Nothing quite like
The Comet
© Frank Ford, 1999; Photos by FF

In 1910, George L. Thayer introduced his amazing patented banjo. Commemorating Halley's Comet, he announced it as a great "novelty sensation," as well as an improvement in banjo tone and volume. I first met this banjo in 1968, and we've been friends ever since.

You'd have to look pretty far to find another banjo with a better collection of unusual features than this one. OK, it has two heads. That's hard to beat. Have you ever seen a neck laminated parallel to the fingerboard? Talk about stripes! The pierced peghead is cool, too. Well, Halley's Comet came 'round again to find this old timer still holding its own.

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