Ending Thursday at 9:33PM GMT 2d 23h. In regards to the endorsed banjo models cited in your final paragraph, my files show that the Sonny Osborne model appears only in the 1968 Vega/Boston catalogue. i replaced the head but it still sounds the same. The label on the peg head reads Martin & Co and inside the rim reads Martin & Co and the number 993. Just found this wonderful site. Save This Search Vega Vox short neck tenor banjo IiMPOSSIBLE TO FIND/ one of the best sounding Banjo's in the world> Used - Mint Condition Posted 11/15/2021 8:46:13 AM by Ronkisok - Country: United States - State: CT - ZIP: 06790 Again, thanks for your post. Photos are always welcome, and thanks for your post. Vintage Vega Banjo - musical instruments - by owner - sale VINTAGE VEGA TENOR BANJO, 1930, RESONATOR, 19 FRET, CLEAN. Hopes this helps and thanks again for the detailed pictures. It is the first martin-vega I have ever seen in person, or had in my hands! The year 1970-1971 was a time of transition of tools and parts from Boston to Nazareth, PA. Your 5-stringer serial #993 is one of six Pro-5`s manufactured per Shop Order # 2211 in mid 1974 by C.F. Martin made 101 of the PS-5 instruments which listed for $488 without case in the final V/M price list in 1971. The build quality is quite immaculate, both wood and hardware. The larger connecting rod inside the pot is a spare part inherited from the Boston days of the Vega company. These were used on the Wonder, VIP,Folklore, etc (non-Pro II, V-45, V-41 styles). To generally confirm that your banjo is a Nazareth built instrument, check for a C.F. It has only a tape serial number inside the pot of 1124. Martin made only about a dozen more PS-5 banjos. Martin decal, is the original pot for the plectrum 4 stringer SN 1450, but the neck was replaced after production with a 5 string neck by a previous owner. 6. gamefowl breeders in texas; 0 comments. I had Renee Karnes carve the heel with a VV flower and leaf design to get rid of the SS #. Well, this is a hybrid banjo, and doubtful that is a Galaxy banjo. For several years, the Vega Martin banjo was an amalgam of parts from Massachusetts and Nazareth, PA. Old 6 digit Vega serial numbers persisted on a yellow sticker on the inner pot until production was moved to Pennsylvania in 1972. Age differences in the instruments might alsoalter the wood tones. Search online for Earl Scruggs Vega Banjo Images, and you will see a photo of him with his endorsed Vega instrument bearing the signature square inlays on the neck that offered its distinctive stage appearance. Your Vega Martin VIP-5 with SN 845 was made in Nazareth, PA, in 1974 as one of four manufactured per Shop Order #2193, and it sold for $556 without case in the 1971 price list (after which VM did not publish recommended retail prices). Posts. The BRC Archives contain the serial numbers of these unique Vega-Martin banjos. The PS-5 is advertised in the 1970 and 1972 Vega/Martin catalogues but is absent from the 1976 catalogue where the No. It was a student model that Eddie convinced long time friend and Vega owner/president to make positioned as a lower cost alternative to the Vox I/Professional IIit was an upgrade over the Little Wonder/Ranger banjos. The resonator back and sidewall colored engravings are probably the key feature that might bring more value than lessthere were two likely designs at this time a tiffany-style web pattern with a floral vine on the side (first used in 1930) or the late 1940s Indian blanket Art Deco design.I have an original 1948 model that has the older style neck, with the new resonator designso , its a mixed bag during this time as Vega was experimenting with parts off the shelf when banjo sales were extremely low (maybe 20 per year) and their focus was on guitar and ukulule production instead.Pricing for 4 strings (and 5 strings) have dropped considerably over last 2-3 years for vintage banjosVoxes have held more than others. Do you know anything of the type of banjo, year of manufacturing and value today? Is this generally true, can one instantly recognize a Nazareth vs. Massachusetts by the stain color? It is a VEGA MARTIN tenor 4 string on which is written a number: 1040 .On the handle, it is engraved VIP and the back of the handle, there is the CF Martin logo.I want to know the date of construction , its positioning in the range of tenor banjos and possibly the price it may be worth now .Thank you in advance and best wishes !Bernard, BRC Banjo Replies:June 1, 2016 at 2:33 pm, Bonjour Bernard- Your VIP (Very Important Player) tenor banjo serial number 1040 was one of three VIP-T banjos manufactured by C.F. Mark- Thank you for the very helpful series of photos and your kind comments about the website. Vega Regent 5 String Banjo (1925) | RetroFret I do not know anything about banjos but the label inside the rim says VEGA of Boston. Vega Banjos for Sale, New and Used Search Agent: Get notified when new ads meet your criteria! Deering rescued the Vega line by purchasing the brand name in 1989. Although mostly a collector`s item these days, the current price range of the V-76 is $2.3-5K. I have original case. It did not have a tone ring or simply a steel ring like the Wonder, to keep the cost down. If you want a more Bluegrass sound, try a 5-Star head from Stew Mac. Good luck with your vintage Seeger long neck and photos of this prize would be most welcome for posting here if you are so inclined. The top-of-the-line model that Martin-Vega offered during the 1970s was the special order Ultra Vox V. At the end