The narrower guitar sizes allowed for available materials. Neck: mahogany single piece. I visited his place once when I was kid (probably mid - late 1970's) and his finished basement was filled with guitars, banjos, lots of different instruments. During the period of 1909 through 1920 Gibson produced large numbers of mandolins. Gretsch appears to have started a new numbering system at about that time. 156137I know this is a mandolin forum, but the admins suggested I start here. Brown or black finish, some binding only on the top and in the soundhole with one ring around the soundhole. There are also examples of A-2Zs without the Z on the lable but still sporting the black perfling line. Gibson style one piece flange, probably zinc, also Gibson style flange brackets, 4 resonator screws. expressed on the sides and back of the 1934 versions. Mid 1921 through late 1930s: larger base with 2 feet, 3/8 adjustment wheels and wooden compensated bridge top. It had chrome plated standard friction pegs, rosewood finished neck and headstock with matchin resonator. Gibson had helped in the war effort and seen many employees enlist. Similar to A, but with double purfling on the soundhole. Banjo Headstock Designs. The following versions evolved quickly to 14 frets clear of the body. I removed the resonator today and there is a hand written number 8 and that's it. FLC, Flamenco guitar with Canadian cypress back and sides, friction pegs (machine heads on some examples). Silkscreen logos - Low end models. See Martin Serial Numbers for a dating information. What's the history on the this jo, are you the original owner? What Does My Banjo's Serial Number Tell Me? - Deering Banjo Company Size 3 Gurian, either acoustic or amplified. I am the third owner, the previous owner researched it and, based on the serial number, headstock design and inlays declares it to be a 1976 Gibson RB 250 MASTERTONE model with the 20 hole metal tone ring. The standard "Huber' shape, the popular "Double Cut" shape or the "Fiddle Cut" shape. It took Gibson 2 years to develop their response: The Jumbo of 1934. CONTACT US; Headstock Shape. and What's it sound like? PB -- plectrum banjo. S2M, size 2 guitar with mahogany back & sides. However there were and are many different types, most of which can be found on this page. For example: In general: Bacon serial numbers begin in 1906 (1 and 2 digit) and run consecutively until the sale of the company to Gretsch in 1940 (5 digit). How to Survey the Neck to Identify a Great Bluegrass Banjo www.stonebanjo.com - Peghead Shapes Body designations and style designations of Martin guitars are letter-number combinations separated by a hyphen. Considering that Gibson was using a double X bracing for most of its other flat top guitars during that period, these instruments, with their modified fan bracing, stand out as some of the better sounding Gibsons of the time. Never seen one with an inlay on the back of the neck. The 5th string is not only shorter than the other four banjo strings, but this string is also the highest in sound (or pitch ). They didnt sell well but did live up to their design intent of a heavier, booming tone with good overall balance. 1923 into 1970: 1 piece mahogany necks. F/FF = Factory code (No factory designator for some 1993 and earlier models) Y/YY = Year of manufacture (Single digit for some 1997 and earlier models) MM = Month of manufacture. Most have the patented L&H tailpiece shown in the inset. Martins 1st steel string: 1922, 18 Mahogany body after 1917, no volute on headstock, 40 Rosewood body, MOP top & soundhole but not neck base, 41 Rosewood body, MOP top & soundhole but not neck base, 1969+ D-only, 42 Rosewood body, MOP top, soundhole & neck base but not sides, 45 Rosewood body, MOP top, soundhole, neck base & sides, S (1967 on) 12 fret neck, slotted headstock, Dyer (1906 1923?) Gold-plated tuning gears, LOTS of abalone inlay. Binding a Banjo Headstock - AcousticBox.com Information gathered from many sources but there are a few that need to be acknowledged: Dan Beimborns original Mandolin Pages web site and later contributions to the Mandolin Archive. Some FONs for 1942 include 7116-7119, 7434, 7705, 7721, 907, 910, 923, 928, 2004-2006, 2059, 2098, 2110, 2119. A flourish inlay under The Gibson in the headstock. serial number 8382, New York, circa 1920s, intricate abalone shell inlay to fingerboard and headstock which also bears the Company logo. The 5th string on a banjo lies within easy reach of the right-hand . Other singing cowboys who later owned Super Jumbos include Roy Rogers and Gene Autry. 