Up for sale, a 1926 Bacon & Day Silver Bell No. 3 Plectrum Banjo in excellent condition and in good working order. Produced in the golden age of B&D production, this banjo was finely crafted in Groton, CT. Although the earliest Bacon banjos were produced by various makers for Bacon from 1906-1920, the company's most heralded era began in 1922 when David Day left the Vega company to partner with Fred Bacon who had begun crafting his instruments in-house in 1920. The legendary Silver Bell line of instruments of which this Plectrum is a part were introduced in 1923, and the B&D banjos produced in this era are of considerably higher quality and craftsmanship than the post-1940 Gretsch made B&D output.Thanks in part to the maple flame maple resonator, this banjo has considerable presence and power, with the articulation and attack that comes with this preferred banjo tone wood. Of course the ebony fretboard further adds to the glassy sound and the sharp, clearly defined edge and snap that this banjo delivers with every note, while also having substantial warmth and low end presence. Professionally setup and freshly restrung here at our shop, this B&D is a classic example of the sound that defined the Silver Bell line.The maple neck has a nicely rounded and deep U shaped profile, with a 26" scale, 1 1/2" nut width, and 22 frets. The bound ebony fretboard has been professionally refretted with wire that has similar height, width, and crown with what would have come on this banjo from the factory. The current frets are in fantastic shape, with no notable wear, playing cleanly in all registers. The headstock features a factory backstrap down to the second fret for optimal stability, and the peghead features dozens of impeccably inlayed pieces of mother of pearl forming branches and wreaths, framing the "B&D" inlays and "Silver Bell" name. The original gold Planet pat. pending 4:1 geared tuning pegs are intact with their original ivoroid buttons, and these tuners are considered the pinnacle of vintage banjo tuner design, with a very smooth and reliable feel.In terms of the pot assembly, the flame maple rim features 24 original brackets on the tension hoop, along with a gorgeous gold flange that has 34 individual f shaped cutouts. The original maple resonator is intact as well, with three of the four original gold thumbscrews holding it in place. The stock "B&D Silver Bell No. 3" armrest is still present, as is the soft pedal mute assembly, which retains all necessary components other than a spring which will be necessary for this accessory to function. Rounding things out, the original tailpiece is intact, as is the carved maple bridge, inset with ebony and pearloid. Cosmetically and structurally, this early B&D banjo is in impressive shape, with light, expected wear on the gold plating on the instrument as a whole, and some small nicks and scratches on the maple resonator. The maple neck is remarkably clean, with the incredibly ornate carving at the heel which was a prominent aesthetic feature of the Silver Bell models.An older, yet non-original hardshell case is included.