1988 Bart Reiter Whyte Laydie No. 2 5-string Banjo – Used

Bart Reiter retired from making banjos at the end of 2020 but in the past decade or so he didn’t build any of his engraved inlay Vega-style models like this Whyte Laydie No. 2. This example has serial number 313 so it’s an early example of Bart’s work. The birds-eye figure in the maple neck is a nice plus and the condition is excellent. The lacquer has a fair amount of weather checking, especially on the headstock, but you can’t have everything perfect in a 30 plus years-old banjo and the checking adds a nice antique patina to what is, after all, a reissue of an antique instrument. The ebony fingerboard has some wear but the frets are nearly perfect, and note the 5th string railroad spike at the 7th fret. There’s a small nick to the finish on the rosewood cap to the back of the shell but no real handling wear. Comes in the hardshell case shown.