Name/Title
BanjoEntry/Object ID
2017.13Description
Open-backed Bacon Professional Banjo, manufactured between 1910 and 1915. Five-stringed banjo with star inlay on headstock and neck. Neck is made of rock maple wood, with an ebonized maple fingerboard inlaid with pearl position marks. Fingerboard bound with white celluloid. Rim is also made of rock maple, with inlaid diamond marquetry along the bottom edge. S-shaped carvings on the rim cap. Nylon strings. Floating bridge manufactured by Grover. Manufacturers' markings on reverse of head and rim (see "Inscription" for specifics on markings).
Banjo was acquired by the donor at an online auction with the intention of donating it to the Vermont Historical Society.
The Bacon Professional Banjo Company was founded in 1906 by Frederick J. Bacon. Bacon was a professional travelling musician before he founded the company. His first factory was in Forest Dale, VT, where he was a resident. While it is thought that he contracted some early instruments with the Vega company in Boston, there are pictures of Bacon Banjo craftsmen in Forest Dale from 1910. Still, the instruments may not have been manufactured but simply assembled in Forest Dale.
Many of the Bacon Banjos had Vermont maple wood in their construction. Early models were five-string banjos, and pricing for these banjos ranged from $40 to $125. While the Bacon products were considered well-made banjos, they were nowhere near the caliber of instruments made by companies such as Vega. One of Bacon's contemporaries referred to his banjos as either "axe-handle" or "shoe-polish" banjos.
However, the demand for Bacon Banjos was enough that Bacon expanded his factory in 1913 and, in 1915, the Bacon Banjo Company was incorporated in Groton, Connecticut. There, Bacon developed his manufacturing and was joined by David L. Day from the Fairbanks banjo company. The instruments manufactured in Groton have a manufacturer's mark of "B&D" for Bacon and Day. The factory remained there until 1938, when a hurricane destroyed most of the manufacturing space. Since the popularity of banjos had declined by then, Bacon and Day decided to sell the remainder of their company to the Gretsch Company. Gretsch continued to make banjos under the Bacon name until the mid 1960s. Bacon spent the rest of his life teaching music and repairing instruments, as well as occasionally performing before his death in 1948.Acquisition
Accession
2017.13Source or Donor
Heller, Paul C.Acquisition Method
GiftMade/Created
Manufacturer
Bacon ProfessionalDate made
1910 - 1915Lexicon
Nomenclature 4.0
Nomenclature Secondary Object Term
BanjoNomenclature Primary Object Term
Instrument, StringedNomenclature Sub-Class
Musical InstrumentsNomenclature Class
Musical T&ENomenclature Category
Category 06: Tools & Equipment for CommunicationDimensions
Width
11-3/4 inDepth
3 inLength
37 inDiameter
11-3/4 inCircumference
34-15/16 inMaterial
Wood, Metal, Celluloid, Nylon