The Golden Roll

This was Mike Longworth's favorite among the LouZee banjos.

     

Specifications

Mahogany neck and resonator

Ebony fingerboard

Longworth inlay pattern

Custom Hopkins tone ring

Double action truss rod

Gold-plated metal parts

Waverly two-band tuners

Kerschner Tail Piece 

White - black - white binding
with Christmas tree purfling.

Engraved metal parts by XX Silver



Close-up of resonator showing Christmas Tree purfling.

About the Golden Roll Banjos

The Golden Roll is a tribute to a very special type of banjo that was popular during the 1920's and early 1930's -- the Pyralin covered banjo. Pyralin was a special compound that was used in several ways to decorate high art banjos.

Pyralin consisted of a suspension of ground fish scales in celluloid. When painted on a wooden surface, it greatly resembles mother of pearl, which is known in the trade as "MOP." Pyralin was also manufactured in sheets, and used as a substitute for mother of pearl in fingerboards and as an overlay for necks and resonators. Sometimes it was engraved, and other times it was painted. It came to be known in the trade as "mother of toilet seat" or "MOTS."*

The headpiece inlay (see below) is a lasting tribute to MOTS.

*No one knows who coined the expression "mother of toilet seat." It could have been Mike Longworth, but it has definitely fallen into general use among instrument makers and vintage instrument collectors. According to some sources, when the son of the inventor of Pyralin learned of the name which vintage instrument buffs had attached to his father's product, he laughed. "My father invented Pyralin as a paint for toilet seats in order to make them more comfortable. Pyralin feels warmer than paint." The man was definitely considerate, that's a certainty!

The original Golden Roll was Mike Longworth's personal instrument -- LouZee #13. It is now on display in the DP Hopkins showroom. Had Mike survived, there would never have been any Golden Roll banjos other than this particular instrument. However, after his passing, we have made a very limited number of these highly collectible instruments in his honor.



The Golden Roll headpiece and truss rod cover.
These banjos will serve as a role model for banjo makers yet to be born.

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