Bacon & Day Sultana Silver Bell #1 Tenor Banjo (1934), ser. #33529, black hard shell case.

Bacon & Day Sultana Silver Bell #1 Model Tenor Banjo (1934), made in Groton CT, serial # 33529, shaded maple and pearloid finish, laminated maple neck and rim, black hard shell case.

This super flashy tenor is a fairly late example of one of Bacon & Day's crowning creations, the Sultana Silver Bell. While all Silver Ball banjos are generally quite fancy, Sultanas have a unique deeply shaded pearloid decor and are distinctive even by Bacon standards. This #1 style was the lowest of the Sultana line but still an flamboyantly flashy instrument. This one was made in 1934, when the depression had crippled the market for such ornate banjos; by this point B&D were one of the few companies still making them.

This Sultana features the later stepped "cloverleaf" flange instead of the older "F-hole" style, as well as the larger "Symphonie" style peghead characteristic of '30's Bacons. There is elaborate painted-in engraving in the pearloid headstock, fingerboard, heelcap, reverse of then headstock and concentric rings engraved on the resonator back. The tuners are original with beautiful amber Catalin buttons and the tailpiece is the individually adjustable 4-claw Oettinger. The patented B & D mute pedal is working just as it should.

The B & D Silver Bell is generally considered to be one of the finest tenor banjos ever created as well as the flashiest. This is a great playing, sounding and fairly rare example showing signs of serious use but nothing tragic. The market for such fancy tenor banjos may have cooled considerably by the mid-1930's, but Fred Bacon and David Day held on making their unique styles as long as they could before selling out the company to Gretsch at the end of the decade.

Overall length is 34 in. (86.4 cm.), 11 in. (27.9 cm.) diameter head, and 4 in. (10.2 cm.) deep. Scale length is 23 in. (584 mm.). Width of nut is 1 1/8 in. (29 mm.).



This is a nice example overall, showing some play wear but nearly all original and sounding great. The finish on the back of the neck is thoroughly worn through from the nut to the heel, down to the bare maple and feeling great not unlike an old Fender guitar neck! The painted decoration has faded and darkened somewhat; it is worn through in a few spots but overall retains a strong look. There is some other light wear, mostly minor scratching to the resonator back and some loss to the plating overall.

The hardware is original except for one of the hook and nut sets. The neck has been neatly refretted, which is an advantage as many folks don't like working on these celluloid fingerboards. This one has a fine set of newer frets, slightly larger than the original thin wire with a few wear spots. The banjo is set up with a frosted plastic head and the lever action mute works great. This Sultana remains an excellent player, with the expected brisk and powerful sound. It resides in a slightly later period but still vintage HSC. Overall Very Good + Condition.