2. There were 1229 made. Yes, please do post your tune here on this page. When I look at the rim, tone ring, tube and plate, and tailpiece they look like the same ones on my Ibanez 591. . After October 1930 the body and style designations and the serial number appears stamped on the neck blocks: Since the Larson brothers built guitars for many brand names, identification can be difficult, but there are a number of stylistic and structural building techniques that help narrow the exercise. These were Gibsons first flat-top cutaways. Gibson The top and back bindings were black plastic. The appointments matched the MK-35 but the bracing was modified to accommodate the additional string tension of 12 strings. It was available with a Snakehead and had a shaped fingerboard extension. The exceptions are those guitars sold by Selmer in the UK which will (probably) have a number stamped into the back of the headstock and guitars sold by Van Wouw in the Netherlands. Information gleamed from the Mandolin Cafs website over the years. Because there are few of these instruments around, little has been written about them, though some did find their way into the hands of influential artists of the day. Identify Wood Lathe Parts Illustrated - Turn A Wood Bowl Gibson introduced their first adjustable belly bridge 2 screws to raise and lower the bridge. Many banjo manufacturers, in addition to making banjos under their own names, made unmarked banjos for others to sell as well. Customers can choose from these shapes or provide an alternate. This is a high-quality instrument. 1978 $1079 Tobacco sunburst is dropped for Fireburst; Maple is now described as Natural. I chose a .090 binding that is layered, for a nice pin-striped look and Stewart MacDonald Guitar Shop Supply makes the perfect set of bits for routing headstock for binding called Piloted Binding Router Bits. Labels say: A. The Jumbo 55 (J-55) was introduce in late 1939 and discontinued in 1942. This information is approximate and has not been verified by the LoPrinzi family. 1972 L-5S launched, but shipping totals list no instruments being shipped until 1973. The Kalamazoo plant kept going for a few years as a custom-instrument shop, including the Mark Series instruments, and was ultimately closed in 1984. They could be strung with steel or nylon strings. Saga Bella Voce 70/80. The banjo's fingerboard is where the magic happens. The Gibson Company was formed in late 1902 and the early mandolins evolved from the original Orville Gibson designs. There was a line of black inlay (or ebony layer) along the centerline of the back of the neck. For example: The custom series of Epiphone Texans built with cooperation from Paul McCartney: some were built in Bozeman Montana and some in Japan. The Advanced Jumbo has been described by some as the finest no compromises most powerful flat-top guitar Gibson ever designed and built. It also had a black veneered headstock (front and back) and a black inlay in the back of the neck. Back & Sides: Mahogany but some released as Brazilian rosewood. The early models had shallow neck sets that increased in angle around 1908. CLR, Classic guitar with Indian rosewood back and sides, decorated binding, gold tuners. There were 5226 made. Sometimes (rarely) the labels are easy to read: the model and serial numbers hand-printed in ink and sometimes the information was written in pencil and is now barely legible. The flood of returning soldiers with a broader world-view brought new musical tastes and new hopes for the future. There were 431 made. The current bridge height and neck angle was reached around 1910. By the records, between 200 and 300 were built. ', 'Pisgah 12 Builders Choice Custom Walnut Dobson 5+1 String Banjo', 'Custom 12inch Billybilt Banjo w Figured Maple neck and Curly maple RIckard Pot and Balch head', '11inch Billybilt Banjo with Antique Spunover SS Stewart Pot and Curly Maple neck'. The first Gibson J45 guitars were only slightly different from the discontinued J-35. Introduced August 1942 and J-45s are still available today. Wiley Morris of the Morris Brothers Hillbilly Band and Charlie Monroe (Bill Monroes brother) took to the instrument for its potential in the roots of Bluegrass music. Build Your Own Huber Banjo | HuberBanjos.com The somewhat radical headstock shape was discontinued at Gibson with the Mark Series but appears to have been an influence on the young Paul Reed Smith who later used a similar shape for his electric instruments. The neck is the long piece of wood that attaches to the banjo body that guides the strings along the instrument's fretting surface (called the fingerboard ). VINTAGE BANJO IDENTIFICATION - Discussion Forums - Banjo Hangout Some laminated maple necks with two walnut stripes down the center (5 piece neck), most with no truss rod (war time