A.E. Smith 5 String Banjo

Vintage made in America A.E. Smith 5 string banjo. I tracked down a gentleman in Boston who actually was 'hands-on' in the making of this banjo and even stamped the serial number. He was able to give me quite a bit of insight into the history of the company, etc..  His guess is that this one was made around 1981 and was part of a small run that used a 1/2" rim. He's also of the opinion that the multi piece flange and resonator are later additions and not original to the banjo (most of the company's instrument were built for folk music and were open back) - both are easily removed. It was originally sold by Matt Umanov in NY and carries his decal on the back of the headstock. Nice old, loud banjo that would make a great folk instrument -good action (neck has adjustable truss rod with heel adjustment) - has Shubb 5th string capo installed, standard 11" rim, and comes with almost perfect hard shell case. This is about all I know about it - not a lot of info out there on A.E. Smith instruments. 

Note: although the resonator carries a matching serial number to the rim, it was probably done later as they didn't use mahogany resonators and did not number the ones they did make. Apparently someone tried to make it appear original.