Bart Reiter Whyte Laydie (1987)

Description

While we're very familiar with esteemed luthier Bart Reiter's banjos here at the Denver Folklore Center, we very rarely come across an example from this early in his building career, and leapt at the opportunity to put it out on our sales floor. As Reiter began professionally building and selling in 1985, this gorgeous 11" Whyte Laydie, his first instrument of 1987, is probably one of the first hundred he sold out of his Lansing, Michigan shop. Even so, it already betrays an incredible attention to detail and a sky-high level of craftsmanship, and Reiter's Vega and Fairbanks inspired design, feel, and inlay work are already pitch-perfect reproductions of the original old-time instruments that influenced his approach to banjo building. The Whyte Laydie combines all maple construction with its distinctive, titular tone ring, adding volume and depth to the instrument's sound but without making it washy, or overly bassy. Reiter used a Vega Style 1 Gryphon and Star inlay on the headstock, and Vega-style inlays on the fretboard as well. Other nice touches include a rosewood endcap on the pot and tortoise inlay work around the pot's perimeter. This is a fantastic early example of why Reiter's banjos are so sought after by clawhammer players, and it holds its own against both the instruments that it imitates, as well as newer and more modern open-backs, too.

As if all that's not enough, this banjo also arrived in our store in excellent condition, with almost no cosmetic wear to speak of, especially when accounting for its age. Some very minor finish checking has begun to occur (most visibly on the neck), and there's some minor scuffing on the heel cap. The head has recently been replaced with a fiberskyn one, but all hardware on the instrument is original and in good working condition. The set up is currently a medium low, and suits a wide range of playing styles. Included in the price is the original hard-shell case.

*Please note, per our return policy, all sales on used and consignment instruments are final.*