Riley and Baker all metal Zither-Banjo

RILEY Joseph Riley & Son: of 23/25 Constitution Hill Birmingham were established in 1851 as Musical Instrument Merchants, Patentees and Manufacturers".  In 1894 they had a stand at the Birmingham Industrial Exhibition on which they displayed and advertised themselves as being agents for Windsor banjos and zither-banjos.  Following the success of this Exhibition, they engaged Olly Oakley to demonstrate Windsor instruments in their store. They appear to have started to manufacture their own banjos and zither-banjos a year later and in 1896 filed  a patent for an improved zither-banjo the inner hoop, or hoop proper, having, outwardly projecting lugs round the bottom edge, which rest on corresponding inwardly projecting lugs on the outer hoop or casing".   In the same patent they also included the specification of making, the necks of banjos and like instruments, hollow. In 1897 the firm was advertising its "Riley-Baker Perfected Banjo" in which the hoop was "stiftened or reinforced by an internal annular flange or horizontal feather, which is directed internally from the inside walls, at a point rather above the middle line of ..... "

Please check back regularly!