Slingerland May Bell banjo-uke, ca. 1920s. 16 flat hooks, rounded L-shoes, grooved tension hoop, calfskin head, all-mahogany with pearwood fretboard, dot position markers. 13.5" scale length, 1.25" nut width, 8.5" head. When this came to us (from a large collection of a local old-time musician), it was missing the back plate. Our luthier fabricated a new plate from birch ply, and also did the following:
- disassemble, clean/polish all parts, fill varnish on neck
- re-mount existing calfskin head (good condition)
- re-fret frets 1-5, clean & condition fingerboard
- set up with LaBella banjo uke strings
The included old case is for banjo-mandolin and is large for the instrument. We'd recommend adding some padding (and we will pack the instrument in it securely for shipping).
Shipping is $40 within the continental US.