banjo headstock identificationshallow wicker basket
Depending on the selected source, there is disagreement about these numbers. Knob changes usually following other Gibson electrics. . Unfortunately, the information is confusing and inconsistent. $ 5,719.00 $ 5,149.00. Vega continued to mark their banjos "A.C. Fairbanks" until the middle teens. The A.C. Fairbanks Company (incorporated 1875) was succeeded in 1903 by the Vega Company (established 1889). The more economical Student Grade instruments were often ladder braced. For example: B&D had several un-numbered models between 1913 and 1920. Serial Numbers. feature both a serial number and a FON. 541 Concert: rosewood back & sides with colored wood appointments. Banjo Headstock Designs. CLB, Classic guitar of Brazilian rosewood, gold tuners. 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. Also, the first batch of J-45s had more binding both on the body and soundhole. In 1893, he patented a banjo neck fitted with a channel for the 5th string to pass through so it could be tuned at the headstock instead of its usual location. S3M, Size 3 guitar with mahogany back & sides. RB -- regular banjo (5-string) TB -- tenor banjo. It had a double ring of purfling around the soundhole, pearl dots on the fretboard, dark stained birch back and sides and The Gibson stamped on tailpiece cover. For example, one head might sound right for one player on a five string banjo, but be disappointing on another players tenor banjo. Buy in monthly payments with Affirm on orders over $50. This can often be found on the back of the peghead or on the inside rim of the banjo. The ones up until 1924 had either at best a ball bearing tone ring -- spring loaded ball bearings with springs to keep the skin heads tight. Ironically the first blond J-45s were actually built in July of 1942 (Called the J-45N for Natural) and the actual number of these shipped is not known for sure. No binding, no inlay and no decoration. MK-81 models were rosewood back & sides, ebony fingerboard with figured abalone block inlays & gold plated hardware. The J-160E was Gibsons second design for an electric flat-top guitar following the CF-100. Gibson developed the truss rod in 1921. A flourish inlay under The Gibson in the headstock. Several cost-cutting measures existed between the Advanced Jumbo and the J-35 including scalloped braces on the advanced Jumbo and not on the J-35. They generally had birch or walnut back and sides sometimes flat and later (1904+/-) carved. Yes, paging Scott to the Collector's Corner, please. Identification. Other similar details include: single-cutaway body, ebony fingerboard with block inlays, flowerpot headstock inlay, L-5 tailpiece with contrasting silver on gold with L-5 engraving (changed to TP-6 in 1978) and multilayer body binding throughout. CUSTOMER SERVICE. The Advanced Jumbo has been described by some as the finest no compromises most powerful flat-top guitar Gibson ever designed and built. Between 1934 and 1938, Gibson only offered the sunburst finish. Jun 24, 2020 - The Art of Banjo Headstocks. I have owned a beautiful Kay company banjo for over 30 years. in the third row of pictures below: Lyon & Healy (1864-1940) made many grades of banjos in many styles, the teacher or distributor. Martin introduced the large body dreadnaught in 1932 It was bigger, bolder, and louder than anything Gibson had to offer. Labels say: A. In 1935, binding was added to the fretboard. There can easily be more numbers within each year listed. The exceptions were in 1979/1980 when the very fine Flying VII and active Les Paul Artist models were available; both were between $50 and $100 more, and were deleted almost as quickly as they dbuted. Schall hardware is pretty unique and the fifth USA produced Epiphones of this era bear standard Gibson serialization and include the "Made in USA" stamp on the back of the headstock. Gold-plated tuning gears, LOTS of abalone inlay. Every banjo has a story. Hard-case rugged and gig-bag light! It would have helped if the Larson brothers had sequential serial numbers but there is just enough contradictory evidence to prevent one from trusting numbers that appear to be sequential. 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. Why not post a little tune with it. A New Leaf from Steven Moore. Similar to A, but with double purfling on the soundhole. Yet somehow, there's a certain cool factor to this one. The centerline of the neck had the black inlay. It is the only typical American (USA) instrument, starting off as an instrument of the African slaves, then via the Minstrel Shows becoming part of typical American music styles like Jazz, Dixieland, Bluegrass, etc. made unmarked banjos for others to sell as well. The Lyon & Healy peghead shape used on most of The space between the headstock center and the top of the lathe bed is the radius of the lathe swing. Q: What is the first step in determining the age of my banjo? Introduced 1967, Basically an more economical LG-0. See more ideas about banjo, guitar inlay, mandolin. In mid 1944 bookmatched two piece Sispruce tops reappear. First factory order number (FON) on neck block of J45s in 1942 was 907 and 923. If you continue, we will assume that you agree to, http://www.banjohangout.org/archive/276603, 'Pisgah Banjo Co. raffle for Arnold Shultz Fund extended to March 10, 2023', 'Pisgah Banjo Company banjo raffle extended to March 10', 'Flinthill FHB-300 - Killer bluegrass banjo for the money! 