vega banjo identification

I appreciate having some of the history around my banjo and will cherish it even more knowing it is somewhat rare. 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. Martin- Thank you for your query and very useful photos. This model appears in the 1972 and 1976 catalogues. Martin did not publish suggested retail prices after 1971, but I would estimate the V-76 sold for around $7-800 with case. Please try again. C.F. What a wealth of information! Martin in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, in mid 1974 per Shop Order #2217. Although a Bluegrass resonator banjo musician, my daily practice exercises are conducted sans picks on one of two long neck Ode 5-stringers that are wife-friendly in tone. All original except the tailpiece cracked at the bend not long after I got it, and I replaced it with the Stew-Mac version. It looks identical to the one posted with photos on last July 8only difference is that mine does not have the Martin decal on the back of the peg head. Your banjo with SN 1046 was one of five PS-5 instruments manufactured in Nazareth, PA, in 1974 per Shop Order 2218, and after that C.F. (BTW, foradditional postings select Vega Martin Stories on the homepage menu or enter Vega Martin in the search engine. C.F. The original prototype was designed and built by the Vega Company in 1969, for the legendary King of the Banjo Eddie Peabody to commemorate his 50th year in show business. Well, this is a hybrid banjo, and doubtful that is a Galaxy banjo. Ironically, C.F. The openbacks are made entirely of white oak and feature a midnight maple fingerboard and peghead overlay. Congratulations on having two vintage VM banjos, and your gracious comments about the Info site are much appreciated. ). The construction features were changing on the Vox IV (most different from catalog images), but at this point Vega was still using dowel stick (rather than metal coordinator rods) to attach and adjust the neck, and adjustable truss rods in the neck were not added until 1955the early prewar type-construction was desired by many collectors. In the Martin SN files, banjo #1302252 manufactured in 1971 is designated as a BJF-5 (Pro) style instrument. It has almost all the hallmarks of a stock model VIP banjo. Please take detailed photos of your banjo inside and outside. Both of these models had block mother of pearl inlays, with fewer inlays appearing on the new scaled-down Pro fretboard. vega banjo identification. Your VW-5 would fetch $700-$1000 these days. I really appreciate your orientation. 1929 Vega Tubaphone Longneck Conversion Banjo This banjo started its life in 1929 as a Vega Vegaphone tenor banjo. Martin built only 31 of the V-41 instruments: 28 of the V-41-5 model like yours, 1 plectrum and 2 tenor 4-stringers. As you have observed, the VIP tonering has holes grouped in threes, so maybe yours might be a lucky survivor from the early days of the VIP line when the model first appeared in the 1970 Vega Martin catalogue. During this transitional period, Boston parts were shipped to Nazareth for assembly, and Martin pre-fixed the traditional six digit Vega serial number with the letter `M`. Your banjo was built circa 1964, and the A pre-fix to the serial number means `adjustable truss rod`. The number will be 6-12 digits long depending on what year it was made. I had Renee Karnes carve the heel with a VV flower and leaf design to get rid of the SS #. Dick- Thank you for being a frequent reader of the BRC website. Bob- Thank you for your kind words about my website, and I reply with compliments to your luthier shop with which I am familiar. So happy to find this site. Like Mark whom you cite from Comment #6 above, your banjo is one of 14 Pro-5 instruments manufactured per Shop Order #2197 in 1974 in Nazareth, PA. Martin built 100 Pro-5 banjos from 1971-79, including the whimsical Bobby Joe Fenster 5 stringer which was a thinly disguised Pro-5. Martin logbook, banjo SN 1450 was an entry level Wonder model 4 string plectrum banjo made in 1975. By history, C.F. John, John- Thank you much for your kind words about my website and letting my readers share in your joy of procuring a VM Pete Seeger long neck 5-stringer (PS-5). Theres barely a mark on the banjo (except for the binding where it was put on a stand) and this will probably buff out. Have a great weekend as well. (#26) Dr. Ron about " Vega Vox V: The Vega Martin Apogee of 4 String Banjos", A Lone (Pre Vega Martin ) Banjo at the Art Museum, https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14ES67V1VHbMR-GfbQpvWWGD1RUJrtyTv?usp=sharing. Wow, I glad to find your website! With appreciation, Barry. The circa 1978 brochure that I sent you confirms that your instrument is a Tu-Ba-Phone Deluxe 5 stringer. Is has a hard case with blue interior. If someone could help her post it on eBay, it would probably get a decent price and a good home. The distinct disadvantage to having a rare banjo is finding replacement parts. And recently I installed a new Elite head, which made a wonderful difference. Hope this helps and au revoir, Barry. The more affordable V-41-5 banjo was partnered with the D-41 guitar, but this marketing ploy did not work as anticipated for either of the aforementioned guitar/banjo combinations. From the BRC, Barry. 