While not a harp guitar-specific post, today’s adventure will include a few hints of them, nevertheless. Mainly, it is about banjos. And what banjos!
This was another bucket list fullfilment this last Friday when I finally paid a visit to “living legend” Jim Bollman. For those unfamiliar, Jim is to 5-string banjo history what I am to harp guitars. Times one hundred. Of course, he’s been doing it longer, and was in the right place (the Music Emporium store with Stu Cohen) at the right time (opened in 1968). We’ve shared some correspondence over the years (and he’s helped out my Harpguitars.net site a few times), and now that I’m on the East Coast about 2-1/2 hours from him, I made sure to let him know!
Ever gracious, and happy to share his stunning banjo & memorabilia collection, I finally found the excuse to invite myself along with two special banjo friends – namely Daniel Wheeldon and Maya Brown-Boateng, who are both from the Met in New York. Maya was especially keen to go (she had met Jim at the last Banjo Gathering) as her PhD is on a topic that fills Jim’s home, and she is only in NY through August.
The three of us (who played hooky, me from my increasingly busy retirement) had great fun on our road trip, and spent a mind-blowing afternoon of conversation, show and tell, serious research and more! Mainly (not having ever met him), I was thrilled to discover in Jim a kindred (and vastly more experienced) spirit with similar passion, happy to share what he has and what he knows. Not only did he allow us to take photos of anything we liked, but upon leaving and my inquiry about sharing our adventures, he gave me full approval to post our photos. So, what you are seeing here is a very private tour and a gift from Jim.
After I did a quick Facebook post of this, Jim filled in some details and questions, so I’ll include those quotes here, as it’s his collection. 90% of the photos are mine, with a few by Maya and Daniel.
Jim specializes in the 5-string banjo, focusing on Boston makers, but includes other American makers and pre-Civil War and Minstrel era instruments. Here he lets us get up close and personal with a prize Boucher.
Early and stamped
Daniel holds an anonymous instrument that Jim believes is his oldest instrument (c. 1840 is a guess)
Maya holds and discusses Jim’s early African ngoni, one of many banjo precursors.
I suppose I’d be worried about these objects hanging over my head in bed…but then, with such treasures in hand, when would you ever sleep?!
The one second from right had a wonderfully creative head. Keep your eye out for more “banjo hands” on this tour…
I was unfamiliar with maker Teed. Jim says, “George Teed had a shop on Houston Street, NYC, not far from the Holland tunnel entrance. A relatively rare maker – especially his early ‘wave form’ peghead banjos – about a handful of known examples but his later banjos show up with some frequency.”
I was really drawn to the design and construction of this early instrument…
That includes the distinctive headstock. The fact that this was likely Teed’s personal instrument certainly doesn’t hurt! Jim says, “No definitive provenance but I’m pretty sure it belonged to Teed’s granddaughter, Bea Thomson, who lived in New London, CT. She told me years ago that she inherited her grandfather’s personal banjo. Her death corresponded closely with the banjo showing up in Mystic, CT. in 2011.” To which I replied, Hey, I have zero provenance that I own Pasquale Taraffo’s personal unused “backup spare” harp guitar, but I’ll similarly convince you that I’m right when you come down…
Another Teed, a small version of his 1862 patent banjo. Jim: “This model was the second banjo related patent issued by the US Patent Office. Thankfully it survived several fires at the Patent Office storerooms. It passed through the hands of three important patent model collectors through the years before it came to me.”
The accompanying provenance misspells Teed’s name.
We’re now out in the living room. Much rarer than banjos are original banjo metal signs. As in, impossible to find. But you’ll see more in some of the shots.
Another early instrument, dated 1848.
A wonderful, engraved tailpiece.
Incredible engraved scenes on the German silver body of this one. Notice the brackets!
How about the connecting neck detail on this one?!
And its brackets…
Jim had a lot to show us, and we had little time to fully appreciate (let alone photograph) the many details. A lot of these had carved heels, from crude to spectacular.