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 ). The back braces were tall and thin and Gibson scalloped the top braces. 2. 1959: Larger crown frets and the adjustable bridge. You have your choice of 3 different peghead shapes. The 31 year old part time musician has mostly been found on the contest stages in recent years, taking first in the National Bluegrass Banjo Championship twice, and in the RockyGrass, RenoFest . tailpieces (see fourth row of pictures below) on many of their unmarked banjos, and their My understanding is that only 12 of these particular banjos were ever manufactured by Kay. of their later banjos had elite tailpieces, Orpheum-like hardware, and long, Google Play. It had a 24 3/4 scale and was constructed of all solid woods. The strings are tightly wound at the headstock so the banjo player can form cords along the fingerboard. I just received this mando-banjo I bought on e-bay and I'm hoping someone can help me identify the builder. 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. It will be interesting of one of the BHO members has a vintage Kay catalog with that particular banjo. The 1934 was single bound, front and back with dot markers on the rosewood fretboard and a horizontal script logo inlay on the headstock. The first Gibson J45 guitars were only slightly different from the discontinued J-35. Weve seen some serial number lists that are as much as 8 years out-of-sync with this list. FLC, Flamenco guitar with Canadian cypress back and sides, friction pegs (machine heads on some examples). Pearl twin parallelogram inlays, Bridges: Rosewood belly-down. The introduction of a truss rod cover to the headstock caused the inlay patterns to adjust as well. Dimensions: 16 wide, 10 1/4 long and 4 1/2 deep. It took Gibson 2 years to develop their response: The Jumbo of 1934. Rettberg & Lange (1898-1920) banjos were initially similar to Buckbee-made The later pickguard clamps have a stamped patent date of July 4, 1911. Its not clear how it works during this period. For example: The custom series of Epiphone Texans built with cooperation from Paul McCartney: some were built in Bozeman Montana and some in Japan. C-series Factory location: Hinsdale, New Hampshire from 1973 to 1979, D-series Factory location: West Sansei, New Hampshire from 1980 to 1981, The designation S refers to the body size: 2 & 3 (increasing with number value). Introduced is the year of introduction. Other Banjo-Related Topics In general, higher model numbers meant more binding and ornament. Angled (Tilted-Back) Headstock. It had binding on front, back, soundhole and the fretboard; The Gibson inlaid into the headstock and a better grade of spruce top. This is a high-quality instrument. Research our price guide with auction results on 40 items from $35 to $2,928. 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. The story of how Greg Deering came to own the over 130 year old Vega trademark is one of childhood dreams and an unmissable opportunity. 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. It is not clear how many were made, but it is likely that there are less than 12. Gretsch appears to have started a new numbering system at about that time. The electronics cover on the back was matching solid figured maple. This should be considered a guide to get you within a year of the correct date. 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. When it came out in 1942 it was the most expensive Gibson flat-top in the line. The L-5S was the first high end jazz solid body guitar. expressed on the sides and back of the 1934 versions. Thinner cog gears with no bevel on the edge of the cogs. Between 1975 and 1979, Gibson worked with Dr. Michael Kashas acoustic theories for guitar and Luthier Richard Schneiders design applications to create a unique instrument for the Gibson acoustic lineup. Headstocks of US models also use the Gibson headstock shape. The rosettes were simple white-black-white. Music Love. 1940: #1 or #001 to 1965: approximately #84xxx. See the notes below. Some rectangular examples, Headstock appointments: Decal Only a Gibson is Good Enough banner. There is a steel tone ring on the maple rim, and the rim has a maple cap. At least one model, the Epiphone Spirit, was manufactured in the USA during the early 1980s in the Gibson factory in Kalamazoo, MI. David L. Day was in his 70s. In 1941 the fretboard became Brazilian rosewood. The following numbers are the earliest known serial number for the year listed. The appointments roughly followed the Southerner Jumbo but the design was primarily electric: it had a 3-ply top with ladder bracing to reduce the low-end response for the single coil pickup placed at the base of the fretboard. The system is not known for certain but might have restarted as consecutive numbers beginning at 1000. It was the innovations of the Loar period: 1921 through 1925 that saw the introduction of the truss rod, adjustable bridges, bracing adjustments, thinning and grading of the tops and numerous other refinements to create the standards that are still used today. 