The sound of the original ball-bearing tone ring is the tone that the legendary Ralph Stanley was famous for in his early years.
This is a 1925 Gibson Mastertone, with its iconic ball-bearing tone ring, staggered hole support ring and tube and plate flange. Here’s a snappy 5-string that will delight players of many styles. stk#VGB5003įor more photos, click on “additional information”ġ925 Gibson TB-4 conversion 5 String Banjo $3,650.00 with original zippered, “red blanket” case included. The original Page tuning gears are present, although one has been replaced with a nickel plated version while the other three are gold. This extremely rare instrument is in excellent condition with a few marks and scratches that one would expect from a 90-year old banjo. The metal parts are gold plated and include the original Paramount locking tail piece and the unique plunger style mute near the end of the fret board. A double band of marquetry decorates the side. The vase is encircled in a wreath containing leaves and vines. Starting at the peg head, we see multi-hued wood inlays in the shape of flowers.The rosewood resonator offers a myriad of eye-enticing wood work featuring a vase overflowing with flowers and leaves. The fretboard is the one place on the banjo where Paramount retained their pattern of abalone shell and mother-of-pearl fret markers with their traditional patterns of inlay. Eschewing the usual abalone shell and mother-of-pearl inlay utilized for aesthetic embellishments, Paramount designed this gorgeously decorated instrument with wood inlays and marquetry, using intricate designs that were the epitome of the woodworker’s art. This Paramount Artcraft Tenor Banjo represents the ultimate of the luthier’s art and craft during the Golden Age of instrument manufacturing. In recent years an important part of our growth has been in instruments by very small companies and individual makers, as we continue to keep one foot, or at least several toes, outside the mainstream music industry. This comes with a lifetime discount on future repair and customizations.Īcoustic guitars, mandolins, and banjos are still the mainstays at Gryphon, as they have been for over 45 years, though our inventory of steel guitars and ukuleles continues to grow as well. Gryphon’s sustained commitment to quality ensures that no instrument not at optimal playing condition is sold. The Gryphon Advantage: This instrument has been personally setup by a member of our repair staff. This has been played, there's very light fret wear but the rest of the neck shows no wear or signs of use.īinding Ivoroid on neck, faux tortoise on shell Looks like an original Elite tailpiece, note the brass showing on the upper edge of the tension hoop. This is due to the CITES treaty, which regulates international trade of certain materials like rosewood, abalone, and pearl.Excellent Vega Whyte Laydie conversion by Wyatt Fawley, with some of nicest inlay engraving we've seen in the original Vega style. Please note: To help insure the future availability of certain materials used in the construction of this instrument, additional fees and/or documentation may be required when shipping this item outside of the USA. Important information if shipping outside of the USA: Heavy notched tension hoop & 24 rim bracketsĪged brass hardware & satin lacquer finish Hardened nickel-silver frets and bone string nut If you would like a specific adjustment, just add it to your order notes and we would be happy to adjust to your liking. We adjust the action and adjust intonation when needed. We inspect each and every instrument we ship out for maximum playability.
Select tone-woods, classic abalone and MOP shell inlays in the peghead, fingerboard, and heel cap, and radiused fingerboard make the Mira an exceptional instrument. The MIRA features the OME Vintage brass tone ring fitted to their 11”, 2-ply mahogany rim to produce Ome’s clearest, brightest Old-time banjo tone.