Collection of rare banjos highlights Guthrie museum
By Greg Elwell
Staff Writer
GUTHRIE — What do you call a $1 million price tag for 182 jazz-age banjos?
A bargain, says National Four-String Banjo Hall of Fame Museum Executive Director Johnny Baier.
Last month, Baier flew to Germany to oversee the acquisition of these rare, classic banjos from a private collector. Then he brought them back to the museum at 116 E Oklahoma Ave. in what he calls "a cultural coup.”
"The general consensus in the banjo world is that once these instruments have left the country, they will never come back,” he said.
Some Americans may not appreciate the banjo — the premiere pop music instrument of its day — but Baier said foreign collectors are rabid and determined to get their hands on a piece of classic Americana.
He said the man who sold the collection is likely very unpopular in Europe, where other banjo enthusiasts were waiting for their chance to buy some of the famous instruments.
One of the largest collections of banjos in the world — second only to a 500-instrument trove in Japan — the Guthrie museum likely holds the most significant gathering of banjos anywhere, he said.
"We have representation of every model from every major manufacturer from the jazz age, which ran from 1920 to 1940 — the pinnacle of banjo development,” he said. "The best banjos that were ever made or will be made came out of that era.”
It's exciting news for the museum, but also for the city, Guthrie Chamber of Commerce President Kathy Montgomery said.
"The museum itself adds to the overall fabric that is Guthrie,” she said. "Our history and heritage are here, but we've grown up to be about music, art, theater and culture. This banjo collection is an integral part of that.”
It likely will have some enthusiasts making a trip to the city during the 2007 National Jazz Banjo Festival, scheduled May 25-27, she said.
"People who played the banjo then were like rock stars today,” he said. "They were mainstream pop artists, and banjos were sold by the thousands.”
Much like guitarists today talk about the famed 1969 Gibson Les Paul Standard Electric model, banjo players have mythologized the Bacon & Day Silver Bell Style 9 Ne Plus Ultra.
"It's the holy grail of collectible banjos,” Baier said. "In the world, we know of 10 of them. In this collection, we just acquired four.”
The most expensive instrument in the collection is an original five-string Gibson RB 7 Mastertone with a flathead tonering and one-piece flange, which is valued at about $100,000, he said.
"In the interim, several buyers came into the picture,” he said. "We had the majority of money in hand and did an internal advance to ourselves from the endowment to make the purchase.”
The museum's board of directors allowed a $100,000 loan and now a massive fundraising campaign is under way to make up the difference, he said.
With $36,000 collected, Baier is seeking donations to finish paying for the new instruments and the cost of restoring, repairing and displaying them.
Because the museum's collection has grown so much, it makes the planned 2009 expansion even more urgent, he said.
Still, if it weren't for major benefactors, including Indianapolis-based contributor Jack Canine who helped found the museum, the banjos never would have come to Oklahoma, Baier said.
Now museum officials hope people will "adopt” banjos. By tying donations to individual instruments, people will see what their money has done.
Even 70 years later, the instruments remain functional and will be put in the hands of musicians for live shows, he said.
"Many things people collect are obsolete and have lost their place in functionality,” he said. "These things you pick them up and you can still use them to make music.”
Not only do they sound great, they're works of art, Baier said.
Instruments from the jazz age were aimed at an in-person experience and the banjos reflect that.
"They are visually appealing and dynamic,” he said. "They do as much for your eyes as for your ears.”
Today's new banjos also are pleasing to the eye and ear, Banjo.com President John Drummond said.
Though not as popular as in years past, he hopes the new collection in Guthrie and the resurgence of banjo music will bring new fans to the instrument.
"I was at the Birmingham Banjo Bash and, looking around, the average age was 70,” he said. "I'm not kidding.”
Anybody interested in seeing the banjos or donating funds for their care and display can visit the National Four-String Banjo Hall of Fame Museum or call the museum at 260-1323.
The museum is online at www.banjomuseum.org.
No comments:
Post a Comment