1921 Vega Style L Whyte Laydie Mandolin Banjo. According to the C.F. Greg also originally hand made the round hole Tubaphone tone rings, but now they have a fairly well honed machine manufacturing process. Thank you. Both the VW-5 and FW-5 appear in the 1961 Vega ((155 Columbus Ave., Boston, MA) catalogue but featuring a 5 ply rim in the early design. C.F. The tone ring is stamped 24, and the tail piece is stamped 41. In the Vega Martin shop files, banjo SN 916 is a VVI-P (Vega Vox Style 1 plectrum) resonator banjo made in 1974 in Nazareth, PA. Plectrum 4 stringers have 22 frets compared to the tenors that have 17 to 19 frets. The long neck banjo is less popular nowadays with the surge in Bluegrass music, but I have two of them and value their mellow wife-friendly tone. From the BRC, Barry. aluminum variety, one slim one large, with the larger one closer to the head. Your 5 stringer is cited only as Item VDX75C in the 1979 TMC catalog where to retailed for $475. vega banjo identification. If you had a picture archive, Id be happy to post some pictures. From the BRC, Barry. Thanks for your post. Guess I stated it wrong, not really carvings, just in lays. My Vega F-VIP #1456 got chosen from the 72 catalogue in spring of 76 in a music shop in Stuttgart / Germany, and was delivered only about ten weeks later. $42 USD. I call him Rory, although much louder he has a beautiful rich tone, but is quite punchy.. Would appreciate any information you can provide to verify the model and any original cost/current value. Deering (California) now owns the Vega brand name and produces a `Little Wonder` and `Old Tyme Wonder` 5-stringer not unlike your instrument. It originally came with an arm rest, rotomatic tuning pegs, and a plastic head. Location. Vega Martin banjo SN 1795 was one of three special order V-45 5-string banjos manufactured in Nazareth, PA, in 1977 per Shop Order 2335. 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. Learning how to play the banjo is no different. Galaxy apparently went bankrupt around 1984 and vanished from the financial scene. vega banjo identificationvega banjo identification January 31, 2022 . The majority of the banjoists appear to be holding examples of the regular Vega electric banjos with dot-inlayed fingerboards and dark wood veneered pegheads. Do you have a total of these models made under the Massachusetts Vega name? So, the rim and rods appear be from a Vox I, and dogbone Tubaphone tonering would be typical of the 1970s period under Martin (some the later Voxesmade by Vega in Needham Heights before moving to Nazareth used these, aswell as slotted Tubaphones). Your banjo is item # VB120C which sold for $360 back then. Thats a lot of information! VT2NRC in its 1979 catalogue, and Galaxy went bankrupt in a few years. The Vega banjos in the TMC catalogue were identified by serial numbers only with no model titles or nicknames. I apologize for using this email to reach you, but I have a banjo question I hope you can help me with. Do you know how many tenor V41 banjos were made? Original MRSP $1310 without case (carved neck was also extra). 2 classic model. My suggestion would be to take you banjo down to the local hardware store and cobble together a workable thumb screw (some have collars) and washer combination. Your tenor 4-stringer was built in early 1972 per Shop Order 2051. If anybody can shed some light on what I have. nike nationals track and field backpack; 0 comments. Published by at 30, 2022. I bought my Vega PS-5 S/N 1046 new in, I believe, late summer of 1974 through Miller Music in Lawton, OK. Dog-bone Tubaphone tone ring, Grover milk bottle guitar tuners. The beautiful Tu-Ba-Phone Deluxe and its plectrum and open back permutations appear only in a 3 page marketing pamphlet issued by C.F. Tuned 1-1/2 steps lower than a standard 5-string banjo, the Maple Mountain Series MM-150LN is set up for the best singing keys. As C.F. !Gary, Gary- Thanks for your query. Item # 9126. Barry, Eddie- Thanks for your query and kind comments about the website. Retail price was $1300.00 ; I paid $900.00 . According to the factory logbook, banjo # 481 was one of eleven PS-5 banjos made per Shop Order # 2155 by C.F. VIP is printed on the truss rod cover. The serial number is stamped in the wooden rim below the