Stelling Virginian 5 String Banjo with Case - Commission Sale

More information about  the Stelling Virginian Banjo

The state of Virginia has long been associated with the banjo and its music. With so many notable banjo players claiming Virginia as their home or birthplace, and the fact that it is the home of Stelling Banjo Works, it seems appropriate to have a banjo called the Virginian. This model features the Virginia state bird, the cardinal, on the peghead, and the Virginia state flower, the dogwood blossom, on the fingerboard. The abalone shell used for the cardinals is selected for the most striking colors to reflect the natural beauty of these lovely birds. Other features include abalone trim and fancy curly maple on the neck and resonator.

After all, both Virginia and North Carolina have claim to many of America’s finest banjo players:  Don Reno, Bill Emerson, James Bailey, Murphy and Casey Henry, Joel Sweeney (acclaimed inventor of the 5-string banjo), and others from Virginia;  Earl Scruggs, Smith Hammett, Snuffy Jenkins, Raymond Fairchild, and many others from North Carolina.

Tony Pass Old Wood Rims

This wood has been lying on the bottom of Lake Superior and other bodies of water for over 100 years and could have been hundreds of years old when it was cut down. After a special kiln drying process, this wood is in better than new condition (acoustically speaking) because of the age of the wood combined with the microbiological action to which it was subjected for so many years. It’s been said that Stradivarius took advantage of the same process for his violin wood, but for a much shorter time (perhaps only a few years). The result in a new (or even used) Stelling banjo is awesome. It’s been compared to prewar banjos in such a superior way for tone and volume that we now use these rims as standard equipment on all new Stellings.