C. E. Dobson 5-string banjo, Circa 1895

Charles Edgar Dobson, like his brothers Henry, Frank, Edward, and George, was a prominent banjo player and teacher from the late 1850's through the 1890's.  In 1893 he received a patent for a banjo design employing a tubular tone ring at both the top and bottom of the rim.  He called this banjo his "Silver Chimes" banjo, and the example below is one of the few I have seen.  Like the banjos designed and sold by his brothers, this banjo (or at least the neck) was probably made by Buckbee.

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