1968: Changed to a bottom belly bridge and 1960 style pickguard, 1969: Changed to a square shoulder dreadnaught, Original version: solid mahogany back but laminated mahogany sides, 1 piece mahogany neck & 17 degree headstock angle, Bound Brazilian fretboard with trapezoid inlayed markers, Individual Kluson tuners with white buttons later: keystone Pearloid buttons, P-90 single coil pickup with adjustable pole pieces. Prairie State instruments have the patented rod and/or tube reinforcing, occasionally found on other Larson built guitars. Occasionally the labels have fallen out or been removed during repairs making it a bit trickier to date the instruments. The tuners cogs are peened on the shafts (the peening sometihas a waffle design). Hard-stamped serial numbers. and many were left unmarked. 118 Midtown Ct # M Find the worth of your vintage banjo from 1920s to 1970s. Approximate Chronology (there are always exceptions): There were a few natural finished J-45N models made during 1942. Here's the photo gallery that I put together:velkdesign.com/assets/banjo/. The body dimensions basically match the LG-series: 14 1/8 wide by 19 1/2 long by 4 1/2 deep. It became apparent early that the new design concept was good: they were, in fact, louder and more cutting in tone. Some FONs for 1942 include 7116-7119, 7434, 7705, 7721, 907, 910, 923, 928, 2004-2006, 2059, 2098, 2110, 2119. 1973 $895 L-5S a few instruments shipped and cherry sunburst is the only available finish. LoPrinzi Rosemont, New Jersey built by Augustino LoPrinzi (and apprentices) with Augustino on the headstocks. All Rights Reserved. identify the manufacturer of these banjos in many cases, but some identify For example: Gretsch stopped production of Bacon and B&D banjos. They were well suited for orchestral arrangements as well as individual play and accompaniment. By 1936, with the depression still gripping the nation, Gibson moved to stay competitive and offer a more affordable option: The Advanced Jumbo (Advanced meaning that the size advanced: got bigger) with rosewood and fancier appointments that would compete with the Martin D-28 at $80 and the Jumbo 35 at $35 to compete with the Martin D-18. RRRR = Ranking number (may be more or less digits) Example: 3021234 = Samick Korea / 1993 / February / unit 1234. The binding on the top is b/w. 1972 L-5S launched, but shipping totals list no instruments being shipped until 1973. GB -- guitar banjo. It was the heart of the depression and the instruments cost $60 without a case. In 1923 it appears that Gibson began to assemble A-2s with left-over blonde tops from A-3s. The first group in late 1936 had larger soundholes and long scales: 25 1/2. Factory Order Numbers (FON) include the 2100s to 2500s, The adjustable truss rod reappeared in 1944, Tuners cogs got slightly thicker and with beveled edges. Nice playability, great tone, strong low end and good sustain all the way up the neck. A head on a long neck open back banjo might sound completely different on a 12-string banjo. It appears to be all original except for the bridge, which appears to be a banjo bridge crudely slotted for 8 strings, and the head, which is probably plastic. Silkscreen logos - Low end models. The model started production in 1938 as Gibsons top-of-the-line flat top guitar. 519,409 In 1894, he patented this wild banjo with a neck that folds in on itself at the 10th fret in order to facilitate transportation. The current bridge height and neck angle was reached around 1910. They were available in steel string or classical. Worthy of mention is the Jumbo Deluxe, though it is believed that only 3 were ever made in 1938. The labels with an image of Orville Gibson are generally found on instruments with serial numbers below 10,000. 30, 1909. Similar to A-2 but with snakehead headstock, blonde finish, b/w binding, and A2-Z on the label. I'm kind of with Bob on the Korea origin - almost screams Sam Ickfrom the 1980s to me - except that it's a little understated and the finish isn't as thick as you normally see on a Samickpresentation banjo. Carl and August Larson built instruments between 1900 and 1944. Sometimes a higher model number means a bigger and fancier instrument but there does not appear to be a thoughtful of consistent method for ascribing model numbers. During 1880-1890 Fairbanks joined with William A. Cole, a successful performer and teacher, and produced approximately 9000 banjos as Fairbanks & Cole. 3 special model, serial number 8382, New York, circa 1920s, intricate abalone shell inlay to fingerboard and headstock which also bears the Company logo. Most were 3-piece solid maple bodies. The original partners were Fred and Cassie Bacon and Mr. and Mrs. Oliver Winship. George Youngblood of Youngbloods Music Workshop. These appear to be the easiest to find and quite reasonable to buy. The 5th string is not only shorter than the other four banjo strings, but this string is also the highest in sound (or pitch ). Gold-plated tuning gears, LOTS of abalone inlay. purchase these instruments and put their own names on them, but in many other 1970 onward: 1 piece maple. 