Martin decal. Your banjo was manufactured in Pennsylvania in 1976 per Shop Order #2299 just before Martin began to ship parts to Japan for assembly (after which serial numbers became goofy). I also did replace all of the cheapish plastic knobs with ivoroid ones of much better quality. P.S. Aside a changed bridge it remained un-modified and rarely played until about two years ago, as by the time I had bought it, I more and more began concentrating on the guitar. The Folk Ranger was a no-frills entry level banjo that Vega made in response to the folk music revival era. Some C.F. Can you tell me about it? Hope this helps, and I am sending you the circa 1978 C. F. Martin Tubaphone model promotional flyer . The Pro-5 does not appear in the 1976 Vega Martin catalogue. Hope this helps. Anders- Thanks for your query. Excellent condition. It is not clear why Martin initiated this product line. Martin made 76 commemorative V-76 banjos in 1976 to celebrated the bicentennial of the USA. Let me know if you might have any questionsI really appreciate the work youre doing here. Although mostly a collector`s item these days, the current price range of the V-76 is $2.3-5K. I lived in Needham MA for 20+ years, and Im wondering if that tone ring possibly came from Vegas final days in Needham. This design of banjo retailed for $285 back then, and it was popularized by Erik Darling and Pete Seegar (who had his own Vega endorsed model for awhile). Save on our most popular Goodtime banjos - the Goodtime openback and the Goodtime Two - at your favorite Deering dealer today! Look for decals and a serial number on the interior of the rim to help document its story. JC 1969, probably initially at the 40 Leon Street factory the Needham Heights (just before the sale to Martin). He on his banjo and me with my guitar. In the final VM 1976 catalogue, the F-VIP is displayed in full advertising detail. From the BRC, Barry, Only a handful of Martin/Vega banjos made it down to Australia. A fabulous example of one of the finest banjos ever made, the Vega 5-string Pete Seeger long-necked folk banjo, produced as a result of the folk craze of the late 1950s and early 1960s. CL. After a loooong wait I finally got it in 1971 . The F-VIP is first mentioned briefly on a front page of the 1970 Vega Martin catalogue, and it retailed for $490 in the VM price list of 1971. Id appreciate your comments please & thanks, Linda. Martin factory in Nazareth, PA, parts were shipped overseas to Japan and Canada for assembly. I have 3 Vega banjos , 1963 Earl Scruggs model A 10921(Scruggs ST-5, handwritten in red ink under that on yellow label) which I played for 23 years, she has a very mellow sound. Jim, Jim -Thanks for your query. It listed back then for $345 without to BRCcase. My personal suggestion, however, is to preserve it as a tangible keepsake of the priceless moments spent with your father years ago. Martin built only 20 F-VIP 5 stringers, and to my count 11 were made in Pennsylvania per the shop log book. The tiny screws adjacent to it are an adaptation by the Vega franchise to afford fine-tuning of the side-to-side alignment of the neck. This is a stock neck off a Martin-made tenor from that erathe fingerboardblock inlay is what would be found on only the Vox I or Pro. Photos are always welcome, and thanks for your post. Hopes this helps and thanks again for the detailed pictures. tone ring that you have. About 20 years ago I had it re-fretted , re-finished , and the gold re-plated . It is in pristine condition and is clearly a very high quality instrument. Serial numbers became unreliable during that era. Hope this helps and thanks again for your post. Martin manufactured 561 VW-5 banjos but only 124 FW-5 instruments. Vega stamp to yellow stick-on labels between 99369 and 99686. switchover is between #23721 and #23800. Its in excellent condition other than needing some cleaning and a little metal polish on the metal parts. A nice banjo- enjoy. Im happy to find Banjorehab as it is the first site Ive seen to have useful information on Vega-Martin banjos. It took me six months to finally commit to purchasing the Vega-Martin VIP that I brought home today from a local music shop. Unbeknownstto most 5 string aficionados, the Martin Guitar Company manufactured Vega banjos from 1970 through 1979. Thanks from all of us! If your Vegaphones and Tubaphone have serial numbers, you can more closely date them by visiting Whitetreeaz banjo serial numbers online. Thanks for your very kind words about the BRC website. 