first few frets have been neatly recrowned. The instrument is set up with LaBella 6-string banjo strings, sounds great and plays very well. This is simply a very cool Bacon rarity and a fine and unusual player's instrument. Overall Very Good + Condition.