Washburn Model 5115 Guitar Banjo, made by Lyon & Healy (1928)
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Item # 12023
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Washburn Model 5115 Model Guitar Banjo, made by Lyon & Healy (1928), made in Chicago, serial # 11698, brown varnish finish, laminated maple neck and rim, ebony fingerboard, black tolex hard shell case.
This is a very cool late-'20s 6-string Guitar banjo from Lyon & Healy, labeled with their top-of-the-line Washburn name. The cosmetic features are plain but this is a very well-made instrument, built of high-grade materials. The 3-piece laminated maple neck has a fairly shallow medium-V profile with some nice figure to the wood under a fairly dark finish. It is capped with an unbound ebony fingerboard with pearl dot inlay. The headstock has an interesting double-scooped shape and is fitted with "2-Tab" Grover geared tuners.
The tone ring is the elaborate cupped Washburn style, with a flat-head profile on top but an extended air cavity under the head. Lyon & Healy catalogs called it the "Air Cushion Resonator", but most banjo heads refer to it as the "Donut tone ring". The hooks have the typical elaborate Lyon & Healy nuts and are neatly fitted into holes in the hoop instead of groves in the top edge. The tailpiece is an original 6-string Kershner Unique marked "Lyon & Healy Makers".
The entire instrument is quite nicely made with a very solid feel, a high quality piece despite a lack of decorative elements. This 5115 guitar banjo is something of a rarity, and exists in several varying styles over a fairly short later 1920s production run. In the 1920s Lyon & Healy seemingly not producing banjos in anything like the numbers of competitors like Paramount and Vega, and 6-strings are not common at all. While not a flashy instrument by 1920s banjo standards this 5115 is a fine-playing and sounding guitar banjo especially suited early jazz, ragtime or jug band stylings.
Overall length is 34 1/4 in. (87 cm.), 12 in. (30.5 cm.) diameter head, and 2 5/8 in. (6.7 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 23 1/4 in. (590 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This nearly 100 year old banjo shows some general wear and tear, but overall is relatively clean and a nice playing instrument. The all original finish shows some scratching and scuffing, most notable on the bottom edge of the rim and the headstock face. The hardware appears original except possibly the rare 6-string Kershner tailpiece, which is correct for period Lyon & Healy instruments but possibly from an earlier banjo; the spacer screws are not original to it. The head is recent plastic but the bridge is an original 6-string Grover Non-Tip, also a very rare find. The frets appear original and quite clean but the bone nut looks more recent. This is a fine playing "Guit-Jo" with a powerful sound, housed in a modern HSC. Overall Excellent - Condition.
This is a very cool late-'20s 6-string Guitar banjo from Lyon & Healy, labeled with their top-of-the-line Washburn name. The cosmetic features are plain but this is a very well-made instrument, built of high-grade materials. The 3-piece laminated maple neck has a fairly shallow medium-V profile with some nice figure to the wood under a fairly dark finish. It is capped with an unbound ebony fingerboard with pearl dot inlay. The headstock has an interesting double-scooped shape and is fitted with "2-Tab" Grover geared tuners.
The tone ring is the elaborate cupped Washburn style, with a flat-head profile on top but an extended air cavity under the head. Lyon & Healy catalogs called it the "Air Cushion Resonator", but most banjo heads refer to it as the "Donut tone ring". The hooks have the typical elaborate Lyon & Healy nuts and are neatly fitted into holes in the hoop instead of groves in the top edge. The tailpiece is an original 6-string Kershner Unique marked "Lyon & Healy Makers".
The entire instrument is quite nicely made with a very solid feel, a high quality piece despite a lack of decorative elements. This 5115 guitar banjo is something of a rarity, and exists in several varying styles over a fairly short later 1920s production run. In the 1920s Lyon & Healy seemingly not producing banjos in anything like the numbers of competitors like Paramount and Vega, and 6-strings are not common at all. While not a flashy instrument by 1920s banjo standards this 5115 is a fine-playing and sounding guitar banjo especially suited early jazz, ragtime or jug band stylings.
Overall length is 34 1/4 in. (87 cm.), 12 in. (30.5 cm.) diameter head, and 2 5/8 in. (6.7 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 23 1/4 in. (590 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This nearly 100 year old banjo shows some general wear and tear, but overall is relatively clean and a nice playing instrument. The all original finish shows some scratching and scuffing, most notable on the bottom edge of the rim and the headstock face. The hardware appears original except possibly the rare 6-string Kershner tailpiece, which is correct for period Lyon & Healy instruments but possibly from an earlier banjo; the spacer screws are not original to it. The head is recent plastic but the bridge is an original 6-string Grover Non-Tip, also a very rare find. The frets appear original and quite clean but the bone nut looks more recent. This is a fine playing "Guit-Jo" with a powerful sound, housed in a modern HSC. Overall Excellent - Condition.