I wasn’t about to leave the living room without asking him to pull out this stunning presentation guitar. For me, it wasn’t the stunning eye candy, it was the 9-string neck!
Yes, the three low courses are doubled in octaves. I did a rather exhaustive article on the subject of something similar.
Interestingly, the May 1897 engraving fits that story exactly. The 10-string (4 low courses doubled) being invented and patented in 1896, leading to the full 12-string guitar around 1900. Here the player (S. W. Parlati) asked the Haynes Co. to build him something special and likely asked for the new stringing (or could he have come up with it on his own?), omitting the high G on the 3rd string. An incredible instrument any way you slice it (that probably belongs better in the Miner Museum, no?).
JIM: “A ferrotype not daguerreotype, but still a favorite. The African-American gent was either the owner or maker (or both).”
Time to head up the stairs, starting with another stunner. Jim: “Early Levi Brown, Baltimore maker, probably 1860s.”
Its neck medallion reads “To Abe, from friend Dave Reed.” Jim has thoroughly researched the maker and Reed and is largely convinced that “Abe” might be none other than Mr. Lincoln himself. Again, Jim says, “No real Lincoln provenance but it’s a possibility.”
It took Daniel some time to just make it around the corner…
Upstairs, another banjo-laden bedroom. Here, his “stained glass window” fingerboard instrument. Jim: “Harry Oakes, Boston, 1880s, one of a handful of known Oakes banjos although he did contract work for many Boston area makers in the 1880s and 1890s.”
Me, suitably slack-jawed for most of the afternoon. Fairbanks and other presentation banjos to die for.
I had seen many of these treasure at the Lyman Allyn Art Museum exhibit Darcy Kuronen did a year or more ago – right here in New London, CT. But being able to handle and inspect them, while hearing stories of their acquisition or their makers was something else again. Jim: “Lyon & Healy presentation grade, one of a handful of Chicago banjos in the collection.”
Garnet-tipped tuners, pearl and shell and inlay at its highest level. Jim: “One of three known top level Stewart banjos. The other two can be seen in Tsumura’s big book. Probably now in the Hamamatsu Museum outside Tokyo.”
Engraved tortoiseshell lining the back of this one-off. The side carving makes a full continuous path around the neck and head. I’d be happy to own just a tailpiece like this! Jim: “Highest grade Bay State known, model 366.”
And dozens of tailpieces. More of Jim’s stash. He’s been collecting most of his life (and continues to).
In the toy and ephemera room about the garage, we were treated to a thousand more items. He even had this harp guitar image pulled out for me.
Speaking of which…so, the instruments are one thing, the memorabilia museum another. Then there is the world’s largest collection of banjo catalogs, photographs and other ephemera, all neatly arranged in bookcases and file cabinets throughout the house. We could only glimpse 0.001% to get an idea. However, Jim kindly pulled out a few harp guitar-related items for me to photograph for my own research and files.
Some of this represents the sole known example of this hard-won material, but Jim kindly offered use rights for me to include in Harpguitars.net articles. I, in turn, offered a reasonable license fee from our non-profit. This is some of what your generous donations to The Harp Guitar Foundation help with.
I had only to ask about a particular maker to watch Jim open a file drawer, fan through to the B’s and pull out a folder from hundreds. Needless, to say, there are no other copies of these original images of the famous Chicago harp guitar maker. Jim: “Undated but probably 1895-1910 era.” 
What in the world?! I had to get the Met kids back to the New Haven train station, but we just couldn’t leave! We were admiring Jim’s new forested homestead, when he mentioned spotting a “fisher cat” in his own yard, carrying some prey in its mouth. As a zoologist, I know this animal as the rare Fisher, a large mustelid (weasel family). It seems it is making its way back to northern Massachusetts, and, in fact, this one was relocating and carrying its pups in its mouth, one by one. What a sighting!
Not to be outdone by Jim, I spotted this gorgeous young toad just off his walk in the grass. Daniel enjoyed corralling it for my photos. A sweet end to an impossibly sweet day!