2 for $4149. Also, I can send pictures, if this would help, or just be fun! Thank You Of note, my Vega Martin VIP-5 banjo built in 1975 also came with a `Care of Your Banjo` memo dated 8/26/71 and a warranty that instructed the owner to call 215-759-2837 and ask for Mike (probably Mike Longworth who was C.F. Note below the C.F. Ed Britt, Jim Bollman, or Bob Smakula would be the most likely people to be able to give you the most exact identification of the model possible. The hardware on the V-41 is chrome-plated, so maybe a nearby metal shop could patch it for you or at least identify the alloy. On the inner rim of the back cover is another Martin logo and the (embossed in white) number 887. The Wonder was an entry level resonator instrument that featured a metal tone ring, white fingerboard binding, a notched tension hoop, a 10 ply rim, 3 piece maple neck, blackwood fretboard, pearl dots, nickel-pate parts and a shaded mahogany finish. My Dad & I went to our music lessons back to back on Thursday evenings during my teen years some 40 years ago. 403.80. The Ranger sold for $125 in 1961 and $158 in 1966. Your comments about the color tone differences of Vega/Boston vs. Martin/Nazareth resonator banjos are curious, and I do not have an accurate answer for it. I would love to be able to date this banjo: SN 999 as a decal under the Martin logo inside the rim with the Martin logo decal on the back side of the peghead as well. From the BRC, Barry. Your slightly blurry photo of the interior of the pot(not included here)show two tubular connecting rods which are left -over parts from the Vega factory in Boston. 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. Greg Deering acquired rights to the Vega brand name in 1989 and restored the banjo line to greatness. There is no #1 Martin banjo listed, but banjos #6-8 were Vega Vox-4-T tenors built per Shop Order 2087. 0 bids $10.96 shipping Ending Oct 14 at 5:44AM PDT5d 4hFrom GermanyBrand: VEGA The first SN#720 I know is a VW-5 because it has the original hang tag. I have sent an e-mail to my Vega Vox consultant Dr. Ron and await his comments and appraisal. It is mentioned again on a back page of the 1972 catalogue. I recently took my Dads 4 string banjo out of storage after approximately 25 years since his passing. Thereafter, C. F. Martin installed a serial number decal on the inner rim beginning with #2 and on through #1945. It listed for $1310 in the 1971 VM price brochure and a carved heel was extra. Although the Martin Company did not manufacture Vega banjos till a century later, a solitary banjo from the mid 19th century is appended to the exhibit to display parallel innovation in the instrument because of its increasing popularity during that era. Retail price was $1300.00 ; I paid $900.00 . The last SN from Boston was probably #130049, and the Vega Martin logbook in Nazareth starts with SN 130248. Roger- Thanks much for your query. Vega Martin banjo SN 324 was manufactured in Nazareth, PA, in early 1973. The tone ring really had me confused! The Vega 1961 flyer and 1963 catalogue describe that the Earl Scruggs model had a sunburst finish on the resonator. What a wealth of banjo information you have.I have a VV IV T tenor SN: M130298 which I purchase used about twenty-five years ago for $2,000. Any and all information you may have on my little banjo will be greatly appreciated! Thank-you for your kind words about my website, and all blessings to you and yours this coming holiday season. Your 5 string model was featured in the subsequent 1979 TMC Vega catalogue as an instrument similar to old style Vega Tu- Ba-Phone No.9.. banjo, and it listed then for $1250. Deering owns the Vega brand name nowadays, and its T-2 lists for $4149. Photos would be necessary to give an accurate price range, as design styles were still changing in the post war period and overall condition (all original parts) would bring a higher price. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thank you for your query to the BRC and the abovephoto link. Martin built only 101 PS-5 long necks. Serial number 115831 on a yellow strip built in Boston Mass.Wondering when it might have been built? Remo Frosted Top Banjo Head, 11 Inch Diameter, High Crown (1/2 Inch) $19 USD. Not a fancy top-line model, but still built with the typical extremely high quality components and a simple but . Your instrument SN 999 was one of five VIP-5 (Very Important Player) banjos was made in Nazareth, PA, in mid 1974 per Shop Order # 2212. Martin decals on the inner rim and back of the peghead. Ive attached a photo of that Coat of Arms resonator next to my Vox Vit was a spare they had made for Eddie Peabody. Martin manufactured only 33 VW-plectrum banjos. Tim, Tim- Thanks much for your query. Published by at 16 de junio de 2022. Thanks from the BRC, Barry, Hi Barry! Flanked by interactive faculty at a northeastern banjo camp, the BRC founderproudly shows-off his Vega VIP banjo built in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, in 1975.

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