of the production run in 1979, the MSRP list price in the catalog was $3600 (exactly the same as the Martin D-45 guitar). It has almost all the hallmarks of a stock model VIP banjo. Vega banjos were marketed in the US thereafter by TMC (Targ & Dinner 20 Century Music Company) via a catalogue published in May of 1979. Thanks for sharing your fascinating banjo with the BRC, Barry. ! - Vintage Vega #2 Gp With the original Hardshell case and the rare Earl Scruggs Tuners or de- tuners if you will. It also features the four digit SN imprinted into the outside of the holes in groups of three tone ring, clearly done before the plating, and visible only when dissembled. If this banjo has some more of the early prewar design features, add $1000-1500.Hope this helps, Dr. Ron. Martin did not publish suggested retail prices after 1971, but I would estimate the V-76 sold for around $7-800 with case. It listed for $1310 in the 1971 VM price brochure and a carved heel was extra. Thanks again for your post and pictures and kind comments about the website. If it has a wooden pot resonator, remove it and check the inner rim for identifiers. This banjo has all hand-machined bell brass parts to replace the cheaper, more commonly used aluminum alloys used by both Vega and Martin during that era (including coordinator rods, top-tension rim lugs/shoes and bolts), and Kellens other signature upgrades that includes an 1/8 brass shim between the heel of the neck and rim and lacquered, highly polished inner resonator to enhance tone depth and volume projection. No M130097 Model: Wonder 5 St. The handsome Professional-5 model with an upgraded tone ring and rim re-appeared in the 1972 Vega/Martin banjo catalogue- but no sign ever again of the short lived BJF-5 stringer. Your banjo neck is from a Martin Tu-Ba-Phone 5-string banjoas advertised in a Martin flyer circa 1978, and the potalso looks like a left-over rim inherited from theNazareth, PA, company. Vintage Vega Style M Tubaphone Banjo 1921 Boston Mass W Case Inlay TU BA PHONE C $1,714.08 Was: C $1,904.53 or Best Offer SPONSORED Banjo made by Tokai T600R T-600R vintage 5 strings acoustic w/ hardcase C $1,021.01 Free shipping or Best Offer Only 1 left! 1969, probably initially at the 40 Leon Street factory the Needham Heights (just before the sale to Martin). It is a beauty. Ironically, C.F. The use of a brass band on the wood rim also appeared on some models at this time, to improve sound.What would be more telling is the peghead (where strings are attached) design at the time as they were in the process of changing from a scrolled shape to paddle peg head. Identifying Unmarked Banjos - Bill's Banjos The Vega Vox IV of that era featured burnished gold-plated parts, engraved flanges, an all white pyralin deep resonator with elaborately engraved back and sides, a fretboard with fancy pearl inlays, and an engraved and colored scroll shaped peg head. If you need photos I can take a few and send them to you on a subsequent time. My Dad left me a Martin VegaIm thinking I want to pass it on to someone wholl play it and care for it more than I can. Vega Tu-ba-phone Banjo | National Museum of American History Evidently, there was a marketing strategy to partner the 5-string V-41 instrument with Martin`s popular D-41 guitar, but this ploy did not come to fruition. There is a star on the 5th fret. thanks for the very informative web site It looks like the banjo is in ok/decent condition. Your banjo is item # VB120C which sold for $360 back then. Note the unique cluster of 3 sound apertures spaced around the tone ring of the below VIP-5 model owned by the BRC founder (SN 1364). The Seeger endorsed 5-stringer had the famous Vega Tube-a phone tone ring, a three piece ebony fingerboard, pearl dots, a neck-tension rod, a 10 ply maple rim, and a brass bracket band and notched tension hoop. The 1971-72 VM log books show 22 VIP banjos (most 5-stringers with a few tenor and plectrums) bearing the 6 digit Boston serial numbers, and thereafter the SN`s convert to digits #1 through #1969. Could you tell me where it was built and what its value is today ? vega banjo identification - Aviator Land In recent years, Deeringrecreated andmarkets its ownVega Professional 4-stringer model with a classic wooden pie sectioned resonator. # 1713? Although a mystery to me, this top of the line resonator banjo was introduced by C.F. Your tenor 4-stringer was built in early 1972 per Shop Order 2051. The Eddie Peabody Model was actually made by Vega of Boston from 1966-ca. In 1979, Martin sold the Vega brand to the Asian conglomerate Galaxy. When C. F. Martin Co. bought the Vega banjo line in May of 1970, hundreds of parts were inherited from the Needham Heights factory near Boston. The Vega 1961 flyer and 1963 catalogue describe that the Earl Scruggs model had a sunburst finish on the resonator. Vega Pete Seeger Model Longneck Model 5 String Banjo (1961), made in Boston, Mass., serial # 100971, shaded maple finish, laminated maple neck and rim, ebony fingerboard, original black hard shell case. I would appreciate it very much. Another side note, Greg Deering has made two prototype Voxes alreadyI have played one of them, which is basically an identical design to the 1967 Vox I with a paddle peghead and crown inlays. Do you know how many tenor V41 banjos were made? I was fortunate enough to visit the Needham factory (actually a cement-block garage-like building) in the mid-late 1960s and saw some early VIPs under construction.
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