Goose Acres Aluminum Rim 5 String Banjo (1991)
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Goose Acres Aluminum Rim Model 5 String Banjo (1991), made in Cleveland, Ohio, serial # 732, natural finish, black gig bag case.
Goose Acres was the family business of Bob Smakula and his father Peter, two names often spoken with a distinct reverence within the world of banjo lovers. After humble beginnings building dulcimers in the 1970's, a teenage Bob enlisted the aid of his father Peter, a German immigrant and all-around steward of American folk music. The pair grew a small repair operation and their "Thumb Piano Factory & Dulcimer Works" into the Goose Acres Folk Music Center. More than just a store to share the fruits of their own lutherie, it was a repair shop and a vital meeting ground that served all manner of local pickers and folkies all the way up to the likes of Norman Blake and Doc Watson. While Bob continues to this day to build and preserve fine folk instruments under the Smakula banner, Goose Acres ceased operations in 2006 and Peter passed shortly after in 2008.
This 1991 Goose Acres openback 5-string is built around a Cleveland foundry aluminum rim with an integral arch-top tone ring. The area between the outer rim and inner raised section has 24 round sound ports facing to the rear. The neck is in the classic Vega pattern made of laminated mahogany with a thin center strip and topped with a dot inlaid rosewood fingerboard. The headstock is faced in rosewood and carries typical 1980s Planet tuners with large pearloid buttons. The neck is bolted directly to the rim with no dowel or co-orinator rod. For a metal-rim banjo the sound is warmer than one might expect, with a nice ring but never harsh. This is a very nice (if not wholly traditional) old time banjo that in a pinch can sub in a Bluegrass jam!
Overall length is 37 in. (94 cm.), 11 in. (27.9 cm.) diameter head, and 2 3/4 in. (7 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim.
Overall this banjo remains in fine condition, looking played but not too heavily used over the last nearly 35 years. The metal surfaces show some light wear, as does the neck finish. The head does have sone "played in dirt" on the surface in the usual places. This banjo plays very well and resides in a later Gold Tone gig bag that is a bit scruffy but functional. Overall Excellent Condition.
Goose Acres was the family business of Bob Smakula and his father Peter, two names often spoken with a distinct reverence within the world of banjo lovers. After humble beginnings building dulcimers in the 1970's, a teenage Bob enlisted the aid of his father Peter, a German immigrant and all-around steward of American folk music. The pair grew a small repair operation and their "Thumb Piano Factory & Dulcimer Works" into the Goose Acres Folk Music Center. More than just a store to share the fruits of their own lutherie, it was a repair shop and a vital meeting ground that served all manner of local pickers and folkies all the way up to the likes of Norman Blake and Doc Watson. While Bob continues to this day to build and preserve fine folk instruments under the Smakula banner, Goose Acres ceased operations in 2006 and Peter passed shortly after in 2008.
This 1991 Goose Acres openback 5-string is built around a Cleveland foundry aluminum rim with an integral arch-top tone ring. The area between the outer rim and inner raised section has 24 round sound ports facing to the rear. The neck is in the classic Vega pattern made of laminated mahogany with a thin center strip and topped with a dot inlaid rosewood fingerboard. The headstock is faced in rosewood and carries typical 1980s Planet tuners with large pearloid buttons. The neck is bolted directly to the rim with no dowel or co-orinator rod. For a metal-rim banjo the sound is warmer than one might expect, with a nice ring but never harsh. This is a very nice (if not wholly traditional) old time banjo that in a pinch can sub in a Bluegrass jam!
Overall length is 37 in. (94 cm.), 11 in. (27.9 cm.) diameter head, and 2 3/4 in. (7 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim.
Overall this banjo remains in fine condition, looking played but not too heavily used over the last nearly 35 years. The metal surfaces show some light wear, as does the neck finish. The head does have sone "played in dirt" on the surface in the usual places. This banjo plays very well and resides in a later Gold Tone gig bag that is a bit scruffy but functional. Overall Excellent Condition.