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View Full Version : Where to look for locating vintage Epiphone banjo parts?


brad347
12-11-2006, 04:23 PM
Hey all. This is my first post in the acoustic instruments forum.

I have an old Epiphone Recording model A tenor banjo from the late(?) 20's that I'm fixing up. Picked it up for cheap because it was missing some parts.

It is missing a couple of small things I need to get it going. One is a small thumbscrew in the tailpiece that looks like this:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v283/jazz347/IM000056.jpg

Another is a rod threaded on both ends used to couple the neck to the body. Like this:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v283/jazz347/IM000057.jpg

You can see where one of the threaded rods is broken off at the end, rendering it too short to be useful.

I'm not too picky about having authentic original parts or whatever, I just want to get this banjo up and playable. I'm not too knowledgable about this stuff because I'm a guitarist and banjo doubler, not the other way around. Any ideas on where I would begin to look for small parts like this? Thanks!

jgarber
01-02-2007, 09:18 PM
I think that is an Oettinger tailpiece. Check at this site:
http://www.banjos.com/

They sell a repro tailpiece here:
http://www.banjos.com/cgi-bin/quikstore.cgi?category=Tailpiece

These are the prime tailpieces for quality 4-string banjos like B&D and Epiphones.

Jim

Jim

brad347
01-02-2007, 11:02 PM
Thanks a lot jim! I'm on it!

Now if I could only find that threaded neck attachmet rod...

jgarber
01-03-2007, 06:25 AM
Thanks a lot jim! I'm on it!

Now if I could only find that threaded neck attachmet rod...

I would check with Richelieu first. He has been involved with banjos like this for many years. At the worst, you could find a machinist to reproduce one. It actually might be a stock part or something that can be fabricated easily.

Jim

brad347
01-03-2007, 09:54 AM
Thanks. I have emailed richelieu already with pictures of the parts and everything. We'll see if he gets back to me!

PB Wilson
01-04-2007, 07:21 AM
http://www.bernunzio.com/ might be another good source. He's got all sorts of parts in his stash.

brad347
01-04-2007, 08:53 AM
thank you!

I will e-mail him also straight away.