Van Eps tenor recording banjo S/N 440, Circa 1920
Fred Van Eps was one of the earliest banjo players to record extensively, and his recordings are sought after by collectors. Van Eps recording banjos were developed in part to enable better recordings to be made by using a bowl-shaped reflector under the head of the banjo with a hole in the head for the sound to come out of. Presumably a microphone would be placed immediately in front of the hole when recording.