Quote:
Originally Posted by Swamp Yankee
from the looks of it, some attempt was made in the past to fix it by making a steel brace, which has since been removed...
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Not necessarily - I've seen a number of pre-1930 banjos that came equipped
from the factory with exactly the type of nickel-plated steel brace you suggest was retrofitted - my suggestion would be to talk to Smakula again and see if he has something compatible in his parts bin; regarding the dowel stick, a competent local carpenter should be able to make up/fit a period-accurate replacement for not a lot of money, in the event you decide to actually play it...