Description
Exceptional condition • Presentation Grade
1-1/4″ width at nut • Radiused fingerboard
SN: 1357
This 2013 Bishline Custom, with “the Crow” motif, is one of the coolest banjos around!
Commissioned by a very serious Steve Martin fan, it reflects artwork from Mr. Martin’s album, “The Crow”, and scenes depicted from other aspects of his life.
Starting with a supreme grade of Maple with a honey-brown amber finish, the tasty options work together to make a dramatically beautiful look. Highly Figured Koa is employed for the edge bindings around the headstock, the fingerboard, and top and back of resonator. Alongside the Koa bindings are intense strips of abalone purflings, seen on the face of the peghead, the top and sides of fingerboard, and top, back and sides and along top rim of the resonator. Abalone purflings are even around the Ebony heel cap.
The Ebony peghead veneer has a “Steve Martin” signature facsimile graphic in center. Ebony and Koa truss-rod cover near bone nut. Gold Waverly tuning machines with matching Ebony buttons.
The fingerboard has tasteful inlay pattern of flowers and crescents. You realize after a minute that the crescents are middle section of Steve Martin’s trademark “arrow-thru-head” from his early comedy appearances, and that the other inlay bits are arrowheads and feather fletchings. Then 15th thru 19th frets have larger depiction of the arrow bent to go around his head.
Ahh… but perhaps the most exquisite artwork on this banjo is “the Crow” that is parquet work inset into the resonator back.
I don’t use the word, “Exquisite”, lightly. This is very upper level artwork.
The subject, the Crow, is inset into the Maple resonator back, playing a banjo. The banjo and the Crow are incredibly alive and accurate.
To reiterate: The highly figured Maple is dazzling enough, and to use flamed Koa wood bindings is great, but to also have abalone purflings all around just about puts it over the moon!
But it also plays and sounds great.
Comes with a good hard case.
