1895 W. A. Cole Eclipse

$2,600.00

  • Year: 1895
  • Manufacturer: W. A. Cole
  • Model: Eclipse
  • Case: None
  • Color: black
  • Condition: Excellent
  • Description: W. A. Cole Eclipse Model 5 String Banjo, c. 1895, made in Boston, black finish, laminated maple rim, mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard. This is a lovely example of an 1890's Cole's Eclipse, not as fancy as the highest grade models but crafted to the same exacting standard. W.A. Cole split from the Fairbanks & Cole company in 1890, and immediately launched his own banjo operation...accross the street from his old partner! The Eclipse line created there rank among the most iconic banjos of the classic five-string era. Cole's Eclipse models are generally considered to be some of the finest 5-string open back banjos ever made, rivaling ex-partner Fairbanks' instruments in beauty and craftsmanship if not always in sound. These banjos have many distinctive and unusual design and construction features. The laminated black finished maple rim is fitted with Cole's Eclipse tone ring, a fairly simple design compared to the Fairbanks' "Electric" of the same era. The "Boat Heel" neck and dowel are straight and true the panted Cole's neck adjustor is working perfectly. Dowel is marked "Cole's Eclipse" "W.A.Cole Maker Boston Mass" and Patented Jan-30-1894". The headstock inlay is a fanciful floral pattern executed with the distinctive Cole artistry, while the fingerboard inlay is simple plain pearl diamonds. The tuners are older (probably 19th Century) metal friction pegs with ivoroid buttons. The tailpiece is a particularly delicate and beautifully worked design marked "A.A.F. Pat, standing for Alfred A Farland, the noted banjoist and innovator who later marketed his own line of high-grade banjos.Overall length is 36 in. (91.4 cm.), 10 3/4 in. (27.3 cm.) diameter head, and 2 1/2 in. (6.4 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 27 in. (686 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/16 in. (33 mm.). excellent playing condition with some restoration; the neck and rim appear to have had a French polish and there is a neatly plugged hole in the dowel...almost certainly from an old mute assembley. Set up with a modern faux skin head and gut strings, sounds wonderful. Excellent Condition.