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VINTAGE KALAMAZOO 1937 BANJO 5 string ORIGINAL! CLEAN!
Estimated price for orientation: 989 $
Category: Banjos
Class:
Description
This banjo is from 1937, made in the Gibson Kalamazoo factory, and is fully original to our knowledge. She has honest wear and aging from being 80 years old. It is structurally solid and just sounds FANTASTIC and plays great!
weighs 5 lbs. 9 oz.Comes with hard canvas case suitable for shipping. We got this banjo from John Allison's widow from his vast collection of banjos and MANY other unique instruments. It was somewhat erie yet exciting to find the below information while researching this model banjo at the Banjo Hangout website. John Allison- Posted - 01/11/2008: 11:09:12Just picked up a new (to me) Kalamazoo RB Banjo (1937). Original except for new fiberskin head, great sound, finish still in good shape. Has that great old timey sound. - Posted - 01/12/2008: 11:36:57I had hoped that someone would know the history of the Kalamazoo but since then I found out a lot more than I already knew. First of all, Kalamazoo was a toy company (The Kalamazoo Toy Co. of Kalamazoo, MI). Now with that said and considering this instrument was born during the depression era; apparently Gibson was having a rough go of it during this period and, in an effort to protect their company, they transferred key personnel and a lot of their stocks/assets to the toy company. This all took place in 1934. During that period (a fairly big Minstrel Era) a fair number of 4 string banjos were made by the company and either bore no name or carried the name Kalamazoo on the peg head with the named ones being the less in number. They also made a handful of 5 string banjos again with a few of those carrying the Kalamazoo name. Mine was made in 1937. They are basically Gibson banjos made by GibsonCongratulations. Sounds like you got a good 'un. - Posted - 01/12/2008: 12:54:50I recently bought one myself and it is a fine sounding old banjo. I have been reading a few other Kalamazoo related posts and there is good information on them as well. For instance I didn't know Doc Watson played/plays one. While they are the bottom of the Gibson line they are still late 30's Pre War five string banjos. If one wanted to do so they could take a Kalamazoo neck and use it to fashion a Mastertone neck pretty easily. I think the necks on an original RB-75 were probably one and the same as these with a little more attention to cosmetics and finish. The rims, while thinner than a Mastertone, are certainly substantial enough to warrant a conversion. With a little bit of attention and good luthiery these banjos have been upgraded to serious Bluegrass players. I plan to keep mine as is, but they have a lot of potential either way one chooses to go.Mike Casey
and Broken News - Posted - 01/12/2008: 13:49:22I'm just curious, what is a 4 string Kalamazoo worth these days, and what is a 5 string worth. Thanks in advance. - Posted - 01/12/2008: 16:11:52IMHO, pre-war RB's of any model are so uncommon that it seems a shame to cannabilize them for the old wood or torture them into becoming Mastertones with innumerable "upgrades". The KRB may be plain and unassuming, but as RB's they're worth preserving. Now tenors, that's a whole other story...Chris - Posted - 01/12/2008: 16:24:46Mine looks great, some neck wear, some fret board wear, a few minor dings but was rated VG/EX by Elderly: plus, I like the sound as is. Nope, gonna leave it like it is.
Description
This banjo is from 1937, made in the Gibson Kalamazoo factory, and is fully original to our knowledge. She has honest wear and aging from being 80 years old. It is structurally solid and just sounds FANTASTIC and plays great!
weighs 5 lbs. 9 oz.Comes with hard canvas case suitable for shipping. We got this banjo from John Allison's widow from his vast collection of banjos and MANY other unique instruments. It was somewhat erie yet exciting to find the below information while researching this model banjo at the Banjo Hangout website. John Allison- Posted - 01/11/2008: 11:09:12
Just picked up a new (to me) Kalamazoo RB Banjo (1937). Original except for new fiberskin head, great sound, finish still in good shape. Has that great old timey sound. - Posted - 01/12/2008: 11:36:57I had hoped that someone would know the history of the Kalamazoo but since then I found out a lot more than I already knew. First of all, Kalamazoo was a toy company (The Kalamazoo Toy Co. of Kalamazoo, MI). Now with that said and considering this instrument was born during the depression era; apparently Gibson was having a rough go of it during this period and, in an effort to protect their company, they transferred key personnel and a lot of their stocks/assets to the toy company. This all took place in 1934. During that period (a fairly big Minstrel Era) a fair number of 4 string banjos were made by the company and either bore no name or carried the name Kalamazoo on the peg head with the named ones being the less in number. They also made a handful of 5 string banjos again with a few of those carrying the Kalamazoo name. Mine was made in 1937. They are basically Gibson banjos made by Gibsonweighs 5 lbs. 9 oz.Comes with hard canvas case suitable for shipping. We got this banjo from John Allison's widow from his vast collection of banjos and MANY other unique instruments. It was somewhat erie yet exciting to find the below information while researching this model banjo at the Banjo Hangout website. John Allison- Posted - 01/11/2008: 11:09:12
Congratulations. Sounds like you got a good 'un.
- Posted - 01/12/2008: 12:54:50
I recently bought one myself and it is a fine sounding old banjo. I have been reading a few other Kalamazoo related posts and there is good information on them as well. For instance I didn't know Doc Watson played/plays one. While they are the bottom of the Gibson line they are still late 30's Pre War five string banjos. If one wanted to do so they could take a Kalamazoo neck and use it to fashion a Mastertone neck pretty easily. I think the necks on an original RB-75 were probably one and the same as these with a little more attention to cosmetics and finish. The rims, while thinner than a Mastertone, are certainly substantial enough to warrant a conversion. With a little bit of attention and good luthiery these banjos have been upgraded to serious Bluegrass players. I plan to keep mine as is, but they have a lot of potential either way one chooses to go.Mike Casey
and Broken News
and Broken News
- Posted - 01/12/2008: 13:49:22
I'm just curious, what is a 4 string Kalamazoo worth these days, and what is a 5 string worth. Thanks in advance.
- Posted - 01/12/2008: 16:11:52
IMHO, pre-war RB's of any model are so uncommon that it seems a shame to cannabilize them for the old wood or torture them into becoming Mastertones with innumerable "upgrades". The KRB may be plain and unassuming, but as RB's they're worth preserving. Now tenors, that's a whole other story...Chris
- Posted - 01/12/2008: 16:24:46Mine looks great, some neck wear, some fret board wear, a few minor dings but was rated VG/EX by Elderly: plus, I like the sound as is. Nope, gonna leave it like it is.