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musical instrument details
GIBSON TB-1 FRANK NEAT CONVERSION BANJO FROM 1937 PREWAR
Estimated price for orientation: 4 495 $
Category: Banjos
Class:
Description Brand: Gibson MPN: Does Not Apply Banjo Type: 5 STRING Model: TB-1 Number of Strings: 5 Skill Level: Advanced Dexterity: Right Handed Country/Region of Manufacture: United States Items Included: Case Era: 1937
THIS IS A 1937 PREWAR GIBSON TB 1 BANJO. IT WAS OWNED BY A FRIEND OF MINE IN MILWAUKEE WISCONSIN WHO BOUGHT IT EARLY ON AND HE HAD IT IN HIS CLOSET FOR YEARS, HE HAD A MEMBER OF HIS FAMILY THAT WORKED OR MANAGED A FOUNDRY IN MILWAUKEE SO THEY TOOK A PREWAR GIBSON TONE RING INTO THE FOUNDRY, TESTED THE COMPOSITION OF THE METAL AND CAST THREE FLATHEAD TONE RINGS TO THE SAME COMPOSITION AS THE PREWAR TONE RING, HE HAD AT THE TIME FIVE OF THE PREWAR HOOP TONE RINGS, DONT KNOW WHERE HE GOT THEM, BUT HE INCLUDED THEM IN THE CASTING, HE SOLD THE OTHER TWO, AT A HIGH PRICE FOR THE TIME AND THIS BANJO HAS THE OTHER ONE.. WE USED TO GO TO BEAN BLOSSOM BACK IN THE LATE 1970S AND 1980S AND HE BECAME ACQUAINTED WITH MR FRANK NEAT SO HE LET MR NEAT TAKE IT TO BUILD A NECK FOR IT AND CONVERT IT TO A FIVE STRING, THIS WAS AROUND 1980, HE DID A BEAUTIFUL JOB OF BUILDING THE NECK AND THE REST OF THE WORK THAT HE DID ON IT, AND THE SOUND OF THIS BANJO IS SUPERB. MY FRIEND WAS NOT A BANJO PLAYER AND HE DID NOT PLAY IT, HE WAS A FIDDLE PLAYER, SO THE BANJO HAS BEEN PLAYED VERY LITTLE SINCE IT WAS CONVERTED, JUST A FEW OF HIS FRIENDS AND SINCE I BOUGHT IT FROM HIM, PROBABLY AROUND 1995, IT HAS NOT BEEN PLAYED.. I HAVE A 1930 TB-6 CONVERSION THAT MR NEAT CONVERTED FOR ME. YOU CAN JUDGE BY THE WEAR ON THE HEAD AS TO HOW MUCH IT HAS BEEN PLAYED SINCE IT WAS CONVERTED, IT IS THE SAME HEAD THAT MR NEAT PUT ON IT AT THE TIME AND PROBABLY THE SAME STRINGS. I THINK THAT MAYBE THE TUNERS AND MAYBE THE TAILPIECE MAY HAVE BEEN PUT ON NEW AT THE TIME OF CONVERSION, NOT SURE ABOUT THE TAILPIECE, IT IS A PRESTO TAILPIECE, I DO NOT KNOW ABOUT THE ARM REST. THIS IS THE WAY THAT HE GOT IT BACK FROM MR NEAT AND NOTHING HAS BEEN CHANGED IN AROUND THIRTY FIVE OR FORTY YEARS.. WHEN MR NEAT WAS TOLD THAT HE WAS SELLING IT, MR NEAT TOLD HIM THAT HE WOULD NEVER FIND ANOTHER ONE LIKE IT. THE PREWAR ONE PIECE FLANGE IS ABSOLUTELY FLAT WITH NO FLARE UP FROM THE TENSION, THE RESONATOR AND RIM ARE IN GREAT CONDITION, THE CASE IS LIKE NEW. THE SERIAL NUMBER IS 1115-22 DATING IT TO 1937.
