About Us

Owned by There was a time... LLC, we make banjos and sell various acoustical musical instruments. Our 19th Century replica instruments include fretless gourd banjos, dulcimers and tambourines. In the not too distant future we hope to add "tear drop" fiddles to our product line. It is our hope that these historic re-creations will replace many of the modern guitars and banjos still so prevalent at living history encampments and reenactments.

We applaud the master craftsmen creating museum quality Boucher and Sweeney replicas, but that is not our purpose with our banjos. To keep our prices within reach of the average reenactor, the instruments we manufacture are purposely of the common variety.

Focusing on the period between 1830 and 1865, we do not attempt exact reproductions of any particular historical instrument. We instead borrow from many 19th Century styles and create composite replica instruments which still reproduce an authentic sound and feel of the time. Our fretless banjos are hand made using period correct materials and finishes. An exception is low cost polymer strings (Nylagut) for our banjos. We also furnish genuine gut strings, but for those seeking absolute authenticity, remember that modern gut strings are made to tolerances far more exact than anything available in the 19th Century. Maybe someday, if we find a good source for appropriate quality sheep intestines, we can offer some truly authentic strings. Until then, we'll make do with commercially available gut.