meallocations), Neck shape large and round (Baseball Bat) due to lack of truss rod, Poplar neck blocks. MIDWEST BANJO CAMPJune 1-4, 2023New Manchester, IN To most people all banjos look (and sound) the same. Vega Banjos - Deering Banjo Company The soundhole binding does not extend the full depth of the soundhole. http://www.mugwumps.com. New guitars were supplied with user applied pick guards, and extra saddles of different heights that could be easily inserted to adjust the string action to accommodate the swelling of the instrument with seasonal humidity changes. Dr. Michael Kasha was a chemical physicist and the director of the Institute of Molecular Biophysics at Florida State University. Good size logs of spruce were government controlled during the war and were not easily available shortly after. Though you were told there was only12 of this model made, it will not be any more valuable than if there 10,000 made. If1970s, would be Japanese, more likely. Approximate Chronology (there are always exceptions): There were a few natural finished J-45N models made during 1942. It was a refinement of the slope-shoulder design of the original Jumbo but slightly deeper: 4 13/16. Augustino & Thomas LoPrinzi Guitars usually have the date of manufacture on the label. It is most common after 1923 when most Gibson model As had this shape. Antique and Vintage Hall of Fame - Collectors Weekly The first number of the sequence indicates the decade of production, followed by the three digit day of the year, and finally the year. The passage of time confuses matters even further: They made some non-SilverBell models that had been developed in the 1930s that bore the B&D label like the Seniorita, and some later Gretsch SilverBells that carried only the Bacon label. Epiphone serial-number-information - identification These shoes are shown in an 1890s Washburn banjo catalog, on low end models with . Its not clear how it works during this period. It became the working mans choice and one of the most enduring instrument designs in history. Some rectangular examples, black bridge pins (2 pearl dots on rectangle bridge), Headstock appointments: gold decal: Only a Gibson is Good Enough banner. No serial numbers etc. Some J-45 models with non-bookmatched two piece Adirondack spruce tops and some examples with four piece tops. The hurricane of September 1938 destroyed the companys ability to manufacture anything. Banjos with pegheads like that shown in the first picture below are usually made by Buckbee. World War II changed many aspects of the guitar world. Kay company banjos were normally not that high-quality but this one is different. Information compiled by Leonard Wyeth 2008, L Wyeth, Century General Introduced 1933 for the Century of Progress Exhibition @ $55. According to the Gibson catalog, natural finish was the only option in 1939 but we are told that at least 2 examples exist of a cherry sunburst from the same period. It is very showy though. Design your own Huber Banjo. The neck was basically the neck stocks from the L-5 archtop: 3 ply maple with single wide bound scalloped fretboard ends and headstocks and the early models had the L-5 flowerpot inlay on the headstock. I just have a few questions. The early instruments built in Nashville suffered from inexperienced workers and climate-control problems in the humid South. 3 hrs, 'Pisgah 12 Builders Choice Custom Walnut Dobson 5+1 String Banjo' 3 hrs, 'Custom 12inch Billybilt Banjo w Figured Maple neck and Curly maple RIckard Pot and Balch head' 4 hrs, '11inch Billybilt Banjo with Antique Spunover SS Stewart Pot and Curly Maple neck' 4 hrs, I see no collectors market for banjos like yours.<, We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. I wouldn't be surprised if a few exist with other brand names. Gibson needed to revitalize its lineup of flat-top guitars the LG-Series was born. Example: U8034853 U = Unsung, 8 = 1998, 03 = March, 4853 = manufacturing number. The 1975 price was $549. The L-series is very difficult to properly identify and date as they were inconsistent in their appointments and the catalog descriptions do not always agree with the actual instruments produced. S. S. Stewart Guitars Born of a Banjeau Maker Our 19th Year * Sign Up Now Blake507 - Posted-12/26/2013: 15:42:17. Gibson Banjo Serial Number Factory Order Number Information - Banjo Philes It was available in red, black or two-tone sunburst finish, fleur-de-lis under The Gibson; Handel inlaid tuner buttons prior to 1916 (WWI) with a dotted + in each button. side of the top of the peghead (see last set of pictures below). The space between the headstock center and the top of the lathe bed is the radius of the lathe swing.