McGinnis Shaw Clef Club 6 string banjo from the 20's very for sale in Danbury, CT
McGinnis Shaw Clef Club 6 string banjo 20's (the pot is 16") vary rare This is a vary rare piece of history.made in Philadelphia, PAThis is One of the unusual and visually impressive instruments I have seen, this huge and very ornate banjo-guitar is the work of a fairly obscure but quite skilled maker, and vary rare.The rim is a full 16" wide or so (see picture)The entire instrument is decorated with fingerboard inlayLittle history seems to have survived on the Clef Club brand, sold and likely built by the partnership of McGinnis/Shaw in Philadelphia. While some of James Reese Europe's orchestras went under the name "Clef Club Band", no evidence of any connection to this brand has surfaced?except, of course, that Europe's musicians used quite a few banjos! McGinnis and Shaw appear to have been active in the early 1920's and to have built primarily fairly simple short-neck tenor and mandolin banjos. This is by far the most deluxe Clef Club brand instrument we are aware of, as well as the most ambitious, and was almost certainly a custom order. Here's the NPR story: http://www.npr.org/2014/07/30/336577946/dom-flemons-holds-onto-that-old-time-root There is no back, some inlays on the back side are missing. There was a repair to the inlay on last fret shown in picture. If you need more pictures please let me know. Comes with what looks like a custom made gig bag as these size banjo's are very rare. I can send additional pictures upon request.
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