Banjo.

George Paradice Matthew

Instrument

Banjo

Instrument Family

Strings

Maker

George Paradice Matthew

Place Made

Europe; England; Birmingham; United Kingdom

Date Made

Pre 1911

Description

Technical description: Wooden-shelled body veneered in rosewood with maple on the upper part of the interior and as the edging on the top exterior. Head of calfskin with rosewood bridge. Metal tone ring with 20 tension hooks. Metal inner body with 18 arms which are screwed into the body shell. Adjustable screws at the top and bottom of the shell and tone ring to resist the string tension. Metal tailpiece screwed to the top and side surface of the shell at the bottom. The back is domed, and has a metal shield shaped button in the centre to protect against scratches. The edging between the back and sides is ivory, with strips of ebony/ivory/ebony/ivory inside. Neck of mahogany, with inlaid pieces of maple/ebony/maple at the edge next to the fingerboard and either side of the centre of the neck. The neck has a noticeable V shape to it. The heel flows smoothly into the neck, and there is a volute at the bottom of the head where it flows into the neck. Inlaid mother-of-pearl plaque in top of the head, and screwed in engraved ivory name plaque at the back of the head. Guitar machine heads - three each side - used for attaching the strings. The high-pitched fifth string passes over a button at the fifth fret, through a hole in the fingerboard and into a channel in the neck to the machine heads. One machine head remains unused. The machine heads appear to be nickel-plated, with ivory buttons. Nut of ivory. The fingerboard is of ebony. The neck is 470mm long, 32.5mm wide at the nut, 41.5mm wide at the fifth fret and 48.5mm wide at the body join. The fingerboard is flush with the top of the body shell, total length from the nut to the inner edge of the body shell is 499. Fret position markers of mother-of-pearl of various different designs at frets 3, 5, 7, 10, 12, 14, 17 and 20. 22 frets in total. Signature/maker's mark: Engraved plaque on the back of the head reads "GEO. P. MATTHEW / SOHO HILL / WORKS / BIRMINGHAM". Overall size: 917 Body diameter: 220 (head) 229 (tone ring) 284 (wood surround) Body depth: 53 (at edges), 67 (centre of back) String length: 676

Notes

A. Macaulay, November 1991; D.P. Martin, 2003.

Measurements

917.Body diameter: 220 (head), 229 (tone ring), 284 (wood surround).

Provenance

on loan to the Collection.

Collection

MIMEd

Accession Number

2164