Only about a dozen were made. Yes, paging Scott to the Collector's Corner, please. 1975 $899 The first catalog appearance of the L-5S was in the 1975 Gibson Solid Body catalog. There were 431 made. The Gibson Super Jumbo first appeared in 1937. They were too late Gibson owned the market and the Martins were dropped 6 years later having only sold about 540 combined. The 2nd delivery to Ray Whitley was the more refined 14 fret SJ that is so well photo-dicumented. Every banjo has a story. serial number impressed to verso, 60 cm long Australian zither . Ss. The Jumbos had a slight V shaped neck with the Gibson truss rod and a pointed French heal somewhat unusual for Gibson. The bracing for the new larger models was X braced: there were 3 transverse tone bars between the braces 1 more than the Martin as Gibson experimented with bracing design heavy enough to support the large tops and light enough to be resonant and responsive. 30, 1909. David L. Day was in his 70s. The public seems to have favored this shape over time as it fetches better prices now. The Gibson stamped on tailpiece cover. I'm thinking it was made by the Iida folks for a NAMM show or something. MK-53 models were maple back & sides, rosewood fingerboards with dot inlays & nickel hardware. It was bound on the top, back, sides and around the fretboard. In mid 1944 bookmatched two piece Sispruce tops reappear. This can often be found on the back of the peghead or on the inside rim of the banjo. The Mark Series guitars had 16 3/16 lower bouts with very narrow waists, and a headstock like no other in Gibson tradition. The fingerboard of the L-5S is in with select abalone. 1955: Gibson stopped scalloping the bracing it was faster to produce but not as strong. The first two digits tell you the month the banjo was built, the last two digits before the dash or space will tell you the year, and the numbers . G Edward Porgie - Posted - 06/16/2021: 14:40:30. For more detailed information, get the following book: The Larsons Creations Guitars & Mandolins by Robert Carl Hartman. . They generally had birch or walnut back and sides sometimes flat and later (1904+/-) carved. banjo headstock identification new harrisonburg high school good friday agreement, brexit June 29, 2022 fabletics madelaine petsch 2021 0 when is property considered abandoned after a divorce Skip to main content. Its not clear how it works during this period. In 1947 the name changed to the J-200 and the standard back and sides became highly figured maple. It took Gibson 2 years to develop their response: The Jumbo of 1934. It was the heart of the depression and the instruments cost $60 without a case. The Mark Series, though not a wild success in terms of overall sales, did sell reasonably well. For example, one head might sound right for one player on a five string banjo, but be disappointing on another players tenor banjo. Identification. In general, the Larsons used fancier hardware on the more expensive instruments so the date of the hardware should coincide with similar instruments of the period. Why not post a little tune with it. 1923 into 1970: 1 piece mahogany necks. The above Peghead Shapes are existing patterns. Each model of the Mark Series was available in natural or sunburst finish. All listed sizes are for 12 fret to body models: These dimensions were similar for all Larson made instruments. Rettberg & Lange (1898-1920) banjos were initially similar to Buckbee-made
2 foot pressed arm rest and flat head tone ring. There was some amber color. A simpler variation on the SJ-200 with fewer appointments and a lower price tag was the SJ-100. Saga. 562 Standard size with rosewood back & sides, MOP and colored wood appointments. However there were and are many different types, most of which can be found on this page. They had dot markers on the fretboard and a moustache bridge with individual adjusters on each string. tailpieces (see fourth row of pictures below) on many of their unmarked banjos, and their
Scott Zimmerman may be able to shed some light on this. What's the history on the this jo, are you the original owner? There's a small snag in the outer pocket webbing - otherwise it's like new. 1940: #1 or #001 to 1965: approximately #84xxx. It was Gibsons most prestigious solid body (and therefore expensive, with a couple of exceptions). No serial numbers etc. "F" Style mandolins have a carved nautilus shaped curl on the upper left-hand bout. in the third row of pictures below: Lyon & Healy (1864-1940) made many grades of banjos in many styles,
This was expanded in 1935 to about 1/3 of the top area. Ironically, after almost 40 years of making some of the worlds finest banjos, the Bacon and Day banjos were the first to carry David L. Days name. themselves through common hardware and design characteristics. Welcome to the Vintage Banjo Maker, please do sign up for email updates to keep in the loop about new additions to our research coming soon! Tstyle of tuner lasts into early 1943 (FON 2221 last documented series with this tuner style), Late 1942 poplar neck blocks (Late 1942 FON 2119 with FON 2143 being the last documented series with mahogany neck block.). 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. peghead shape. The final production versions had a double-braced red spruce top and rosewood back and sides with a sunburst finish. The last 4 digits are a neck number. Q: What is the first step in determining the age of my banjo? It was available with a Snakehead and had a shaped fingerboard extension. As a consequence, the details were grand in scale and the bindings high in contrast to look good in black and white on the silver screen. Body designations and style designations of Martin guitars are letter-number combinations separated by a hyphen. 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 headstock face was veneered in black. Ohio banjo player Steven Moore has his first solo project, Just a Little Talk with Myself, just recently released. Jul 15, 2021 - A study of banjo head peg heads. Intermediate Grade and Best Grade were generally X braced with laminated braces for added strength. The promotional material in the Gibson catalog of 1934 said: This greater body size produces a heavy, booming tone so popular with many players who do vocal and small combination accompaniment for both personal and radio appearances. 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. Like the SJ-100 of the same year, the J-55 had a stair-step headstock that persisted for only 2 years. They are maintained by Donna LoPrinzi in Clearwater Florida. It's difficult to positively identify the manufacturer of these . 340 Rosewood back & sides, MOP, colored wood appointments & a Tree-of-Life fretboard inlay. Music Love. Gold War era logo - This type is called "Banner logo". It became apparent early that the new design concept was good: they were, in fact, louder and more cutting in tone. In some cases, teachers would
