Banjo players want old and cool banjos. There are a finite number of them and there are important differences between the types that are considered cool and the types that are not considered cool. Basically, Gibson Mastertone banjos made before World War II are cool. But within that group of instruments, there are preferred types. The absolute Holy Grail Mastertones are original (untouched or modified) five string , one piece flange, flat head banjos from the thirties. Worth more than your house, maybe. I recently heard of one going for $110,000.00. I guess you would have to be a serious player to lay down that kind of dough.
My personal favorite type is an archtop, two piece flange Mastertone from the twenties. They are heavier and more solidly built and the archtop tone ring yeilds a brighter sound than the flat heads. The banjo that is pictured in several of my blog entries, including this one, is a Granada model from 1927, and it is an unbelievably beautiful sounding banjo. Most folks who like banjos and hear it comment on it's mellow and full tone. Recently, my son Zimmer had some of his buddies over to the shop to listen to the old foggies play music and one of them commented that he had never heard a banjo that sounded as good as the Granada. Praise from a seventeen year old has a different weight to it than praise from an adult. At any rate, it's a hoss, as the hillbillies say.
I have another archtop two piece flange Mastertone from the twenties. It was made in 1929 and is an MB-3, which means it originally had a mandolin neck on it. It was converted to a five string before I bought it as a kid in 1967. If my math skills are correct, I have now owned that banjo for half of it's life. A sobering thought on many levels. I put a much nicer neck on it, made by banjo neck maker Randy Wood, in 1969. Randy also made the Granada neck in 1973, which is when I bought the Granada from my friend and banjo collector Bill Camp. Randy Wood is considered to be a premier neck maker and his necks are as close to original in terms of value that one can get. So, I am the humble and proud owner of two very desirable Gibsons from the twenties. They are cool. I enjoy them and use them.