Try to get a little more information about it - year (or serial number) and model number. Some photos would help. Mike Stanger here on the Hangout (Stanger is his handle) is one of our resident Ode experts and can give you a lot of information. My first banjo was an Ode 2SR - their entry level instrument, archtop with an aluminum rim. 1961 Ode (lower quality: 0.2MB PDF) 1964 Ode (best quality: 3.9MB PDF) 1964 Ode (lower quality: 1.1MB PDF) 1965 Muse (best quality: 4.1MB PDF) 1965 Muse (lower quality: 1.1MB PDF) 1965 Ode (best quality: 6.5MB PDF) 1965 Ode (lower quality: 1.7MB PDF) 1967 Baldwin Ode (best quality: 2.7MB PDF) 1967 Baldwin Ode (lower quality: 1.6MB PDF).
ARCHIVED TOPIC: ODE serial number |
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Gary Foster - Posted - 03/04/2014: 08:04:40
ODE
Can someone tell me what year this ODE was built . I found 2 numbers inside the resonator. I believe one is the model and the other the serial number.
6505 and 10-80-07. One must be the serial and the other model. Thanks
Baconfine - Posted - 03/04/2014: 08:28:48
quote: Originally posted by Gary Foster
ODE
Can someone tell me what year this ODE was built . I found 2 numbers inside the resonator. I believe one is the model and the other the serial number.
6505 and 10-80-07. One must be the serial and the other model. Thanks
the 6505 is the model and the other is date 1980
pleasecall tanja Ogsbury OME Co.
dmiller - Posted - 03/04/2014: 08:30:59
quote: Originally posted by Gary Foster
ODE
Can someone tell me what year this ODE was built . I found 2 numbers inside the resonator. I believe one is the model and the other the serial number.
6505 and 10-80-07. One must be the serial and the other model. Thanks
6505 is the Ode C model number.
10-80-07 means it was the 7th banjo made in October of 1980.
chuckv97 - Posted - 03/04/2014: 09:33:21
I have a 1978 Style C. It has the 6505 model number also.
kmwaters - Posted - 03/04/2014: 10:27:00
Baldwin bought Ode in the 60's so these are obviously not from the Ogsbury shop.
darwinyarwin - Posted - 03/04/2014: 10:37:06
Oct 80 makes it a Gretsch.
rustyman - Posted - 03/04/2014: 10:59:23
I'm pretty sure Ode ceased production in Dec. 1980, so not many were made after yours.
stanger - Posted - 03/08/2014: 18:39:13
No need to call Tanya at Ome. All the Ode records left with everything else when Baldwin moved the shop to Arkansas, and Chuck and Tanya don't know anything much about the Odes after 1970.
Your banjo was made in Oct. 1980, and rusty man is correct; 1980 was the last year of production. While no one knows for sure exactly when the production stopped forever, it was most likely in mid-late December, 1980. End of year is when inventories are taken, and that's probably when Baldwin shut down all their production on their products.
The C was a very popular model. It had the same woods, parts and construction as their top model, the D, with only a less ornate inlay pattern and plain nickel plating instead of gold. A real working man's banjo, and many professionals preferred them over the fancier D. as they were easier to keep looking good. The two sound identical.
regards,
stanger
Your banjo was made in Oct. 1980, and rusty man is correct; 1980 was the last year of production. While no one knows for sure exactly when the production stopped forever, it was most likely in mid-late December, 1980. End of year is when inventories are taken, and that's probably when Baldwin shut down all their production on their products.
The C was a very popular model. It had the same woods, parts and construction as their top model, the D, with only a less ornate inlay pattern and plain nickel plating instead of gold. A real working man's banjo, and many professionals preferred them over the fancier D. as they were easier to keep looking good. The two sound identical.
regards,
stanger
Edited by - stanger on 03/08/2014 18:39:51
Kurt Kemp - Posted - 03/11/2014: 13:30:36
It's all right here right from the horse's mouth (Chuck), so to speak. It's a great 9 pages!
dmiller - Posted - 03/11/2014: 19:23:07
quote: Originally posted by darwinyarwin
Oct 80 makes it a Gretsch.
![Baldwin ode banjo for sale Baldwin ode banjo for sale](http://www.banjorehab.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Mother-of-pearl.jpg)
Here's an archived thread about that from 5 years ago.
Ole, Baldwin Ode banjos were made from 1966 until the very early 1980's, so your banjo had to have been built sometime during that 14 or 15 year period. Most that I've encountered have been from the 60's and early 70's. The ones I've seen and played have been very serviceable instruments.
The instrument you're considering matches the specs of the Baldwin Ode Model C, which was their midrange instrument. You can find the model description about halfway down on this PDF file of their 1967 catalog:
http://www.omebanjos.com/Misc/Baldwin.pdf
Hopefully someone with far greater personal experience with Baldwin Ode banjos than I have chime in on this thread, but having put together more than one five string banjo from parts, I can tell you that the asking price sounds fairly reasonable to me. Just getting parts of that quality to build one for yourself would cost close to that.
So I'd definitely try to haggle on the price if I were you, but it doesn't sound outlandishly expensive to me. You might want to check with the folks on the Mudcat Cafe website, to get their opinions on the price - there are probably more dedicated five string banjo players on that forum than on this one.
But it sounds like a good deal to me. I actually prefer the sound of walnut banjos to maple ones, as they have a sweeter midrange and low end, in my opinion.
Hope this helps.
Wade Hampton Miller
The instrument you're considering matches the specs of the Baldwin Ode Model C, which was their midrange instrument. You can find the model description about halfway down on this PDF file of their 1967 catalog:
http://www.omebanjos.com/Misc/Baldwin.pdf
Hopefully someone with far greater personal experience with Baldwin Ode banjos than I have chime in on this thread, but having put together more than one five string banjo from parts, I can tell you that the asking price sounds fairly reasonable to me. Just getting parts of that quality to build one for yourself would cost close to that.
So I'd definitely try to haggle on the price if I were you, but it doesn't sound outlandishly expensive to me. You might want to check with the folks on the Mudcat Cafe website, to get their opinions on the price - there are probably more dedicated five string banjo players on that forum than on this one.
But it sounds like a good deal to me. I actually prefer the sound of walnut banjos to maple ones, as they have a sweeter midrange and low end, in my opinion.
Hope this helps.
Wade Hampton Miller