Description
| Brand: | Gibson | MPN: | Does Not Apply |
| Banjo Type: | 5 STRING | Model: | TB-1 |
| Number of Strings: | 5 | Skill Level: | Advanced |
| Dexterity: | Right Handed | Country/Region of Manufacture: | United States |
| Items Included: | Case | Era: | 1937 |
THIS IS A 1937 PREWAR GIBSON TB 1 BANJO. IT WAS OWNED BY A FRIEND OF MINE IN MILWAUKEE WISCONSIN WHO BOUGHT IT EARLY ON AND HE HAD IT IN HIS CLOSET FOR YEARS, HE HAD A MEMBER OF HIS FAMILY THAT WORKED OR MANAGED A FOUNDRY IN MILWAUKEE SO THEY TOOK A PREWAR GIBSON TONE RING INTO THE FOUNDRY, TESTED THE COMPOSITION OF THE METAL AND CAST THREE FLATHEAD TONE RINGS TO THE SAME COMPOSITION AS THE PREWAR TONE RING, HE HAD AT THE TIME FIVE OF THE PREWAR HOOP TONE RINGS, DONT KNOW WHERE HE GOT THEM, BUT HE INCLUDED THEM IN THE CASTING, HE SOLD THE OTHER TWO, AT A HIGH PRICE FOR THE TIME AND THIS BANJO HAS THE OTHER ONE.. WE USED TO GO TO BEAN BLOSSOM BACK IN THE LATE 1970S AND 1980S AND HE BECAME ACQUAINTED WITH MR FRANK NEAT SO HE LET MR NEAT TAKE IT TO BUILD A NECK FOR IT AND CONVERT IT TO A FIVE STRING, THIS WAS AROUND 1980, HE DID A BEAUTIFUL JOB OF BUILDING THE NECK AND THE REST OF THE WORK THAT HE DID ON IT, AND THE SOUND OF THIS BANJO IS SUPERB. MY FRIEND WAS NOT A BANJO PLAYER AND HE DID NOT PLAY IT, HE WAS A FIDDLE PLAYER, SO THE BANJO HAS BEEN PLAYED VERY LITTLE SINCE IT WAS CONVERTED, JUST A FEW OF HIS FRIENDS AND SINCE I BOUGHT IT FROM HIM, PROBABLY AROUND 1995, IT HAS NOT BEEN PLAYED.. I HAVE A 1930 TB-6 CONVERSION THAT MR NEAT CONVERTED FOR ME. YOU CAN JUDGE BY THE WEAR ON THE HEAD AS TO HOW MUCH IT HAS BEEN PLAYED SINCE IT WAS CONVERTED, IT IS THE SAME HEAD THAT MR NEAT PUT ON IT AT THE TIME AND PROBABLY THE SAME STRINGS.
I THINK THAT MAYBE THE TUNERS AND MAYBE THE TAILPIECE MAY HAVE BEEN PUT ON NEW AT THE TIME OF CONVERSION, NOT SURE ABOUT THE TAILPIECE, IT IS A PRESTO TAILPIECE, I DO NOT KNOW ABOUT THE ARM REST. THIS IS THE WAY THAT HE GOT IT BACK FROM MR NEAT AND NOTHING HAS BEEN CHANGED IN AROUND THIRTY FIVE OR FORTY YEARS.. WHEN MR NEAT WAS TOLD THAT HE WAS SELLING IT, MR NEAT TOLD HIM THAT HE WOULD NEVER FIND ANOTHER ONE LIKE IT. THE PREWAR ONE PIECE FLANGE IS ABSOLUTELY FLAT WITH NO FLARE UP FROM THE TENSION, THE RESONATOR AND RIM ARE IN GREAT CONDITION, THE CASE IS LIKE NEW. THE SERIAL NUMBER IS 1115-22 DATING IT TO 1937.