Clifford Glenn Mountain Banjo 5 String Banjo (1984)
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Clifford Glenn Mountain Banjo Model 5 String Banjo (1984), made in Sugar Grove, North Carolina, natural finish, cherry neck, cherry body with skin head, black gig bag case.
Watauga County, North Carolina was a cradle of culture as a renewed interest in traditional folk music swelled in the nation through the 1950s following WWII. Sugar Grove's Clifford Glenn learned the art of folk lutherie from his father Leonard Glenn who himself came from a lineage of dulcimer makers several generations deep. Clifford and his father's instruments grew to be in fairly high demand in the area and with traditional musicians all around Appalachia. Crucially, the Glenns are widely known to have built many historically significant Appalachian folk instruments for their neighbor, Frank Proffitt Sr. Proffitt is not only renowned as a builder, but as a folk performer who made a major contribution to American musical history including being featured in Alan Lomax's essential "Folk Songs of North America." Clifford and his "made to be played" instruments remained a constant in the community until his passing in 2015.
These "Mountain" banjos simple but ingenious design is far closer to the original African-influenced banjos made in the States by enslaved African-Americans than it is to the intricately factory engraved, complex and pearlescent offerings of companies like Gibson and Bacon and Day which were usually financially unattainable to many blue-collar pickers of rural Appalachia. This banjo is built with a beautiful one-piece cherry neck with a fantastic grain pattern and a deep neck (think of a deep and very rounded "U-V" shape), a cherry body with cherry sides, and a genuine skin head. This is an example of a fretted mountain banjo with stainless steel frets, dot inlays, and a Vega-esque star detail on the headstock atop hand-carved cherry wooden friction pegs.
There is a traditional school of playing that these banjos (some might say 'banjers!') excel at; the sound is more intimate than a more standard factory instrument, with less overring but surprising volume when played hard. Authentic examples of these banjos rarely come up for sale; this hand-wrought "Mountain banjo" is playable Americana at its most basic and beautiful.
Overall length is 35 1/2 in. (90.2 cm.), 9 1/2 in. (24.1 cm.) width, and 1 7/8 in. (4.8 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim.
This mountain banjo is in great playing condition, with some minor wear from respectful use over the years. Though it has clearly been played over the years, this wear is minimal and nearly invisible in the organic natural wood finish; the original frets also show minimal signs of wear. The skin head appears to be original and not in need of replacement, a somewhat arduous process for this species of banjo, anytime soon. The handwritten and dated label denoting that this came from Clifford's bench is well in-tact inside the rim. There do not appear to be any cracks or repairs of note on this instrument. The bridge is a newer replacement for enhanced playability, though the original (or very old bridge) is in the bag.
The banjo plays very well to the standards of these instruments; it is relatively easy to tune despite the presence of hand-made friction pegs, and the effort is rewarded with a beautiful and uniquely evocative sound. It has no original case (they came in a handmade bag, if anything at all) and resides in a simple modern gig bag. Excellent Condition.
Watauga County, North Carolina was a cradle of culture as a renewed interest in traditional folk music swelled in the nation through the 1950s following WWII. Sugar Grove's Clifford Glenn learned the art of folk lutherie from his father Leonard Glenn who himself came from a lineage of dulcimer makers several generations deep. Clifford and his father's instruments grew to be in fairly high demand in the area and with traditional musicians all around Appalachia. Crucially, the Glenns are widely known to have built many historically significant Appalachian folk instruments for their neighbor, Frank Proffitt Sr. Proffitt is not only renowned as a builder, but as a folk performer who made a major contribution to American musical history including being featured in Alan Lomax's essential "Folk Songs of North America." Clifford and his "made to be played" instruments remained a constant in the community until his passing in 2015.
These "Mountain" banjos simple but ingenious design is far closer to the original African-influenced banjos made in the States by enslaved African-Americans than it is to the intricately factory engraved, complex and pearlescent offerings of companies like Gibson and Bacon and Day which were usually financially unattainable to many blue-collar pickers of rural Appalachia. This banjo is built with a beautiful one-piece cherry neck with a fantastic grain pattern and a deep neck (think of a deep and very rounded "U-V" shape), a cherry body with cherry sides, and a genuine skin head. This is an example of a fretted mountain banjo with stainless steel frets, dot inlays, and a Vega-esque star detail on the headstock atop hand-carved cherry wooden friction pegs.
There is a traditional school of playing that these banjos (some might say 'banjers!') excel at; the sound is more intimate than a more standard factory instrument, with less overring but surprising volume when played hard. Authentic examples of these banjos rarely come up for sale; this hand-wrought "Mountain banjo" is playable Americana at its most basic and beautiful.
Overall length is 35 1/2 in. (90.2 cm.), 9 1/2 in. (24.1 cm.) width, and 1 7/8 in. (4.8 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim.
This mountain banjo is in great playing condition, with some minor wear from respectful use over the years. Though it has clearly been played over the years, this wear is minimal and nearly invisible in the organic natural wood finish; the original frets also show minimal signs of wear. The skin head appears to be original and not in need of replacement, a somewhat arduous process for this species of banjo, anytime soon. The handwritten and dated label denoting that this came from Clifford's bench is well in-tact inside the rim. There do not appear to be any cracks or repairs of note on this instrument. The bridge is a newer replacement for enhanced playability, though the original (or very old bridge) is in the bag.
The banjo plays very well to the standards of these instruments; it is relatively easy to tune despite the presence of hand-made friction pegs, and the effort is rewarded with a beautiful and uniquely evocative sound. It has no original case (they came in a handmade bag, if anything at all) and resides in a simple modern gig bag. Excellent Condition.