1952: The headstock gold decal logo was replaced by an inlayed pearl script and crown. By the end in 1985-86, Gibson was basically down to the Les Paul model alone. Our 19th Year * Sign Up Now The appointments matched the MK-35 but the bracing was modified to accommodate the additional string tension of 12 strings. The sides and back were tinted mahogany with a sunburst red spruce top. Bound rosewood fingerboard with small fret wire, clamshell tail piece with Morris inscribed. 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. Each type of banjo head has a unique contribution to your banjo's tone. The original Factory Order Numbers (FON) appear to show the first De Luxe Jumbos were delivered bewteen March and June of 1938 to Joe Wolverton, Ray Whitley and Gene Autry. See also: Gibson J-160E for more historical context. LoPrinzi Guitars most from Plainsboro New Jersey. It is very showy though. Our 19th Year * Sign Up Now Plectrum. The flood of returning soldiers with a broader world-view brought new musical tastes and new hopes for the future. Some early necks were cherry before 1912. The soundhole binding does not extend the full depth of the soundhole. Banjo serial numbers: During the 1920s, Gibson instruments were made in lots of 40s (for the most part, this procedure continues today). better-grade offerings frequently had notched, rather than grooved stretcher The name evolved from De Luxe Jumbo to Super Jumbo in 1939, and then to the Super Jumbo 200 (reflecting the price at the time, the case would be $28 extra). The headstock face was veneered in black. The second type of headstock, as you can tell by its name, is the angled or tilted-back headstock. During 1942 two new models were introduced to the Gibson line-up to replace the J-35 and J-55. Some banjo . 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. The Southerner Jumbo (later shortened to: Southern Jumbo and then SJ) was a fancier J-45. See more ideas about banjo, guitar inlay, ukulele. $80 in depression era dollars was beyond the means of most people of the time but 300+/- were built during its 3 year production run. Many have no identification at all. Dr. Michael Kasha was a chemical physicist and the director of the Institute of Molecular Biophysics at Florida State University. Since Spruce was needed for the war-time effort, some J-45s in 1943 have a mahogany top. The bridge were early simple rectangular with through-saddles. Materials and methods of production were reviewed and revised. These can exist on any model numbers including the A-jr. Your banjo is Asian made, likely Korea, but maybe Japan. which do not feature a paper label. For photographic examples of the Gibson Cf-100 and CF-100E Click Here. bands even in the early 1890s. Towards the end, the line actually continued to increase in sales. The best way to date Larrive instruments is by the instrument labels. Though there appear to be exceptions, necks between 1912 and 1923 are 3-piece mahogany. Jul 15, 2021 - A study of banjo head peg heads. 615-264-4959. It is important to note that there are exceptions to every rule and the following is only a general guide for identifying Gibson A Style mandolins. GIBSON GARAGE FIND A DEALER GIBSON APP. The sunburst finish was generally $30 less than natural finish. The one delivered first to Ray Whitley was not the model now seen as the beginning of the Super Jumbos, but a simpler 12 fret version. Bridges: Ebony Sometimes with a flattened pyramid rectangular bridge shape. My understanding is that only 12 of these particular banjos were ever manufactured by Kay. Kay company banjos were normally not that high-quality but this one is different. What's the history on the this jo, are you the original owner? That being said, and allowing for the large numbers of prototypes and other Gibson anomalies, the following can be used s a guide to help get close to a proper model identification and its year of production. If1970s, would be Japanese, more likely. Alternates can range from standard designs out there in the banjo world, old or new, or a custom. JM, jumbo size guitar with mahogany back & sides, chrome tuners. The 1934 version had a classic Gibson sunburst: the small amber center around the bridge about 1/4 of the top area. You may, however, start a new topic and refer to this topic with a link: http://www.banjohangout.org/archive/276603. The Gibson Super Jumbo first appeared in 1937. Weekly newsletter includes free lessons, favorite member content, banjo news and more. Other singing cowboys who later owned Super Jumbos include Roy Rogers and Gene Autry. I have an open back banjo with a number 44 stamped in the ring, and May 2, 1899 carved in the support on the backside.
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