![]() ![]() This is truly something different – not a model anybody else will own at your next pickin’ party, or any pickin’ party you attend thereafter. Perhaps a bit of electrical tape could help. The leather on the handle is a bit loose (see photo) but the underlying metal handle is still quite usable and serviceable. We are providing this Stelling banjo a period Stelling hard shell case. JOHN HARTFORD STELLING CRACKOn the last fret is inlaid a pearl block etched and blackened “Hartford T” but there’s a small crack in the mother of pearl through the “T.” Our workshop will have performed (as you read this) our world-renowned set-up, clean up, fret dress, replaced head and bridge, and generally bring it up to a condition rating that approaches “excellent.” Its black fingerboard is white (now crème) plastic bound on each side, and the resonator, which has a plain back, is white (crème) bound on its sides its resonator and back of neck are maple. Like many used instruments, it has scuffs on back edge of headstock. There is a tiny crack in the wood veneer of the headplate, just over the nut, under the bottom of the truss rod cover – probably from the screw – but this is cannot be seen without removing the truss rod cover and is considered nothing serious. The truss rod is fully tightened but thankfully the neck is pretty much dead straight. This piece shows wear from honest playing time including two areas of finish worn through on back of neck between frets 2 and 5, and, in addition, there are nicks, dings and scores on the sides of the resonator, dings, nicks, scratches, scrapes, dings and scuffs overall some finish is disrupted on the top edge of resonator at around 10 o’clock, and also on inside edge of the resonator, and some minor nicks in the resonator binding. Its decoration is a paean to understatement. ![]() This instrument’s fingerboard and headstock features a simple pearl inlay pattern – a 9 hearts inlaid in 8 positions on the fingerboard and a single small heart inlaid near the center of the gorgeous, swirly-grained wood veneered head plate. It's one of the rarer models we have made." Geoff added: " Hey Stan, That banjo was originally sold to Gruhn Guitars in July 1983, so I would suspect that John Hartford had a chance to see and play it since he lived in Nashville. I wrote to Geoff Stelling to find out how many of these were made - the answer is "not very many." Here's what he says: " Stan, I counted 9 Hartford-T's made from #2549 made on 4-7-83 to #2996 made on 11-1-85." So there were only nine of this model made. In all other respects it is a Stelling banjo – strong, clear and articulate with great projection This superb sounding bluegrass and old time banjo has four railroad nails positioned at frets 7, 8, 9, 10. This model has an all wooden tone ring, and so it produces a sweeter tone, in keeping with the melodious, lyrical playing of Mr. So, it was made for 11 years, but, today, the models seldom turns up for sale. ![]() Hartford to play, was #2849 in this same year, 1983. The first one of these that Stelling made, not counting the banjo he made for Mr. A picture of Hartford playing a Stelling Timbertone (which became the Model T) is found in the "Masters of the Five-String Banjo" book by Wernick and Trischka, starting the John Hartford section.” The Stelling ‘Timbertone’ (later becoming the Model "T"), at Gruhn Guitars in Nashville. ![]() The model “Hartford T,” named, of course, for the late John Hartford, may not be a Stelling moniker familiar to some of you young’uns, so here’s a bit of history: One person (“plunka5”) in the Banjo Hangout web forum has written: You are correct the Stelling did have a wooden rim, no brass tone hoop or tone ring, and was before Hartford developed the Granadilla tone ring/rim with Greg Deering. JOHN HARTFORD STELLING PLUS#2619, in very good plus condition with a newer Stelling hard shell case. ![]()
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