Top of the line Paramount Style F 19 fret tenor banjo, the original highest grade model in William Lange’s professional banjo line. The Style F was originally Paramount’s fanciest and most attractive instrument, and also embodied Lange’s theory that rosewood was the “positively the finest material for tone”. The neck, rim and resonator of this banjo are all made of Indian rosewood which, William Lange preferred to the Brazilian variety. The resonator back is not laminated-it is made of two substantial solid slabs of bookmatched rosewood!

The Style F sold originally for $350 — at the time a Ford model T automobile cost $260 — and thus was affordable only to the most serious professional users. Every surface is richly decorated with elaborate coloured wood marquetry and laminated underlay, with the dark natural finished rosewood setting off the chain pattern wood edging, wood binding, and brightly coloured marquetry inlay. All metal parts are “quadruple” gold plated and elaborately hand engraved. The multi-laminate rosewood neck with coloured wood centre strips has a fully carved heel, carved peghead back and multi-layered wood marquetry trim and binding. The headstock face and fingerboard have extremely fancy engraved pearl inlay.

This banjo features the preferred ‘indestructible’ Page tuners with genuine pearl buttons all working perfectly and holding tune. The matching serial numbers on the perch pole and rim #5518 dates to 1925. The gold-plated Paramount adjustable tailpiece hold the string tension in place although the spring is not attached.

Overall length is 33 3/4 in. (85.7 cm.), 11 1/8 in. (28.3 cm.) diameter head, and 3 1/8 in. (7.9 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 23 in. (584 mm.). Width of nut is 1 1/8 in. (29 mm.). This banjo remains in very fine original condition and may have had the gold hardware replated at some time.

The frets are good and the neck is straight, there looks to have been a new bone nut fitted. I have recently set the banjo up for Trad playing and it does play beautifully, with ease.

This is a fine example of a high-grade Paramount and the second one I’ve had on Pure Banjo, it plays and sounds exactly as it should. It is set up with a modern plastic head with new bridge and strings. Best of all it comes with its original case with the double inner pockets and dust zipped cover and plum coloured velvet lining. Banjo is on consignment and currently with me at present.

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