Windsor 7-string Zither Banjo Circa 1895 (presentation grade)
Zither banjos are believed to have been invented by Alfred Cammeyer, an American who went to England sometime after 1880. His banjos featured a Teed-like resonator system that was later copied by Windsor and several other makers. This particular banjo is a higher grade banjo than even the finest banjo in the 1895 Windsor line. The neck and rim are solid rosewood, and the rim is deeply carved all around the side with a 80 section “mandoline” back similar to those found on bowl-back mandolins. All hardware is gold-plated, and the tuning machine covers are richly engraved, as is the heel-cap. The fingerboard is delicately scalloped between the frets. Like most zither banjos, the short 7th string disappears through a hole just below the 5th fret and reappears at the peghead where it is tuned.