This is a headstock that tapers from narrow at the top to slightly wider at the base (the reverse of the traditional Gibson headstock shape). For sale for $50 cash, firm. 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. Banjo Headstock Designs. Mid 1921 through late 1930s: larger base with 2 feet, 3/8 adjustment wheels and wooden compensated bridge top. To confuse matters, they also manufactured Bacon banjos that had been developed by Fred Bacon: the Professional, the Orchestra and the Blue Ribbon. Higher numbers also meant more money. Here's the photo gallery that I put together:velkdesign.com/assets/banjo/. The strings are tightly wound at the headstock so the banjo player can form cords along the fingerboard. The top and back bindings were black plastic with red line highlights. It was intended to be more affordable and more readily available than its main competition: the Martin D-18. Other attempts by Gibson to make-do with the materials available to them include laminated maback and sides finished in a dark mahogany stain and a few were built with a laminate maple back and a mahogany top. Presentation banjos often turned up at NAMMand other shows. 2. Slanted mid 1940's Gibson Logo. 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. Some early necks were cherry before 1912. Headstocks of US models also use the Gibson headstock shape. Even the group of inexperienced entreprenuers could see and understand the value of the Gibson name. Late 1930s through 1942: ? adjustment wheels 2 feet and extensions on top of the base for the wheels. It's always made of hardwood such as ebony and makes up the front-facing top half of the banjo's neck. They are very pricy at over $20.00 each, but worth it if you want . 541 Concert: rosewood back & sides with colored wood appointments. When it came out in 1942 it was the most expensive Gibson flat-top in the line. It shared many features with the L-5 archtop electric acoustic: The neck was basically an L-5 neck in scale, section and detail. Steel Guitar. MIDWEST BANJO CAMPJune 1-4, 2023New Manchester, IN
Internally, changes from the J-35 included strengthening the top bracing by moving the X brace 1 additional inch behind the soundhole. Nice playability, great tone, strong low end and good sustain all the way up the neck. This technique of supplying interchangeable saddles/bridges was not new, it had been used by Selmer in France for their Maccaferri style instruments since the 1930s. The early models had shallow neck sets and low bridges that increased in angle around 1908 with taller bridges. $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. The Aria 921C was a good quality 5-string banjo made in the early 1970s. Gretsch was contracted to make banjos for them. During 1880-1890 Fairbanks joined with William A. Cole, a successful performer and teacher, and produced approximately 9000 banjos as Fairbanks & Cole. (The 1st year of the J-45 actually had similar appointments but they were reduced and simplified for model clarity in 1943). 1978 $1079 Tobacco sunburst is dropped for Fireburst; Maple is now described as Natural. ARCHIVED TOPIC: Vintage Kay Company Banjo - Need Help Identifying Model, Please note this is an archived topic, so it is locked and unable to be replied to. Gold-plated tuning gears, LOTS of abalone inlay. I just have a few questions. 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. Where no serial numbers are shown they simply are not known. Cherry Sunburst is still available. How to customize a Huber Banjo; . On 12 fret to the body guitars, in a break with tradition, the Larson brothers frequently inlayed the 10th fret instead of the ninth. The name variations included Bacon and Day and B&D for all the instruments co-developed by Fred Bacon and David Day. It marked the beginning of a new era for Gibson. USA produced Epiphones of this era bear standard Gibson serialization and include the Made in USA stamp on the back of the headstock. The last of the Mark Series was built in 1979. If you count the plies in the rim it is about 12 or 13 which is what I have seen in a lot of Asian banjos. The Gibson CF-100 was introduced in 1950 (the CF-100E was introduced 1951) and discontinued in 1960. To accommodate the pickup, the standard production neck was pushed up to a neck-body joint at the 15th fret. Start your day off right, with a Dayspring Coffee Martin introduced their versions of acoustic-electrics: the D-18E in 1958 and D-28E in 1959. It had binding on front, back, soundhole and the fretboard; The Gibson inlaid into the headstock and a better grade of spruce top. The following site helps identify the labels with the date and location of production: All Gurian Guitars have serial numbers stamped on the neck block in characters visible through the soundhole. Its price tag was $55 as compared to the Martin D-18 at $65 and D-28 at $100. 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. The birch sides and back were stained red. He lived in Illinois all his life. 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. The headstock had a black wood face veneer. These appear to be the easiest to find and quite reasonable to buy. If you would like to use content from this page, see our Terms of Usage policy. 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. Bridges: Ebony Sometimes with a flattened pyramid rectangular bridge shape. The top and back bindings were black plastic.