1894 S.S. Stewart Special Thoroughbred 5 String Used

The S.S. Stewart Special Thoroughbred was one of the more popular instruments during the 1890s classical banjo craze. While it was initially designed to play genteel parlor music, it is also great for playing old-time clawhammer styles as well. This particular example is in excellent condition and includes the original carved bone rose on the tailpiece, an element that tends to disappear over the years. It has the elegantly carved heel, the celluloid name plate on the dowel stick, and best of all the original Thoroughbred Horse Head decal.

This banjo is set up with a mylar head, and it is strung with nylon strings. It is basically in original condition except, perhaps, for the tuning pegs. While it does have old, fancy friction tuning pegs, four of them have square buttons while the S. S. Stewart catalog from the period shows the banjo with round buttons. Still, the pegs fit well and hold the tuning quite well. This comes in an old, possibly homemade hardshell case with the name “Mark H/ Spencer nicely painted on the lid. As an added bonus, it comes with an original SSS (for S.S. Stewart) head wrench. This is a very nice banjo and we almost never see old Stewarts in this condition.