No financial interest in this sale, but wanted to mention I have the same banjo and really like it. I haven't compared it to vintage tenors, but feel it's nicely plunky with the right head. I had goat skin on it for a while and it never sounded better, but real skin can be temperamental. The Renaissance head gave a nice median between plunky and sharp.
I also replaced the stock bridge with this Farquhar bridge and it made a world of difference:
http://elderly.com/accessories/items/F4B-5/8-3-STD.htmAnyway, just wanted to pass along to any interested parties that the IT-250 is a good value, especially with a couple of upgrades.