A very rare beautiful 1920’s French handcrafted tenor banjo unlike no other.  The finest French banjos of the jazz age were made under the name of Banjos Guarnierius, or Guarnieri, Luthier. The luthier’s name was G. Guarnieri, first name unknown. His banjos are hand-crafted to the highest standards, with outstanding workmanship in woodwork and marquetry. They use the finest materials, birds eye maple, ebony, boxwood, abalone, mother-of-pearl . They are often fine examples of French design, Art Nouveau in style, typically French. Their sound and playability compare favourably to the best of American banjos.

Guarnieri ran a shop at 5, Rue Forest, in Montmartre, 50 metres from the Moulin Rouge. It appears the shop sold musical supplies (it certainly sold strings) to Paris musicians, but crafted its own banjos. Many of Guarnieri’s banjos carry the address of the shop in pearl on the headstock:

Guarnierius Luthier 5 Rue Forest Paris
Or on a metal plate:
G.Guarnieri Luthier Fabricant 5, Rue Forest, Paris 18

Guarnierius top-line instruments were built to the highest standards, with outstanding levels of craftsmanship in their woodwork and decoration. They also fine examples of French design, Art Nouveau in style, understated but beautifully crafted.

I’ve set this banjo up really nicely with new bridge and new German handmade strings. Has quality gold plated ABS geared tuners and a gold plated tailpiece with the name Paul Beuscher engraved across it.

Comes with a vintage brown hard case, a nice wee banjo for any passionate banjo collector.