Preloved Member – Restoring a Banjo

Mike is a Preloved member who has restored several musical instruments over the years. We asked him to talk about how it all started, and to share why he thinks restored items are important.

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I have been restoring old banjos for around 4 years now. I was handed my great-grandfather's old banjo as I was the only family member who played anything musical. He took this up after de mob from the Great War to help with his recovery.

I could not find anyone who could restore the banjo as it had a ripped skin and needed to be cleaned and set up after many years of laying neglected. I decided to restore it myself with much help from on-line experts showing me how to do jobs. The result was being able to learn and play the old Windsor 5 string in front of family which brought back memories for them of it again. I still have the banjo which will stay with the family now.

The pleasure in turning something antique into a working instrument again, giving it a new lease of life for another 100 years, is incredible and a testament to the original builders for the quality of workmanship they had.

Mike has a restored banjo for sale on the Preloved website. Check out his other items for sale (more banjos!).